Oak Hill School history and Oak Hill in Austin, Texas have been reported in the local news time and time again. Well here is an in-depth look at the history of Oak Hill School and the Oak Hill School District none with similarities to other new reports about Oak Hill School.
The Oak Hill School served as an elementary school where grades 1 through 7 from 1856 to 1985 for the students that lived or resided in the Oak Hill neighborhood. Oak Hill School was operated by Austin Independent School District. The old Oak Hill School building was the former building for Oak Hill Elementary School prior to 1985.
In 1856 Oak Hill School was started a log cabin school called Live Oak Springs. The school was named after the community. This name was used for 9 years from 1856 to 1865 when the Civil War ended. Mr. George Hirsner was the first teacher of this school.
In 1865, the Shiloh School was built a log cabin to replace the Live Oak Springs School. Although the Shiloh School was built to replace the Live Oak Springs School, the Shiloh School remained right next to Live Oak Springs School as an annex building if overcrowding occurred.
Major landowner named B. F. Oatman had settled in Oak Hill around 1869. The area and the school and community were renamed Oatmanville. Which is where Oatmanville School came from.
A wooden frame building built by Williamson Creek replaced the Shiloh School in 1879. This one-room schoolhouse was enlarged to two rooms simply by hanging a curtain across the center.
On the date of August 16, 1897, the first trustees for the Oatmanville School were elected and charged with building a new school. Trustee Peter Thompson gave two acres of land and Columbus Patton, supervised the construction of a one room building which served as both the new Oatmanville School as well as a church on Sundays.
In 1920, a vote was held for construction of a new school building to replace the Shiloh School, Live Oak Springs, and Oatmanville School buildings. Citizens of Oak Hill were adamant for a new school to be built. Land for the present school was donated by James A. Patton and limestone donated by Norwall Mowinkle. James Andrew Patton and Norwall Mowinkle helped build the Oak Hill School building.
The Oak Hill School District was created in 1922. James Andrew Patton held a position as school trustee. Norwall Mowinkle was made secretary and assistant trustee.
The “new” Oak Hill School was built in 1923 as an elementary school for grades 1 through 7. The Oak Hill School was a 1-7 school. Each class consisted of 6 to 7 students. Three teachers were employed at Oak Hill School. The school was located in the middle of farmland.
Oak Hill School got its second school building as enrollment expanded in 1933. The large room on the west side of the building was added in 1933 and used for the cafeteria. A stage and library were installed in the same year.
Enrollment was 200 students in the 1932-1933 school year. By the 1932-1933 school year, Oak Hill School was a 1-8 school (K-8 school) that taught grades 1 through 8. Students continued high school at Austin High School. Five teachers were employed at Oak Hill School.
According to the Statistical Study of Travis County Schools, Oak Hill School listed 59 students and 3 teachers in the 1934-1935 school year. By 1935, 60 students attended this school.
At one point in the 1940s, Oak Hill School reverted back to a 1-7 school after being a 1-8 school. After finishing 7th grade, students were bussed to Fulmore Junior High School (now Fulmore Middle School) in the Austin Public Schools District (now Austin ISD) to finish their junior high school/middle school education. High school continued high school at Austin High School.
Cedar Valley School was closed and its school district was consolidated with the neighboring Oak Hill School into the Oak Hill School District in 1953. Oak Hill School then expanded the same year as a result of school consolidation.
Cedar Valley School was closed down and consolidated was due to lack of funding directly from dwindling property taxes in direct attribution also by Oak Hill School District consolidating various schools in the Oak Hill community and Cedar Valley community. Students who attended Cedar Valley School were bussed to Oak Hill School on US 290.
In 1957, Oak Hill School became a 1-6 school teaching grades 1 through 6 permanently which Oak Hill Elementary School does today. School never went past 6th grade by then.
In 1960, Oak Hill School District and Manchaca School District formed a rural school district called “Manchaca - Oak Hill Rural High School District“ bka “Manchaca - Oak Hill School District“. An attempt to form a short-lived school district that lasted from 1960 up until 1967 in a 6 to 7 year timespan.
1967 is the year when Austin ISD annexed the Oak Hill School District and Manchaca School District along with the Manchaca - Oak Hill School District itself. Oak Hill School was now operated by Austin ISD.
There were nine teachers in the school by 1971. A tenth teacher was employed in 1972. Only one school bus picked up and dropped off students. The one school bus was the only method of transportation for Oak Hill School.
In 1974, land was donated to Austin ISD by the James A. Patton family to build a newer modern elementary school where Oak Hill School would relocate on 6101 Patton Ranch Road. During construction of the newer modern Oak Hill Elementary School, grades Kindergarden through 5th along with 6th were housed at the old Oak Hill School. 5th and 6th grade students were housed in the building northeast of the school less than a stones throw a way.
