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Few
things stir the nostalgia of our lives as the days we spent in our
schools
decades ago.
Most of us remember with clarity the children we knew as classmates
and the teachers who taught us. And even today, we remember the
details of school events, graduations and the buildings where we
learned our lessons.
For the people of San Augustine County, Harry and Kelly Noble have
refreshed these memories with a new book, “Schools of San Augustine
County: A History.” The book is significant because the county,
as one of the oldest in Texas and was
one of the first towns to establish a plan for an educational institution,
the San Augustine University, when an incorporation was passed by
the First Congress of the Republic of Texas in 1837 with an endowment
of 4,428 acres of public land. By 1912, the county had 40 individual
school districts with such colorful names as New Hope, Red Ridge,
Logville, Harvey Creek, Turkey Creek, Henry Hill, White Rock, Spring
Ridge and Bland Lake.
But, today, the county has only two independent school districts
at San
Augustine and Broaddus--the result of school consolidations,
shifting economies, population declines and other reasons.
The Nobles’ book does a wonderful job of capturing the history and
spirit of schools
as they were decades ago.
But the book’s most appealing feature is the hundreds of old photographs
taken in the schools
and newspaper clippings that reported everything from honor rolls
to picnics--things you rarely see in today’s newspapers.
In December of 1930, a two-hour play, “Little Miss Jack,” was featured
at Chinquapin School. A clipping said the play was all about “Jackie
in the slums of the city with no mother and seemingly no father.”
Since San Augustine County had no slums in 1930, it was probably
a revelation to Chinquapin’s
children.
At New Hope
School, a clipping in 1934 reported that “some new work has been
added to the cirriculum, namely a choral club, which is very much
liked by the entire student body.”
New Hope, by
the way, had a “propitious opening” in 1932. There’s a great word
for kids to learn to spell.
A diary written by Annie Catherine Slaughter, who taught in a one-room
school at Boren in 1909 and 1910, had some unique observations.
“My school house has four rooms, but I only use one. It has a big,
old-time fireplace at one end and I am expecting to spend some delightful
days sitting by it with a big fire.” One day, she walked down to
a beautiful spring to “get a drink of delicious water.”
On a Monday, rain came down in Boren and Annie wrote that she didn’t
teach that day because she had only eight pupils.
If you would
like a copy of the Nobles’ wonderful book, they can be reached at
936-275-5660 or via e-mail at harrynoble4@sbcglobal.net.
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