History about Hayden Springs School of Travis County explored and revisited.

Hayden Springs School was one of the many rural schools in Travis County which was operated by Travis County Common School District. Not too much history can be found or discovered about Hayden Springs School. Hayden Springs School operated from 1884 to 1928.

The Travis County Common School District operated rural schools such as this one, Boggy Creek School, Johnson School, Lone Ives School, and several others throughout the 19th century and 20th century. Hayden Springs School was later operated by Manor ISD. The school was a single story 2-room wooden shack. (Ref: https://traviscountyhistorical.blogspot.com/2019/10/hayden-springs-school-near-manor-tx_2.html)

 

According to a 1898-1902 county road map Hayden Springs School was also known as Sandy Hayden School and was located off Blake Manor Road. (Ref: 1898 Travis County map)

Hayden Springs School was established sometime during the 1870s for African American students of rural Travis County. The Hayden Springs School was a negro school.  Most of the students ages ranged from 7 to 12 on average. Although most students stopped going to school past age 14 because so many of them were children of sharecroppers who had to work in the fields during harvesting season.

The Hayden Springs School was often represented in athletic meets held by teachers. Small prizes were awarded. (Ref: Austin American, Athletic Meet Held by Negroes, Page 3, Monday, March 19, 1917)

However athletic meets alone weren’t enough to keep their name alive or the school running. Hayden Springs School fell victim to a lack funding which would lead to the school untimely closing down before the 1930s. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24323366/hayden_springs_school/)

Hayden Springs School was one of the 11 negro schools which closed in 1928. Austin American reported the reason for the Hayden Springs School closing was from lack of money. 1928 was the last year this school would operate. (Ref: Austin American, Travis Schools Started Closing 3 Weeks Ago, Page 2, Monday, April 16, 1928)

The school was later moved further down Blake Manor Road to a different location in 1937. The school appears to have been used as a tenant shack. Exactly when this two-room structure was moved to its current location is unknown.

Today Hayden Springs School is located in the 273-acre East Metropolitan Park which is a Travis County Park at the address of 18706 Blake Manor Road, Manor, Texas, US 78653.