From 1974 to 1985, the former Oak Hill School building continued to operate. Only this time, grades 5 and 6 occupied the two buildings. This practice would last until 1985 when the property was sold.
1975 is the year when the newer modern Oak Hill School opened. The first school year Oak Hill Elementary School operated on was 1975-1976. Oak Hill Elementary School was then a K-6 school.
In 1985 is when Austin 1825 Fortview Inc bought the property and school building from Austin ISD for $200,000. From 1985 to 1997 is when the old Oak Hill School building operated as a grocery store.
From the 1980s to the 1990’s, the old Oak Hill School had gone through a series of landowners and has operated as a front for several businesses. Once the former Oak Hill School operated as a grocery store that sold pumpkins during autumn, Pizza Garden, Stone Garden, Cherry Tree Farm LTD, Austin Ballet, a mail department, once as a hardware store, and once as an automobile repair station.
Oak Hill School became Oak Hill Elementary School in 1986. Additional buildings were added on the same year. From 1986 onwards, Oak Hill Elementary School only taught grades K through 5 and no longer 6th grade. 6th grade attended middle school at Small Middle School down the road or elsewhere. Oak Hill Elementary School became a K-5 school which it still is to this day.
Don Farmer and his landscape business Don’s Grass occupied the former Oak Hill School building from 2005 to 2012. Don Farmer purchased the property from Austin 1825 Fortview Inc through a warranty deed on the date of 6/4/2005. Austin 1825 Fortview Inc owned the property prior to Don Farmer.
It’s last tenants was Don Farmer and Austin 1825 Fortview Inc. Don Farmer has not occupied the property since 2012. Don’s Grass has not been in business since 2012.
As reported in the December 30, 2011 edition of Austin Chronicle and again in another issue of the Austin Chronicle, the future January 12, 2012 Austin City Council meeting regarding Don Farmer’s violations were referenced and reported on.
On January 12, 2012, City of Austin council members held a public hearing related in reference towards alleged violations that Don Farmer failed to install a water meter and for failing to accurately record & submit monthly reports of groundwater withdrawals from a permitted Middle Trinity water well. District Rules required the permittee to appear before the District’s Board of Directors and show cause why it should not be subject to an enforcement action by the Board. (A foreclosure notice was filed to the Travis County Courthouse on January 14, 2012.)
Back in January 15, 2012, the City of Austin shut down Don’s Grass for good by giving Don Farmer a citation for alleged violations of failure to install a water meter and failing to accurately record & submit monthly reports of groundwater withdrawals from a permitted Middle Trinity water well.
After Don’s Grass was shut down by the city for alleged violations for failing to accurately record & submit monthly reports of groundwater withdrawals, Don Farmer sold the former Oak Hill School property back to Austin 1825 Fortview Inc (from he purchased the property from 7 years prior) on the date of 1/16/2012 from a substitute trustee deed. Austin 1825 Fortview Inc sold the property to BGSIX Holdings LLC on a warranty deed basis.
According to the City of Austin, on April 2, 2014, the old Oak Hill Elementary School became a City of Austin Historical Landmark by ordinance 20010719-029. This meant the former school building could not be demolished.
Austin 1825 Fortview Inc sold the property to BGSIX Holdings LLC on a warranty deed basis on the date of 9/18/2015. BGSIX Holdings LLC has owned the property and school buildings since late 2015.
As of November 2017, bulldozers occupy the site of the old Oak Hill School. Piles of dirt can be seen from road-view off of US 290 visible to the public eye. As of now, BGSIX Holdings LLC and City of Austin own the property. Both Don Farmer, BGSIX Holdings LLC and City of Austin are keeping an eye on the property for any potential buyers willing to purchase the property.
For now the former Oak Hill School sits vacant and unoccupied at 6240 West US 290, Austin, Texas, US 78735. Oak Hill Elementary School now operates a K-5 school located on 6101 Patton Ranch Road, Austin, Texas, US 78735.
The Preservation Potential of Building states, “Historic stone school building appears to be in good condition, and can readily be adapted to a new commercial or office use. As a historic landmark building, the property would be eligible for an annual city property tax abatement equal to approximately 30 percent of the assessed taxes. A rehabilitation of the building could also be eligible for federal historic tax credits with a sales tax exemptions for labor costs of rehabilitation.”
Oak Hill School remains as one of the five surviving public buildings associated with development of Oak Hill and a prominent historic structure located centrally in the historic core of Oak Hill. School was the center of activity in the community for 62 years from 1923 to 1985.
Oak Hill School holds an important place in the history of Oak Hill and Cedar Valley community. Oak Hill School deserves a better fate than that of the Cedar Valley School.
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