History of Neill District Number 51

As early as 1905 the citizens living in what was then the northern part of the Buffalo Gap District Number Nine, decided that they were too far from school and felt that the district was large enough and had sufficient population to justify the maintenance of two schools. Accordingly, a petition, requesting another school was presented to the Commissioner's Court and was acted upon favorably. Mr. Alex Neil donated as a site for the school a beautiful tract of land, situated about five miles north of Buffalo Gap on the Abilene-Buffalo Gap Highway and bordering on Elm Creek. Here are many beautiful shade trees and a splendid supply of pure water - an ideal location. The district was named "Neill" in honor of its donor. A one-room frame building was erected by the prospective patrons of the school, who did all of the work and were ready for the first school in 1905-1906. The district as it is today was organized by the Commissioners' Court in 1909 from a part of the Buffalo Gap District - as has been said - part of the Iberis District, and the remaining part of "old" Number Twelve, which had formerly been attached to the Caps District. The school and community continued to grow, until in 1917- bonds were voted to the amount of $1250 and a tax levied at a rate of twenty-five cents. The present building was then erected; it is one of the best small buildings in the county, meeting all requirements of heating, lighting and ventilating; it is a two-room bungalow model, with two cloak rooms and a porch. The good district increased its tax the following year to fifty cents and, in 1921, showed its good school spirit by voting the limit of one dollar for the support of its school. Neill has had many good terms of school; during the present year, every seat has been filled with with hard-working girls and boys, who have appreciated the work of their good teacher Misses Leola Seastrunk and Bennie Banks. The school motto is a most worthy one and one that it is each year living up to - "A BETTER SCHOOL EACH YEAR."

Class Roll