Something is going on behind the back of Jack Crain, 1930s football star.  His bust is hallowed ground for football fans; consequently, workmen are careful not to disturb his shrine.  The construction should make Jack's namesake, Jack Crain Stadium, a better place.

Construction in and around the stadium will help solve the drainage problems plaguing the secondary campus since it was built.  Also, the running track is being resurfaced with a new all-weather surface.

See more slides of construction project.

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Rural Schools of Montague County

At least two good sources of information remain regarding the history of rural schools in Montague County, including Dan L. Martin’s The History of Education in Montague County, Texas and the Montague County Historical Commission’s Commemorating Rural Schools of Montague County, Texas 1958. This article uses those sources and others listed in the addendum. The chronology for this essay will cover the time period from just after the Civil War until the late 1950s when one-room schools in Montague County vanished.  This is the first of several articles to be presented on Montague County rural schools.

 

Part I: Introduction

 

At the turn of the century, there were approximately 100 rural, one-room school houses in Montague County Texas. Prior to this time, more than 150 small schools had opened in Montague County after the Civil War; subsequently, many schools had closed or consolidated with surrounding schools.  Also, schools might close for periods of time for lack of a teacher, and reopen later.

 

The State of Texas decided that it should regulate schools in 1872, by including Montague County in the Sixth Educational District along with all the surrounding counties.  A supervisor was appointed by the state to oversee common schools in Montague and neighboring counties.  This was an early attempt for the State to regulate the hundreds of common schools springing up in post civil war days. Along the Red River counties, Native American raids across the river had subsided so that settlers could now live in peace in this virgin territory.

 

In 1873, each county was authorized to select a Board of Directors to determine the amount of expenses that each school needed to pay its teacher(s) and maintain its building(s).  The County Commissioners Court would then levy taxes on the citizens of each district to finance their school. 

These County Boards of Education often appointed a County Superintendent, usually an experienced educator, to run their operations.  The County Superintendent had nominal authority over common schools. His most important duties were to hold teacher institutes and to approve vouchers for teacher pay. Eventually, the State made the County Superintendent a permanent elected position. J. W. Whatley was the first Montague County Superintendent. Likewise, in 1911, the State reorganized schools of Texas under a State Superintendent of Schools.

 

Many of the one-room schools required tuition because funding sources in small communities were limited. Private schools might charge anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00 per month depending on the subjects taught and the length of the term.  Some graded schools might serve grades one to six, while wealthier schools could present curriculums for eleven grades. 

 

Please Continue

Also notice the two maps of rural schools below.