Clarksville School was an elementary school for African-American students from 1881 to 1964. The Clarksville School was at the location of 1811 West 11th Street, Austin, Texas, US 78703. Clarksville School was zoned to Austin Public Schools (now Austin ISD) during its time of operation.
Basic instruction such as home economics, spelling, history, and literature (reading course) were taught and provided. Spelling was one of the most highly important subjects taught at this school next to their reading courses.
Clarksville School was built as a one-room schoolhouse as a log cabin in 1881 at the location of 1811 West 11th Street in Austin, Texas. The log cabin was built from cedar trees grown in the area. The Clarksville School was a negro school established by Austin Public Schools school board. African American children were taught here.
Clarksville School taught Grades 1st through 7th. From 1881 to 1886 is when Clarksville School conducted classes inside a log cabin. The log cabin school was demolished in 1886. In 1886 the Clarksville School had an enrollment of 27 students.
From 1886 to 1889, Clarksville School conducted classes at the AME Church on 11th Street. Classes were held temporarily in the AME Church for a short period of time. AME Church leased classroom space to Austin Public Schools at the time for Clarksville School and Wheatville School (Wheatville Elementary School).
In 1889, a new log cabin building built from cedar trees grown in the area was constructed. Clarksville School students then moved into the new building in the same year. By 1889, Clarksville School taught Grades 1st through 7th. In 1896 the Clarksville School had an enrollment of 47 students.
In 1900 during the 1900-1901 school year, only grades 1st through 6th were taught at Clarksville School. Students who wanted to continue their junior high school education and high school education were transferred to Kealing Junior High School (now Kealing Middle School) and Anderson High School in East Austin. Some pupils were transferred to Campbell School (now Campbell Elementary School).
The 1900-1901 school year saw an increase of student enrollment at Clarksville School. School improvements to the building and other structures were made during the 1900-1901 school year. Clarksville School operated as a one-room elementary school then.
Clarksville School was the site of the Clarksville Colored School controversy in 1916. One of the earliest public expressions of this sentiment was the Clarksville Colored School controversy in 1916.
A group of white homeowners from the Enfield neighborhood banded together in opposition of the planned construction for a "Colored" elementary school in Clarksville which would become Clarksville Colored School. Clarksville began to shift and the Values of land in the Clarksville neighborhood began to rise in the year of 1916. A number of West Austin's Anglo (white) residents began to voice their opinions that the presence of the African American Clarksville community would devalue their land.
A year prior, the Austin Public Schools school board voted to set aside some money to finance construction for the Clarksville Colored School and the “colored” West Austin Elementary School (West Austin School) that educated African-American students and Hispanic students. West Austin Elementary School served the rapidly expanding Mexican-American population in the area.
Clarksville Colored School was built because of the largest concentration blacks in West Austin in the Clarksville neighborhood. Austin Public Schools reasoned that the new elementary school for African-Americans that lived in West Austin be built in the Clarksville neighborhood.
White West Austin residents opposed the construction of the new elementary school in the Clarksville neighborhood because they reasoned that it would encourage blacks to remain in Clarksville. White West Austin residents thought it best that the school be built in East Austin where the majority of black Austinites lived and where the black high school was located.
In May 1916, the school board voted to allow for the school's construction. The old Clarksville School log cabin was demolished. A wood-frame dwelling that had previously occupied the site was remodeled and enlarged to include 6 classrooms at a cost of about $1,500 as stated in a 1916 news article from the Austin American-Statesman newspaper. The new Clarksville School was built as a red brick building. 1916 is when Clarksville School became Clarksville Colored School. Expansion was never really needed because enrollment was at a flat rate.
In 1917 is when the new Clarksville School was built as a red brick building. The school conducted education was not in one room as before. School was conducted in 7 classrooms this time around. Expansion was never really needed because enrollment was at a flat rate.
According to the history article TSHA wrote about the Clarksville neighborhood titled CLARKSVILLE, TX (TRAVIS COUNTY), “In 1918 the Austin school board closed the Clarksville school”
Apparently Austin Public Schools closed down Clarksville School in 1918. Whether or not the school would be temporarily or permanently closed is unknown. How long the school was closed is undetermined. Clarksville children still attended elementary school at West Austin School (West Austin Elementary School). Junior high school students and senior high school students from the neighborhood attended school at Kealing Junior High School and Anderson High School.
From the 1920s to the 1940s, student population never went past 70 pupils. Usually enrollment stayed above 60 or 62. Enrollment was usually at a flat rate most of the time. The student population was 70 in 1940.
Because of the 1954 court ruling of Brown vs the Board of Education that determined that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, Clarksville School closed in 1964 and the children were bussed to the formerly all white Matthews School (Matthews Elementary School). The school building was reported to be in dilapidated condition in 1964. For the 1964-1965 school year, the former Clarksville School building sat in a dilapidated condition almost beyond repair it seems while still extant of course.
The Clarksville School building was moved to O. Henry Junior High School (now O. Henry Middle School) in 1965. The Clarksville School building now serves as an added on addition to O. Henry Middle School now serving as a cafeteria.
The former Clarksville School campus was converted into a park called Clarksville Park in 1966. A pool and basketball court were installed. Playground equipment was brought in by Austin Parks & Recreation. A volleyball court was built next to the basketball courts. Clarksville Park was established for $50,000 dollars.
Today the cement pavilions where Clarksville School campus one stood is now basketball courts. A volleyball court has been since built next to the basketball courts. More improvements have been made to Clarksville Park as of 2016.
All that remains of the Clarksville School are the cement pavilions. Today the Clarksville School legacy lives on as Clarksville Park.Clarksville School was located at the location of 1811 West 11th Street, Austin, Texas, US 78703.
No comments:
Post a Comment