Rural school/Breckenridge schools, part II

To understand the complexity of Stephens County schools, one has to look at the census population of Jan. 1, 1920, which was 1,500 people. Even though the oil was discovered as early as 1916-17, it didn’t really get big notice until 1919-1920. By 1921, there was a population of more than 30,000 people living in tents as far as one could see and many slapped up wooden structures to serve as temporary homes for other workers in the town of Breckenridge.

At the height of the drilling, there were more than 200 wooden oil derricks located everywhere that space would provide in the town of Breckenridge. If the parents could afford it, they shipped their girls off to relatives or a Boarding School in Fort Worth, due to the unsavory characters working on the oil rigs and the rough language used by the men. If families could afford it, they also sent their boys as well.

By 1927, there were three elementary schools constructed in Breckenridge; East, North and South and in 1926 a school for the African-American students was taken care of by moving a building from ‘High School Hill,’ to their area of town and was named Booker T. Washington School. There also was a modern gymnasium built for use by junior high and high school students. The Central Grammar School was converted to junior high and some additional rooms were added. The old stone building had the second floor removed and converted into shops, a Band Hall and a cafeteria.

With the Breckenridge school system well-established, Mr. L.T. Cook resigned in 1930 and moved on to a new challenge. Mr. N. S. Holland became the superintendent, which was during the Depression years. The School Bond became due during the Depression and the school system was facing bankruptcy. Mr. Johnny Bates led the BISD Board to refinance the School Bonds and this allowed the finances to become solvent enough to continue on once more.

In 1938, Holland resigned and John F. Bailey, BHS principal, became the school superintendent with W. Doyle Graves as the BHS principal and head of the Vocational Ag program, as a teacher. More of the rural schools consolidated and many BHS students and staff were inducted into the military during the World War II era, 1940-45. The war years buzzed by and the GIs came home to growing families and educational opportunities to go to college under the GI Bill. Many who may not have gone to college or a trade school otherwise took advantage of this opportunity during the late 1940s, with many college classes dotted with seasoned veterans among the young newly graduated high school students. This led to an unusual phenomenon, which helped both groups.

By 1955, the old stone building on the hill was torn down and a new band hall and new shops were constructed. Unfortunately, an unpredicted problem arose when South Elementary was condemned. School Bonds for a new elementary school and renovation of East and North Elementary were voted on and passed.

Students from South Elementary were sent to East and North Elementary, but then East Elementary caught fire and burned. North was being renovated and BISD had run out of places to ship the students.

The large American Legion Hall came to the rescue and for two years, students attended school in makeshift classrooms at the American Legion Hall and at the National Guard Armory, which is now the maintenance and bus facility. Some students also attended classes at the Junior High School.

By 1957-1960, there were new elementary schools at South and East Elementary and North Elementary had been renovated.

There wasn’t much time to shift gears and by 1964, the BISD school system was faced with integration. Compared to other areas having to deal with integration, Breckenridge ISD had a smooth transition. The older students at the high school were the first ones to dip their toes into their new surroundings. There were three African-American students at BHS and at first, there was a wide separation, but as those students proved themselves on the athletic field and in other areas, the integration at BHS appeared to be seamless. The next step was the integration of the junior high and elementary-aged students and by 1967, Booker T. Washington School was closed and it was used as a Community Center for the African-American community.

Also, in 1965, a new bond was passed to build a new high school. The junior high students moved into the old BHS building and the old Junior High building was demolished. Additionally, a new gym was built in 1968 and was named for L.T. Cook, the man who had set up the BISD school system way back in the 1920s. Now you know why the gym was named L.T. Cook Gym.

More next week about the expanding school system and the closure of more of the rural schools until they all were closed and consolidated with Breckenridge ISD.