Prior to the establishment of Utzville School, an old church occupied the site a century earlier. This church was built in the 18th century sometime during the 1700s. The exact year of when this church was built and organized is unknown. Historians have discovered that an old church once stood where Utzville School was located. However not much photographic evidence or documentation of this old church once stood where Utzville School can be found, uncovered, or discovered. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38867/m1/141/, Buried in Bexar County)
Utzville School was built and erected possibly around 1846. Clearly Utzville School was established, erected, and organized sometime during the 19th century. The exact year is unknown. Utzville School was a one-room schoolhouse which educated elementary grades. The specific grades of what were taught at Utzville School are unclear.
By the early 20th century, Utzville School started being listed as “Utzville School House” and “Utzville School House”. That was when Utzville School was beginning to be referred as a ‘school house’. San Antonio Express News and San Antonio Light were the newspapers that began referring to Utzville School as a“Utzville School House”. The earliest text documentation of Utzville School was from a San Antonio Light article dating back to June 21, 1911. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-light-jun-21-1911-p-5/)
San Antonio Evening News reported Utzville School as being an elementary school in 1920. So Utzville School was already an elementary school by default as many rural schools in the United States were during that time. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35050977/san_antonio_evening_news/)
Texas Academy of Science stated there were clay pits located 1/4th of a mile east of Utzville schoolhouse in 1929. All this was reported in the Transactions of the Texas Academy of Science Volume XIV. (Ref: https://archive.org/details/transacti142119291937texa/page/n8/mode/2up, Transactions of the Texas Academy of Science Volume XIV)
Utzville School was part of District 22 in Bexar County during the 1800s and 1900s. District 22 claimed a portion of southeastern Bexar County. Utzville School had its own school district which was CSD #22 before being consolidated into East Central ISD on 3/15/1949. (Ref: https://books.google.com/books?id=GJw6eat8VlcC&pg=RA3-PA163&lpg=RA3-PA163&dq=Utzville+schools&source=bl&ots=QUIvR8CiS9&sig=ACfU3U2ZIFRaTQGJKbsjqFxPuayW9KrDeQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjLlMfRiZ3nAhWHXM0KHTbHCLo4ChDoATAAegQICBAB#v=onepage&q&f=false)
Utzville School participated in many essay contests throughout the 20th century. The school also participated in writing contests as well.
(Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-express-feb-21-1932-p-13/)
(Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35050977/san_antonio_evening_news/)
According to aerial maps from historicaerials.com, a trailer was parked on the northwest corner of the Utzville School building some time in 1955. The trailer would be parked northwest of the school until 1963.
Physical condition of Utzville School was reported to be in poor condition by 1959 by San Antonio Express and News. By then TEA recommended shutting down the school or face loss of state funding. However the school continued to operate.
San Antonio Express and News reported, “UTZVILLE: Frame school "of long standing," in poor condition and should be abandoned. That was what the TEA's chief consultant (Edward Guice) found.” (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/29706410/)
San Antonio Light listed the school on an election poll list in 1960. So Utzville School was still operating as a functioning school in 1960. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-light-jun-03-1960-p-10/)
Shockingly however, East Central School District school board (now East Central ISD) voted to close Utzville School along with Salatrillo School, Boldtville School, and Midway School. The closure of Utzville School affected several students. Students of Utzville School were transferred to Elmendorf School and Harmony School. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/29667390/)
“The board also voted to close Boldtville, Midway, Saltrillo and Utzville schools, affecting about 230 students. Boldtville students will be transferred to Harmony School, Midway and Saltrillo students to St. Hedwig School, and the one classroom at Utzville to Elmendorf or Harmony, Huth said.”
Supt. W. E. Whitten he believed the school would lose only about $14,500 instead of the anticipated $26,000 in state funds. Loss of accreditation is another reason why Utzville School was shut down. Somehow Utzville School managed to lose their state accreditation.
“Supt. W. E. Whitten, discussing recent loss of accreditation, said he believed the school would lose only about $14,500 instead of the anticipated J26.0M in state funds. Whitten, who stands to lose his entire $8,000 annual salary which is paid out of state funds, said he may lose only about $50 per month.”
