Florence School

Located at Harwood and Precinct Line Roads, Hurst.

In the 1890, the forerunner of Florence School in the Tarrant County Common School District No. 34 was called "Green Glade". In 1903 Thomas Richard Sandidge, a school trustee, and his wife Nannie provided one acre at this site for school purposes. The nearby Green Glade site was sold, and the Florence Schoolhouse, a one-room frame building, was erected here among a grove of post oak trees. The new institution provided grades one through eight and had an average enrollment of 30. The term ran from October, after cotton harvest, to may, the beginning of cotton chopping time. The building served as a community center where singings were held. By 1914, with declining enrollment and the need for high school curriculum, the district was abolished and Florence School students attended Bedford, Pleasant Run, and Smithfield Schools. Sandidge reclaimed the land which had been set aside for school purposes, and the property was sold several times through the years. In 1966 the Tarrant County Junior College District bought the land as part of its Northeast Campus which opened in September 1968. Among the enrollment were descendants of students who attended the old Florence School. (1979)

I. M. Terrell High School

Located at 1411 E. 18th Street, Fort Worth.

In 1882, the Fort Worth school system opened its first free public school for black students, called "East Ninth Street Colored School." It was moved to the corner of East Twelfth Street and Steadman in a property trade with the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad in 1906, and renamed "North Side Colored School No. 11." Isaiah Milligan Terrell was named principal and served until 1915. A 1909 bond election provided funds for a new building, which opened in May 1910. In honor of its former principal, the school was named "I.M. Terrell High School" in 1921. The school at twelfth and Steadman became a Junior High and Elementary in 1938, when Terrell High School was moved to its present location at 1411 E. 18th Street, site of a former white elementary school. Isaiah Milligan Terrell was born in Grimes County in 1859. Named one of the first four black teachers in Fort Worth in 1882, he served as principal and supervisor of black schools. He was married in 1883 to Marcelite Landry, a respected music teacher. Terrell became President of Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M University) in 1915, and later became an active leader in Houston's black community. He died in 1931.

James E. Guinn School

Located at 1100 Louisiana St., Fort Worth.

After Fort Worth Public Schools were organized in the fall of 1882, black students continued to be taught in black churches for more than a year. The city completed a schoolhouse for blacks on E. 9th Street at Elm in December 1883. The son of a former slave, James Elvis Guinn was born in Fort Worth. Though neither of them could read nor write, his parents placed a great value on education, and James attended Fort Worth's early schools for blacks. He later pursued a college degree and became a professor of chemistry at Prairie View College, now Prairie View A&M University. Guinn returned to Fort Worth as Principal of South Side Colored School in 1900. Construction of a new three-story brick school building, designed by the prominent architectural firm of Sanguinet and Staats, began at the corner of Louisiana and Rosedale Avenues in April 1917. Shortly before its completion, Guinn died on July 11, 1917. Six days later the School Board voted to name the new school buildings James E. Guinn School in his honor. It was the largest black school in Fort Worth in 1930. After sixty-three years of service it, it was closed in 1980. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.

Masonic Home and School of Texas

Located at 3600 Wichita Street, Fort Worth.

The Grand Lodge of Freemasons in Texas, organized in 1837 in the Republic of Texas, was granted a charter by the new State of Texas on April 28, 1846. Among the stated purposes of the organization was support of education and charitable causes. At its 1885 annual meeting, the Grand Lodge appointed a committee to plan a "Masonic Widows and Orphans Home." Calling for bids from Texas lodges the following year, the Grand Lodge accepted the offer of Fort Worth Lodge No. 148 in 1888 for 200 acres of land and $5,000 toward building costs. Construction of the institution's buildings at this site began in 1898. A special Texas & Pacific Railroad excursion train brought Masons and visitors to a cornerstone leveling ceremony on June 7, 1899, and the first building was completed later that year. Dr. Frank Rainey of Austin was named superintendent. Known as the "Masonic Home and School of Texas," the facility included buildings designed by noted architects Wiley G. Clarkson of Fort Worth and Herbert M. Greene of Dallas. The Masonic Home Independent School District was formed by the State Board of Education in 1913, and by 1930 more than 450 students were being cared for and educated here. Under terms of an agreement reached in 1911, Masonic widows were transferred to the new home for aged Masons in Arlington. Over the years the mission of the home to care for children of Texas Masons was expanded to offer educational opportunities to additional relatives of Masons, as well as to other children sponsored by Texas lodges. The school continues a legacy of excellence in education. The campus was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1992. (1999)

Mosier Valley School

Located on the south side of Mosier Valley, near Knapp/Mosier intersection, near Euless.

In 1870, former slaves Robert and Dilsie Johnson received a 40-acre tract of land here as a wedding gift from plantation owner Lucy Lee. Soon other freedmen settled in Mosier Valley, and in 1883 a community school was organized. A schoolhouse, built at this site about 1924, served as a focal point for the surrounding area. It was replaced by a brick structure in 1953. Mosier Valley students were integrated in 1969. Today the site serves as a reminder of the area's earliest citizens and as a symbol of the community's rich heritage. (1983)

North Side School

Located at Johnson Plantation Cemetery, 621 W. Arkansas Lane, Arlington.

After Arlington's North Side School at 433 North Center burned in 1909, this board and batten structure was built on the school grounds. Two grades met here for one term until a new brick building was erected. Contractor Joseph Crawley, who built this structure bought it and moved it to 304 South Pecan. It served as his office until 1924 when it became a storage shed. In 1977 Arlington's oldest existing schoolhouse was relocated here.

Pioneer Birdville Schools

Located at 3120 Carson St., Haltom City.

The community of Birdville, named for pioneer Jonathan Bird, became the first seat of Tarrant County in 1851. It continued to hold that position until 1856, when an election changed the county seat to Fort Worth. Located within the community, on this site known as Birdville Hill, was a school operated by Professor William E. Hudson. Named Birdville Academy, the school opened in 1858 and attracted students from Tarrant, Dallas, Parker, and Denton Counties. The school grew quickly from a one-room wooden building to larger facilities serving an increasing student population. By 1919 the need for additional room resulted in a bond election which authorized the erection of a new brick building adjacent to the original school site. In 1926 the Birdville Independent School District was incorporated, and additional school facilities were added to the property in later years. In 1961 Birdville High School was renamed Haltom High after a second high school, Richland High, was opened. Still occupying the original Birdville School site, the school district now includes facilities throughout Haltom City and retains the Birdville name.

Pleasant Run School

Located at 5505 Pleasant Run Road, Colleyville.

Early settlers have recalled that a log school stood near this site as early as 1870. By 1877, 45 students were enrolled. In 1884, A.J. Colwell deeded two acres here to the Pleasant Run School Trustees for a public school and church. In 1897 a wooden school-house stood here and one teacher, Emma Dixon, was teaching 93 students during a 120-day term. A 2-story brick building was completed c. 1913, replaced by a Works Progress Administration structure in 1939. About 233 students were enrolled in 1960. Classes were last held here in 1962, soon after consolidation with Grapevine.

Saint Ignatius Academy Building

Located at 1206 Throckmorton, Fort Worth.

The first Catholic School in Fort Worth, St. Ignatius Academy was organized by the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur in 1885. The first classes were held in a house purchased from Jacob Smith. This four-story limestone structure, used for classrooms and chapel, was completed in 1889. J.J. Kane designed the building, a good example of the Victorian Institutional style. School classes were conducted here until 1962.

Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary

Located at the southwest corner of James and W. Seminary, Fort Worth.

Chartered March 14, 1908, for graduate education in Christian ministries. Moved here in 1910 from Waco, Texas. Original 200-acre campus tract and first building, Fort Worth Hall, were gifts of people of Fort Worth. Control passed from Baptist General Convention of Texas to Southern Baptist Convention in 1925. First president (1908-14) was B.H. Carroll. Successors: L.R. Scarborough, 1914-42; E.D. Head, 1942-53; J. Howard Williams, 1953-58; Robert E. Naylor, 1958-.

Spring Garden School

Located at 2400 Cummings Road, Bedford.

The concern of area settlers to provide a school for their children resulted in the opening of the Spring Garden School in the fall of 1865. Samuel Witten, Levin Moody, Milton Moore, and Caleb Smith joined forces to build a schoolhouse on land (1/2 mi. N) donated by Witten. Named Spring Garden after Witten's home in Missouri, the School was noted for its excellent teachers. The growth of Bedford and an 1872 fire that destroyed the schoolhouse contributed to the closing of Spring Garden School about 1878. Its history is a reminder of the importance of Texas' pioneer schools.

First Hundred Years of Texas Christian University

Located inside the foyer of M.E. Sadler Hall, 2800 S. University, Fort Worth.

Founded during 19th century Christian Restoration Movement, by Joseph Addison Clark (1815-1901) and sons Addison (1842-1911) and Randolph (1844-1935). Joseph A. Clark, born in Illinois, came to Republic of Texas in 1839. A teacher, preacher, lawyer, surveyor, editor and publisher, he also was Fort Worth Postmaster in noisy cattle-trail and early railroad era. His sons, home from the Civil War, established a school in this city in 1869, on site which proved unsuitable. The family moved the school to Thorp Springs (33 MI. SW), where they founded Add-Ran Male and Female College in 1873. Church-related from its origin, the college was given in 1889 to the Christian Church Convention of Texas, and renamed Addran Christian University. Moved to Waco on Christmas Day, 1895, the school was renamed Texas Christian University (1902), and stayed there until the main building was destroyed by fire in 1910. When Fort Worth offered 52 acres of land for a campus and funds of $200,000 for building, Texas Christian University returned (1910) to the city first chosen as its location. By 1973, TCU had grown to 243 acres, 60 buildings, seven schools and colleges, and an average fall enrollment of 6500 students. Erected during Centennial Observance - 1973.

The University of Texas at Arlington

Located in front of UTA Central Library, 702 College St., Arlington.

Tracing its history to a series of private schools and military academies, The University of Texas at Arlington has grown with the community to become one of the area's most important public institutions. Arlington College, a private school for students in grade 1-10, opened here in 1895 in a two-story frame building. It was succeeded in 1902 by Carlisle Military Academy, operated by former State Superintendent of Public Instruction James M. Carlisle. Financial difficulties forced the Academy into receivership, and in 1913 H.K. Taylor opened Arlington Training School in its place. It in turn was replaced in 1916 by Arlington Military Academy, which closed after only one year. The school became a state-supported institution in 1917. Known as Grubbs Vocational College for local supporter Vincent W. Grubbs, it was affiliated with Texas A&M (then called The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas) through two more name changes--North Texas Agricultural College (1923-49) and Arlington State College (1949-65). Transferred to the University of Texas System in 1965, it was renamed the University of Texas at Arlington in 1967 and has become the second largest University in the System, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995

Second Site of the Old Wayside School

Located on FM 1220 just south of W.J. Boaz Road, about 15 miles from downtown Fort Worth.

Founded 1883 on site in Dozier community, given by W.E. Boswell. Situated 1898-1948 in 2 successive buildings on land given by A.W. Moore. Now in Eagle Mountain-Saginaw District, which includes W.E. Boswell High School, named in honor of donor of first site.

Masonic Temple Association of Fort Worth

Located at 1100 Henderson, Fort Worth.

The Masonic Temple Association was founded as the result of dramatic growth in Fort Worth's Masonic membership during the early part of the twentieth century. It was chartered in 1929 with ten member bodies for the purpose of building and maintaining a central meeting place for those organizations. Funds were raised and the new temple was completed in 1932. Since its founding, The Masonic Temple Association of Fort Worth has helped to create a common bond among its members. (1984)

Royal Flying Corps

Located in Greenwood Cemetery, 3400 White Settlement, Fort Worth.

In 1917, during World War I, the U.S., British, and Canadian Governments entered into a reciprocal agreement to train military pilots for combat duty. Foreign troops trained in Texas during the winter and in Canada in the summer. Camp Taliaferro in Tarrant County, consisting of three air fields, provided training facilities for members of the Royal Flying Corp and U.S. forces from October 1917 to November 1918. Each field accommodated an average of 2,000 men. Royal Flying Corps expertise and skilled instructors enabled large numbers of Americans to receive excellent flight training in a short time. During the months British and Canadian troops were stationed in Fort Worth, 39 officers and cadets were killed during flight training. Eleven of the men were buried at the three Air Fields; in 1924 the Imperial War Graves Commission purchased a plot at Greenwood Cemetery for reinterment. A monument was later erected at the site, which now has twelve graves since a veteran who died in 1975 requested burial here with his friends. The Royal Flying Corps, although in Texas for only a short time, had a beneficial and lasting influence on aviation in this country.

Smithfield Masonic Lodge No. 455 A.F. & A.M.

Located at 8007 Main St., North Richland Hills.

The organizational meeting for this lodge was held on July 13, 1875. Originally known as the Grand Prairie Lodge, the fraternal organization held its meetings in the Zion Church until the first Lodge Building was constructed in 1876. In 1894 the structure was moved to the lot adjacent this site and was in use until 1981. The Lodge's membership has included some of the prominent early settlers of Tarrant County, including Eli Smith, for whom the Community of Smithfield (now part of North Richland Hills) was named. The title Smithfield Masonic Lodge was adopted in 1947.

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Located at 1301 W. Seventh Street, Fort Worth.

On February 15, 1877, a large number of stock raisers from northwest Texas assembled in the Young County Courthouse in Graham to address the problem of cattle rustling. Their solution was the creation of the "Stock-Raisers' Association of North-West Texas." The organization worked to promote the interests of stock raisers and initiated a system of tracking stray or stolen cattle. Names, marks, brands, locations of ranches, and addresses of individual stock raisers were made available to each member. C.L. (Kit) Carter of Palo Pinto County served as the association's first president. Other prominent cattlemen involved in the group's formative years were C.C. Slaughter, Samuel Burk Burnett, and James C. Loving. During the 1893 Annual Convention, membership in the organization was opened to the entire state, and its name was changed to the "Cattle Raisers Association of Texas." In the same year, Fort Worth became the location of its permanent headquarters. The current name was adopted in 1921, when the Panhandle and Southwestern Stockmen's Association joined the Texas organization. Throughout its history, the association has provided significant service and leadership to the cattle industry of Texas.

Woman's Club of Fort Worth

Located on an interior garden wall, 1316 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Worth.

Women from eleven social and study groups, some formed before 1900, joined in 1923 to create the Woman's Club of Fort Worth. Miss Anna Shelton, who led the unification drive, served as the first President of the club. The charter members first met in a house donated by Etta O. (Mrs. William G.) Newby. As the club grew, it acquired other buildings. The organization performs many civic, charitable, and educational activities and maintains a Texana library collection. Membership in 1975 totaled about 3000.

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Located at 116 Elm Street, Fort Worth.

The oldest and largest African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Worth. This church organization was organized about 1870 by the Rev. Moody, pioneer circuit rider, and five area settlers. Members met in homes until facilities were built at this site soon after it was purchased in 1878. The name Allen was adopted as part of the congregational title in 1879 to honor Richard Allen, a former slave who became the first Bishop of the A.M.E. faith. Led by 29 pastors in over a century of service, Allen Chapel has played a significant role in Fort Worth's development. (1982)