Spindletop School was established and constructed on the site of Spindletop Oil Field in 1912 after the discovery of oil on the south side of Beaumont. Spindletop School was an elementary school at first which later included high school classes. Spindletop School operated as an elementary school called Spindletop Elementary School from 1912 to 1918. Spindletop Oil Field was only educating elementary school students by then.
The school had grown to include middle school students and high school students in 1918. Sometime around 1920 is when a separate rectangular wing was built for high school students. Middle school students were relocated to this wing also.
However Spindletop School was not your ordinary school which taught subjects mandated by TEA curriculum requirements. As described in Volume 56 of The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, the lessons being taught were described as “legion” for some apparent reason. “The lessons learned in Spindletop school were legion. Drilling techniques were revolutionized. Howard Hughes' drill bits born here of experience are now used around the world.” (Ref: The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 56, July 1952 - April 1953, Page 573)
So Spindletop School taught their students how to use drill bits, install oil drill bits, and oil drilling techniques. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly clearly states that students attending Spindletop School were mainly being educated on how to use oil drill bits. Students as young as elementary schoolers were learning these techniques. College students were learning how to use these techniques in Spindletop Oil Field and oil fields around the golden triangle area. (Ref: The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 56, July 1952 - April 1953, Pages 573-574)
Schools owned by Spindletop Oil Field held classes for students in elementary school grades all the way through college. The schools that were a part on the Spindletop Oil Field were as follows: Spindletop Elementary School, Spindletop Middle School, Spindletop High School, and Spindletop College. Beaumont ISD operated Spindletop School (Spindletop Elementary School) for a period of time until its closure in 1970. Both South Park ISD and Beaumont ISD sent their students who live on the south side to attend Spindletop School.
Spindletop High School was relocated to a school building on Highland Avenue in the 1940s to relieve overcrowding at Spidletop School on East Florida Avenue. Spindletop High School had merged with South Park High School in 1951. High school students attending Spindletop School on East Florida Avenue were transferred to attend South Park High School on Highland Avenue. Spindletop High School was later renamed to South Park High School. (Ref: https://archive.broussards1889.com/mobile2/obituary.asp?locid=&id=447)
Spindletop Oil Field went back to only educating elementary school students by then. After 7th grade is when students were transferred to other schools in the area.
Southwestern Historical Quarterly reported that Spindletop School was the site of “the spawning ground for the technical know-how used in operating and developing the oilfields that belt the globe” by the 1950s. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101145/m1/677)
1970 was the year Spindletop School shut down. Spindletop Oil Field owners put the property on the real estate market for sale. Lamar University purchased the school property from Spindletop Oil Field and Beaumont ISD in 1970. Lamar University used the buildings as offices and storage.
The exact reason(s) as to why Spindletop School shut down is/are unknown. However dwindling enrollment, budget cuts, and school district consolidation could be factors to the reason(s) as to why Spindletop School had shut down. School district consolidation could have been a main factor as South Park ISD began consolidating into Beaumont ISD between 1968-1971.
Port Arthur News reported that Spindletop School reverted back to an elementary school prior to closure. Spindletop School had been operating as an elementary school called Spindletop Elementary School and that Lamar University used the buildings as offices. Spindletop Oil Field was only educating elementary school students by then. But their main focus was educating elementary school aged students as the school had been doing at the turn of the 20th century. (Ref: Port Arthur News, November 15, 1970, Page 10, https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-nov-15-1970-p-10/)
The Spindletop School became part of the Lamar University Campus that same year. However the Spindletop School building was not being used. Spindletop School sat abandoned for a while before being renovated years later.
The Lamar Social Data Center opened on the date of October 19, 1977 and was sharing a wing of the old Spindletop School with the Lamar Media Center. The center served local social service agencies by collecting and archiving data on the quality and delivery of social services. The Lamar Social Data Center also served as a training ground for students studying the field of social services. (Ref: Lamar University Press, https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth499873/m1/1/)
However this building was only open to university students and faculty. The Lamar Social Data Center was off limits to the public.
The Lamar Social Data Center was opened to the public on the date of April 8, 1978 after being renovated. The school building had been renovated after sitting abandoned for a number of years. The building fell into a state of disrepair after sitting abandoned ad much renovation work needed to be done. (Ref: https://www.legacymuseumconsulting.com/resume)
Students earned up to 12 semester hours of elective credit in their junior and senior years while attending classes at the Lamar Social Data Center and while working half-days in local law firms. Admission was by permission of the head of the Department of Government. (Ref: https://www.lamar.edu/library/resources/archived-catalogs/pdfs/1983---84-lu-general-catalog-vol-32-no-1.pdf)
Today Spindletop School is now owned by Lamar University and now operates as a child development center.
Spindletop School was located on the south side of Beaumont on what is now Jim Gilligan Way (formerly East Florida Avenue). The address for Spindletop School was 950 East Florida Avenue, Beaumont, Texas, US 77705. Today the address for Spindletop School is 996 Jim Gilligan Way, Beaumont, Texas, US 77705.
Addresses for the schools on the Spindletop Oil Field site were as follows:
*The address for Spindletop Elementary School, Spindletop Middle School, and Spindletop High School was 950 East Florida Avenue, Beaumont, Texas, US 77705.
*The address for Spindletop Elementary School was 950 East Florida Avenue, Beaumont, Texas, US 77705.
*The address for Spindletop College was 985 Jim Gilligan Way, Beaumont, Texas, US 77705.
No comments:
Post a Comment