Now here is what happened to Utzville School.
Utzville School was bulldozed when the Calaveras Lake reservoir was formed in 1969. San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society has reported that the site of Utzville School is now buried under water at Calaveras Lake and is now covered in mud. (Ref: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txsaghs2/Pages/Library-Holdings-OurHeritage-HistoricalActicles.htm)
The school was never left standing as some people believe. All material inside of Utzville School was either salvaged, donated, or given to other schools in the East Central ISD school district. No material was left under water.
That is what happened to Utzville School.
Utzville School was once located on Kilowatt Road, Elemendorf, Texas, US 78112.
I began a long academic career at Utzville School in the fall of 1942, when I was five years old, before my sixth birthday on December 31. My parents lived a few miles away on a farm that included Calaveras Creek, so it was also submerged when the school was. We had lived on that farm for about two or three years before moving to Devine in probably or early December of that year--I remember trying to draw a Santa Claus--so I was at the school for only about three to four months, but I have many quite clear memories of it. There were two good-sized rooms, with Grades 1-5 in one room, most occupying one row each, and grades 6-8 in the other room, so it was a middle school for at least that time. The principal and middle-school teacher of the school was a a Mrs. Neal/Neill and she and her husband lived in a house on the property. The elementary teacher was a Mrs. Haddix/Haddox. She liked me because I could already read and do some arithmetic. (My mother had been a schoolteacher.) When I told her, probably boasted a bit, that I knew how to do subtraction, she gave me a work book and told me to do some of the problems. I did not find them difficult, but I got tired of doing them and handed the book back to her. She said, "No. Do all the rest." I recognized that it can be imprudent to boast about one's abilities. I could tell a few other stories, but it's likely no one else would have any reason to care. I do remember that Mrs. Neal got bit by a black-widow spider that had been hiding in a pair of boots. Years later, when I was in high school and driving trucks between my dad's agriculture business in Devine and operations in Stockdale that were buying or selling watermelons, black-eyed peas and other crops. Somehow, I learned that Mrs. Haddox lived in a house by the road outside of Floresville. When I was driving by one day and saw her working in the yard, I stopped and talked with her for a while. She professed she remembered me, but it's fine if she didn't.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned that I had a long academic career. It is true and still going on. After graduating from Devine High School, I went to Abilene Christian for a B.A. and M.A., then to Harvard Divinity School for a seminary degree, then stayed on for a PhD. From there, I came to Rice, where I was a professor of sociology until 2004, but I have stayed on as Senior Fellow at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy and direct two programs, one in Religion and Public Policy and another in Drug Policy. I have also written a good bit, including A Prophet with Honor: The Billy Graham Story, several other books, and nearly 200 article, about half in Texas Monthly. I have always gotten some pleasure in noting that I began my formal education in a two-room school house.
This has been fun to remember and think about. Thanks for the space.
William (Bill) Martin
One more comment: In back of the school was a device that consisted of a number of long chains attached to a rotating plate at the top and handles at the end of each chain. The lengths of the chains varied. When kids grabbed hold, the big boys would get it going in a circle until they got it fast enough that everyone could lift their legs and just hang on until it wound down. It was terrifying for the little kids who were farthest from the ground and also not as strong. I don't remember anyone's getting hurt, but it must have happened. The name I understood for it was "Cowmore," which is surely not right. I suspect that "Carry" was part of the name, perhaps even "Carry More," but that's just speculation. I have the Google Machine to try to find some such device with a similar name, but have failed. And since I am 83 and don't remember the names of any classmates, I will likely never solve that one.
ReplyDeleteForgot to give my name, but you probably figured out that it was a continuation from Bill Martin
DeleteThank you, William (Bill) Martin, for commenting. I am in the process of rewriting this article again.
DeleteMy great grandfather, Edward Reed, was born to Sarah Utz in 1882 and his place of birth was noted as Utzville. Utzville = Utz family
ReplyDelete