Webberville School history of Webberville, Texas has been long forgotten and nearly erased with time. Not many people knew Webberville had schools or even had its own school district. Webberville held it school classes often in churches such as the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church or First Baptist Church on FM 969. Webberville School operated from 1870 to 1967.
White landowner Matthew Duty donated one acre of land for a church and school for the recently freed African Americans in the year of in 1868 shortly after emancipation. Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church was established on the property the same year. His handwritten deed indicated that “as long as there are any members of the church, the land cannot be sold.”. Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church was organized that year as a mission church of the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association.
Webberville School and Webberville School District began in 1870 in Webberville, Texas as one-teacher school consisting of grades 1 through 7 and later grades 9 through 11. Webberville School originated in the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in 1870 where both church and school were held. Black students used one side of the church and white students used the other. The school had no indoor plumbing or lunchroom facilities.
Webberville had its own school district called Webberville School District which was known as School District No. 32. Students from the Hornsby-Dunlap School and Bastrop County often attended Webberville Schools after completing 5th grade.
1878 is when 8th grade was added to the Webberville School. In 1880, high school grades 9 through 11 were added to the Webberville School. Both church and school were held at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church.
At one point Webberville Negro School and Webberville White School there were on the same property as Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. Things would remain this way until the year of 1911. In 1911, the Webberville School District saw an increasing need for a new school. Specifically a new white school.
Owners of Colorado Lodge #96 offered a lease to the Webberville School District for a fair price where the Webberville White School would continue classes for students to get their education. Colorado Lodge #96 was a Masonic Lodge. Class was held on the first floor. From then on, only Webberville Negro School operated inside Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church.
By the early 1920s, Webberville School had a baseball team. The baseball even had “husband and wife teams”. Teachers even participated in the baseball team. By the 1920s, Webberville Schools had 200 to 300 students attend school each year.
The Hornsby-Dunlap School and Hornsby-Dunlap School District consolidated into the Webberville School District in 1952 with students now attending both Webberville Schools including Webberville School. Hornsby-Dunlap School continued to operate under Colorado Common School District #36.
After the consolidation of Hornsby-Dunlap School in 1952, a fundraiser was held to purchase visual-aid equipment and a movie projector. A bus was purchased to transport the children to Webberville from the Hornsby-Dunlap community in the same year. However the school still had no indoor plumbing or lunchroom facilities.
The Webberville School was integrated for a short period of time. However Webberville Schools were segregated by choice and by law. By the 1956-1957, school year, Webberville School became slowly integrated.
Sometime in the 1960s is when Webberville White School moved into the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church which housed Webberville Negro School. Webberville White School moved into a school building located southwest of the church. The schools were located on the same property once again. Another school building was built for Webberville Negro School housing grades 1 through 8. That other school building.
In 1967, the Webberville School and Webberville School District were consolidated into Del Valle Independent School District (Del Valle ISD). Due to racial integration and school district consolidation, the Webberville School closed down during the 1967-1968 school year.
The Webberville Negro School building was sold to the church the following year. The Webberville Negro School building was a separate structure southwest of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church until after 1973. The original school building of Webberville Negro School was added to the church in 1973. The side-gabled wing of church building was the original school building of Webberville Negro School. The other school building was demolished prior to 1973.
To this day, the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Webberville, Texas remains an active congregation. The church building stands in its original location at 1314 Weber Street, Webberville, Texas, US 78653. Today Colorado Lodge #96 and Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church remain in tact.
Webberville Schools were segregated by choice and by law. This led to the creation of Webberville Negro School and Webberville White School. The Webberville Schools of Webberville School, Webberville White School and Webberville Negro School were divided into three departments: Primary (grades 1 through 4), Intermediate (grades 5 through 8), and Secondary (grades 9 through 11).
Webberville Negro School was held in the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on 1314 Weber Street in Webberville, Texas from 1880 to 1967. By the end of the 1950s is when Webberville Negro School (Webberville School) ended as a two teacher school. At one point, there were two schools on the property.
The Webberville Negro School was divided into three departments: Primary with Mrs. Lydia Scales as the teacher for grades 1 through 4;, Intermediate with Mrs. Effie R. Edwards as the teacher for grades 5 through 8 for the Webberville School; and Secondary with Mr. Roosevelt H. King as the teacher for grades 9 through 11.
The Webberville Negro School became a K-8 school in the 1930s. School stopped after 8th grade. Students who wanted to continue onto high school were sent to attend Manor Colored High School in Manor, Texas, Littig High School in Littig, Texas, or simply attended high school in Austin, Texas.
During the 1934-1935 school year, Webberville School (Webberville Negro School) had 67 students with an average daily attendance of 40 students. There was one teacher for 67 students. The cost per year for each student was $659 with an average of $16.25 per student per year. The teacher taught grades 1 through 7, and later 8th, for 146 days.
Webberville Negro School (Webberville School) closed in 1967 ending as a two teacher school. The school was given back to Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. The Webberville Negro School building was a separate structure southwest of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church until after 1973. The original school building of Webberville Negro School was added to the church in 1973. The side-gabled wing of church building was the original school building of Webberville Negro School.
Webberville White School was held in Colorado Lodge #96 located on 19011 FM 969 from 1911 until sometime in the 1960s. In 1923, the Webberville White School (Webberville School) grew to incorporate high school grades 10 through 12. School enrollment grew to 200 to 300 students by the 1922-1923 school year. This school had no indoor plumbing or lunchroom facilities.
Sometime in the 1960s is when Webberville White School moved into the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church which housed Webberville Negro School. Webberville White School moved into a school building located southwest of the church. Another school building was built for Webberville Negro School housing grades 1 through 8.
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