Moore’s Crossing School is one the many forgotten schools of Austin, Del Valle, and Travis County. It is one of those schools that has faded away with time and away from peoples memories. Moore’s Crossing School now only exists in county deeds and state records in an office operated the bureaucracy of Texas Government. Moore’s Crossing School was also known as Moore School and Moore's School House. Moore School served the Moore's Crossing community for nearly 30 years from 1881 to 1905.
Members of the Moore family had donated land for a school to encourage commercial business at the crossing. Robert J. sold a half-acre as a parcel of land on Onion Creek at the low water crossing to Travis County for $1 to erect a school building in February 1881. That school building would become Moore’s Crossing School which was a simple wood frame building was erected by Travis County Schools after the land transfer in 1881. (Ref: Travis County Deed Records, Volume 48, Pages 573-574)
Members of the Moore family had donated land for a school to encourage commercial business at the crossing and because there were no schools within walking distance of the Moore property at that time. A school was necessary for the small area. (Ref: The Defender Yearbook, 1936)
Austin Statesman printed a news article about the school under the headlines of New School Houses are to be Erected, One in the Moore School District and one at Cottonwood, each is to cost one thousand dollars in 1881. The school costed $1,000 dollars. (Ref: Austin Statesman, New School Houses are to be Erected, One in the Moore School District and one at Cottonwood, each is to cost one thousand dollars, 1881)
“The new schoolhouses are to be erected at once in Travis County, each to cost $1000, each to be one-room frame building with the most modern methods of lighting and ventilating. One is to be in the Moore school district on Onion creek. J. J. Henderson, teacher, erected about one mile from the present site; the other will be at Cottonwood. Miss Amaline Broline, teacher. The school patrons in both these school districts are much interested in the school work, and are doing all they can to assist in developing them. The new schoolhouses are to be erected at once in Travis County, each to cost $1000, New buildings for the schools in other portions of the county are in contemplation.”
There were separate schools for black children and white children but no known schools for Hispanic children at that time. Although a large number of black residents were in the Moore's Crossing area at this time, no black schools were in the area. Black students in that area traveled to Garfield or Maha to attend school. Those schools were among the better black schools in the county. The Garfield Colored School (Garfield Negro School) was described as having "a good location on the edge of the woods and is in very good shape" while the Maha Colored "schoolhouse is a new building ... the patrons are interested and liberal..." (Ref: Travis County School Annual, Pages 74-75, 1905).
Moore’s Crossing School was also used as a church during its time of operation from 1900 until 1904. Of course this was after school hours. 16 people were baptized at the church in 1900. The church broke no traditions of doing so. G.W. Stewart was pastor of Onion Creek Baptist Church in the year 1900 and was a pastor here as well. Brother R.C. McCullough was a visiting preacher. Pastor G.W. Stewart and Brother R.C. McCullough baptized many people. Moore's Crossing also supported a Methodist congregation that used the school as its meeting place. (Ref: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/8bd4eb28-fafe-4ed8-8c5a-c0b07e883c88)
Sister Jessie McKenzie McAngus a member of the congregation of disciples worshipping at the Moore's School House in Travis County, Texas, and was a regular attendant at the Lord's day meetings as long as her health would permit. Nothing seemed to give her greater pleasure than to minister to those who preached the gospel, and many of the preachers of Texas have enjoyed her kind hospitality. (Ref: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33182618/_)
Moore’s Crossing School served the Moore's Crossing community for nearly 30 years from 1881 to 1905. However, after 20 years of use, Moore's Crossing School did not meet county standards. The Travis County Superintendent condemned the school at Moore's Crossing in the Travis County School Annual repertoire in 1905. The Travis County School Annual of 1905 claims the Moore’s Crossing School was “perhaps the worst physical plant for white students in the county” and “such a state of affairs is a shame on such a prosperous community”. The Moore School was looked upon with distaste as a relic of the area's past. Meetings were held at the school about future plans for use of this school. However Travis County Schools officials declared the school in inadequate by then. (Ref: Travis County School Annual, 1905)
“The Moore School is on the very edge of the district, on the very edge, indeed, of the bank of Onion Creek, which marks the boundary line. Meetings were held last year to agitate the building of a new schoolhouse near the center of the district and a special tax carried for that purpose, which, however, was defeated by a few opponents, on account of defective election retums. So, school will continue to be kept in a hulk of a house by the side of the creek The children will continue to shiver in the cold when the board shutters are opened to let in the light or to ruin their eyes in the semi-darkness when the shutters are closed to keep out the cold.”
At this time, Communities were fully responsible for building and maintaining schools while individual districts taxed themselves for construction and upkeep. School taxes in 1905 ranged from 10 cents to 20 cents depending on the support of the community. All of these communities imposed 20 cent school taxes on themselves. Some residents of Moore's Crossing pushed to have a new school built the previous year, but local trustees rigged a special construction tax election to ensure that construction of a new school building would be defeated and not happen. (Ref: Travis County School Annual, pages 63-71, 1905)
Moore School was perhaps the worst physical plant for white students in the county giving enough reason to shut the school down. (Ref: Travis County School Annual, page 61, 1905)
However than constructing a new school building, residents sent their children to school at Dry Creek, Pilot Knob (Pilot Knob White School), or Elroy School (Elroy White School) off FM 812 in Elroy. Students were required to walk several miles to attend school. Moore's Crossing School was abandoned by 1906. (Ref: Kieke, 1995).
The property was returned to the Moore’s as per the original deed stipulation immediately. Use of the school building had been discontinued by then. