Brewton Springs School was one of the many forgotten educational institutions of Austin/Travis County that have been long forgotten. In fact, Brewton Springs School was one of the many Travis County rural schools. As a school, Brewton Springs School operated from 1879 to 1950. Brewton Springs School was devoted to education.
Brewton Springs School was also called Bruton Springs School which that school was sometimes referred to as. Brewton Springs School went under several names over the years as its time operating as a school such as Snuff Box School, Snuff Box, and Bruton Springs School.
Brewton Springs School was established in 1879 as a 1-12 school which taught grades 1 through 12. School was taught in an old picket house located on the Allen Farm taught by Miss Annie Gambee. Miss Annie Gambee was the first teacher. Students sat on benches made of elm logs. Each bench furnished seats for 5 to 6 students. Its earliest school trustees were Herbert H. Allen, Joe Hutson, and Pate Patterson.
The school was granted its own school district in 1879. Although Brewton Springs School was within bounds of present day Eanes ISD boundaries, Brewton Springs School had its own school district called School District #50 that was not connected with Eanes School or to the Eanes School District #48 (now known as Eanes ISD) at that time.
Brewton Springs School was a completely autonomous school operated as cited in the book Eanes: Portrait of a Community. Brewton Springs School instead operated as a “county school” under Travis County Public Schools for the Travis County Common School District.
(Ref: Eanes: Portrait of a Community, Linda Vance, 1986)
(Ref: Eanes: A History of the School and Community, Linda Vance, 1976)
In 1881, the first school was built as a 15’ x 10’ foot box square building designed as a one-room schoolhouse located on the Jim Brewton farm. Hence the name Brewton Springs. The school only had one door. By 1881 Brewton Springs School had county funding and state funding allocated towards the school.
The old picket house reverted back to the Allen Farm in 1881 as part of their agreement in terms of ownership. No deeds were created. The school district gave the house back to Jack Allen.
The architectural design of the school building was built as a snuff box. Because the school was shaped similarly to a snuff box, students called the school “Snuff Box School”. However the name Snuff Box did not derive from the architecture of the school building itself.
Brewton Springs School was called the Snuff Box School during the 19th century and early to middle 20th century because so many of its students chewed tobacco and dipped snuff. That is how the name Snuff Box came about. (Ref: Lone Star Travel Guide to Texas Hill County, 2011)
Brewton Springs School was located east of Bee Cave and west of Cuernavaca Drive near Patterson Road less than 0.2 miles of the junction of Cuernavaca Drive & FM 2244. The roads were unpaved.
During its earliest years when tax funds ran low and there was not enough money to pay a teacher, students from Brewton Springs School attended school at Bee Caves School, Teck School, Cox Springs School, and Eanes School. It was only on occasion that Brewton Springs School students were sent to Bee Cave to attend the Bee Cave School.
In 1888, the State of Texas closed down Brewton Springs School because when tax funds ran low, there was not enough money to pay a teacher or 2 teachers. This was only temporary. Brewton Springs School students were sent to Bee Cave to attend the Bee Cave School until 1890. The school reopened in 1890. This time the school had 3 teachers. Enrollment was 80 students. A majority of its students were white.
A split caused by a change and shift in scholastics resulting in a small house to be built at Walnut Springs in the Walnut Springs Baptist Church. 2 houses in the school district proved to be too many. School terms were split. One term was taught half at one house and half at the other. So the school moved back to the Allen farm and away from the Jim Brewton farm. Brewton Springs School moved a series of several times during its history throughout the 19th century and 20th century.
1892 is when the Walnut Springs Baptist Church house had burned. It is unclear how the school burned. It could have been antics by local children or its students. This fire had no documentation or produced leads as to who had done it. (Ref: The Defender, 1936)
Around 1896 is when Brewton Springs School was moved to the Thomas Riley Place. At this point the school moved several times. The school district hired 3 more teachers to teach at the school.
(Ref: Eanes: Portrait of a Community, Linda Vance, 1986)
(Ref: Eanes: A History of the School and Community, Linda Vance, 1976)
Brewton Springs School was moved again in 1904. During the same year, the school was remodeled with more lumber from leftover donations. Benches were donated. 14 teachers were hired throughout the 1904-1905 school term. 34 students attended this school during the 1904-1905 school term.
Green Hudson owned a ranch and gave 5 acres of land for a school in 1922. It was at this that Brewton Springs School was moved onto Patterson Road (then Patterson Lane) near Patterson Ranch. Edna Patterson donated .02 acres of land to the school. Brewton Springs School was located on top of a hill near Patterson Ranch. Brewton Springs School was an all white school with a 97% white/caucasian student population. 2% of the student population was Mexican (Hispanic).
Brewton Springs School was a one-room schoolhouse when it was located on top of a hill near Patterson Ranch on Patterson Road. Sometime in the 1920s is when the school building was later expanded to become a two-room schoolhouse.
Even in the 1920s when most schools were 1-8 schools, Brewton Springs School was a 1-12 school unlike Eanes School were school stopped at 7th grade. From the 1920s on, Eanes School did not go beyond the 7th grade. The 1920s is when Eanes School began changing its scholastics by primarily teaching elementary school grades.
(Ref: Eanes: A History of the School and Community, Linda Vance, 1976)
(Ref: Eanes: Portrait of a Community, Linda Vance, 1986)
(From the 1920s on, Eanes School did not go beyond the 7th grade. The 1920s is when Eanes School began changing its scholastics by primarily teaching elementary school grades. 8th grade students were bussed to Allan Junior High School. Although Eanes School did not mainly go beyond the 7th grade, Eanes School still taught middle school students and high school students until 1943. After 1943, high school students attended Austin High School and Allan High School. Middle school students attended Allan Junior High School and later O. Henry Middle School. Some had remained at Eanes School as the school had taught middle school grades until 1950. Eanes ISD would continue busing its high school students to Austin ISD until 1967.)
