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Page 18 - The Giddings, Texas, Times News - Thursday, November 4, 1971 By Supt. Don B. Slocomb The first school in Giddings was founded in 1874 by Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. McClellan. It was a non-public school, and was supported by pupil tuitions, donations from churches, fra ternal groups and individuals. The lower floor of the lodge building, owned by the masons and oddfellows, served as the first school house. This build ing was located on lot 10, block 44, original town site (lot 10, block 44, location of Masonic ar building in 1971). Mr. and Mrs. McClellan suc cessfully managed the teaching chores in this school together, until about 1881 when their daughter Mattie joined them as a student assistant. Mattie was about 15 at this time. The private school was voted a public responsiblity in 1883, and Mr. and Mrs. D. Y. Bagby joined the McClellans to give the newly created public insti tution, a teaching staff of four. Annex rooms has been added to the original lodge building to accommodate four teachers. A 50¢ tax rate was voted to support the school’s operations. W. A. Rector was the new school’s first school board pre sident, and Frederick Raube was its first secretary. Other trustees were W. A. Ox, Hi. Golstein, and E. A. Burns, (5 man board) A. W. Schubert replaced H. Golstein in 1886, and E. R. Sinks succeeded Mr. Rector in 1888. In 1887, the first Negro school was constructed, partially with tax funds. It was a one room wooden structure, and was sit uated on lot 1, block 242 (south on Highway 77, across the Sou thern Pacific Railroad and hard against the right of way, about one-fourth of a mile from the Lee County courthouse.) The building cost $381.00, with the Negro citizens payin $97.00, and the school boar paying the $284.00 balance. John Hickey was the first Negro teacher. Obert D. McClellan, co founder of the Giddings School System died on December 30, 1888. His wife, Sarah L., and also a co-founder of this school pene died on February 2. The first brick school (the first Giddings High School) to be paid for by incurring a bond ed debt, was erected in 1892 on block 144 (high school gym location in 1971). It was a 50’ x 66’ two story brick structure consisting of 8 classrooms. Its cost was $7,700. The school bonds, amounting to $8,000.00 were sold at 6%, to run for 20 years to 1912. The trustees however, redeemed this entire issue in 1902. Buckner Harris was the sup erintendent during this time. Ed R. Sinks, R. H. Northrup, M. S. Merchant, and W. H. Cherry served as school board residents from 1892-1902. A. Schubert, Max Gans, M.S. Merchant, and W. O. Bowers were the school board secre taries during this 10 year span. The 1892 building was cheaply constructed and its maintenance upkeep was inordinately high. It became unsafe and over crowded in 1908, and the trus tees considered replacing it. This was not done however. The board ‘‘rodded’’ the build ing, and sent the first grade to the lower floor of the new Masonic Lodge building (old tin building) which had been com pleted in March of that year, Miss Betty Redfield (Vogel) was the first grade teacher in 1908-09. In 1907, the second Negro school building was constructed on block 20, at a cost of $1730. It was a three room wooden structure. No bond issue was necessary for this program. A $20,000 bond issue was voted in 1912, which funds were used to build the second Gid dings High School. The bonds were scheduled to run for 40 years at 5% interest. The building was a three story brick structure, and was sit uated on parts of block 144 and 143, facing Industry Street, on Poa was demolished in . The trustees accepted a con struction contract in the amount of $25,897.00 on June 30, 1913. Problems galore plagued the board throughout this buildin g roses as it was underfund f rom the very start. Unpaid bills began to pile up when the building fund went broke early in 1914. W. G. Walley and M. A. Can non were superintendents dur ing the 1913-18 period. R. D. Heck and S. S. Willard were school board presidents, while J. B. Hillsman served as secre ae throughout this period. supplemental bond issue in the amount of $7,500 was voted 1918, with the proceeds bein used to pay off all ‘‘just claims’ against the 1913 building project. The high school gymnasium was built in 1936, at a cost of $16,000. Since this was a federal WPA project the school district bore only $8,000 of this cost. Two bond issues were passed during this year. An $8,000 denomination was used to pay out part of the gymnasium cost, and a $13,900 authority was used as a cue device to retire the entire balance of the 1912 and 1918 outstanding bonds. The 1912 and 1918 issues each bore a 5% interest rate, while the $13,900 refunding bonds sold for 4%. The balance (4,500) of the $8,000 issue was paid off in 1946, while the $13,900 refund ing authority was fully amor tized in 1956, W. B. Denman was superin tendent of schools during the construction period, E.M., Ollier was chairman of the board, and M.L. Meitzen was secretary. In 1946, a $100,000 issuance was authorized by the tax pay ers. The original purpose of this empowerment was to supply funds for the construction of a new high school peg ae for white pupils, and a new building on block 20 for the Negro child ren. After several unsuccessful attempts to secure bids low enough to accomplish both pur oses, and remain in the $100,000 budget, this plan was abandoned. At this point we might note that blue prints were actually drawn in 1946 (these plans are on file in the superintendent’s office in 1971) to replace the old 1913 high school building for white pupils, but such plans and specifications were delayed for 23 years, and until 1969. It seems unreal that the trus tees actually called a bond elec tion for a specified amount, and the voters approved it, before laws and specifications had een drawn, and a cost estimate had been made by the architect. A qualified architect could have advised the trustees that $100,000 was an insufficient amount for the construction of both buildings. This same pattern was fol lowed in 1912, much to the discredit of that school board. In 1950 a new campus was purchased in the Northwest sec tion of Giddings (on Boundary Street, 2 acres between Titus and Waco Streets). This acre age was purchased from John Tate at a cost of $300. The old campus for Negroes on block 20 was sold to Ed Meissner for $2,000. In retrospect, the 1950 trus tees would have been wise in deed, had they used the entire $2,000 from the sale of block See BUILDING, page 19
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Giddings Times and News
Giddings, Texas, US
Thu, Nov 04, 1971
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