1936 is when the school district began making plans to tear down and rebuild the then-current Brewton Springs School building. Meetings were held with the Superintendent of Travis County Public Schools. It was decided that the old log cabin school be sold to land owner Homer Teague.
In 1937, the school was torn down and rebuilt on John Teague’s property located on FM 2244 (Bee Cave Road) near Cuernavaca Drive by the Teague land. John Teague and Homer Teague moved into the old schoolhouse afterwards. The other old log cabin schoolhouse remained as a private residence on the Teague land.
While the school was being moved, classes were held in Watson Springs Baptist Church. Watson Springs Baptist Church was a single-room frame church. The church was also nicknamed “Snuff Box Church” and “Snuff Box Baptist Church” because members of the congregation used to spit tobacco juice out of the window during services. (Ref: Eanes: Portrait of a Community, Linda Vance, 1986)
By 1938, Brewton Springs School was yet again a fully functioning school with a small school district overseen by Travis County Common School District aka Travis County Public Schools. Brewton Springs School hardly ever had over 100 students. School was the only place and way students were able to take a bath and take care personal hygiene among other needs. A water well was established.
In 1948, Brewton Springs School began attempting to merge and consolidate into Eanes School District #48. Some Brewton Springs School students began attending the Eanes School. Eanes School District then operated both Eanes School and Brewton Springs School. At the time Eanes School was a 1-9 school which educated students in grades 1 through 9. (Ref: Eanes: A History of the School and Community, Linda Vance, 1976)
During that time only white families resided in the Eanes School District. Brewton Springs School was an all white school with a 100% white/caucasian student population as was Eanes School and Eanes Elementary School.
In 1949, both Brewton Springs School and its school district were consolidated into Eanes ISD under Gilmer-Aiken Law. Gilmer-Aiken Law consolidated many rural school districts, including Brewton Springs & Bee Cave, had reformed many Texas public schools. Eanes School students who wanted to continue their education past 9th grade either went to Brewton Springs School or to Allan Junior High School and Austin High School in Austin Public Schools (now Austin ISD).
However Brewton Springs School continued to operate under Eanes ISD until 1950. Brewton Springs School still operated as a 1-12 school.
(Ref: Eanes: Portrait of a Community, Linda Vance, 1986)
(Ref: EISD Monthly Newsletter, Eanes School 50 Years Ago, April 1984)
1950 was the year the Travis County Schools Superintendent and State of Texas (TEA) closed down Brewton Springs School and its school district during the 1950-1951 school year. The school district itself was consolidated and abolished during the same year. Brewton Springs School shut down due to lack of enrollment. (Ref: Eanes: A History of the School and Community, Linda Vance, 1976)
Brewton Springs School was shut down by the State of Texas (TEA) due to Gilmer-Aiken Law after Bill No. 116 of the 50th legislature was passed in 1950. After Brewton Springs School shut down, its students were transferred to Eanes School. Eanes School then had 80 students. A third room to the two-room rock building of Eanes School was constructed in the same year to relieve overcrowding. Classes were now held at the Eanes School. (Ref: Eanes: A History of the School and Community, Linda Vance, 1976)
Brewton Springs School students were merged with the Eanes School and some were sent to Bee Cave School. Brewton Springs School students were sent to both Cox Springs School, Dripping Springs School, and Lago Vista School as well.
In 1950, Eanes went from being a 1-9 school that educated students in grades 1 through 9 to a 1-6 where students in grades 1 through 6 were educated. The school district surrounding Eanes School (the now Eanes Elementary School) and Brewton Springs School was considered a common school district that sent its high school students to Austin ISD. (Ref: Eanes: Portrait of a Community, Linda Vance, 1986)
1950 was the year Homer Teague and his two sons, Robert Teague and Jackson Teague, lived in the building under rough conditions. Winters and summers inside the home proved to be brutal. They would live there until they moved in 1960.
When Brewton Springs School closed in 1950, TEA condemned the school building and the water well. The water well plugged and later destroyed.
In 1960, the building was abandoned on the Teague Land next to Commons Ford Ranch. Overtime the small building became covered with vegetation. It is unknown and unclear whether or not anyone else besides the Teague family lived in the original Brewton Springs School building after consolidation with Eanes ISD whereas the other school building became a private residence.
In 1985, Robert Teague gained ownership of the property from a handwritten gift deed produced in 1942 by the wife of Homer Teague.
In 1988, the old log cabin building of Brewton Springs School was moved to the Commons Ford Metropolitan Park in the Cuernavaca neighborhood by Robert Teague. Robert Teague donated Brewton Springs School to the City of Austin as an attempt of historic preservation. No known further work or renovations were done or made to the old Brewton Springs School building after 1988.
By 1990, the former school building fell victim to rural decay. Its windows were boarded up with plywood. No other known uses were made or have been documented and recorded.
Today the 5th Brewton Springs School building sits at the entrance of Commons Ford Metropolitan Park. Its windows are boarded up with plywood. A chimney was added to the building as an extra. It is highly possible that Homer Teague built the chimney.
Although the original school building of Brewton Springs School may no longer be extant or the memories of the Brewton Springs School may have been forgotten, Brewton Springs lives on as a historic name under the street name of Bruton Springs Road located in the Cuernavaca neighborhood.
Brewton Springs School was located near FM 2244 & Cuernavaca Drive, Austin, Texas, US 78733. Brewton Springs School is now located at 614 North Commons Ford Road, Austin, Texas US 78733.
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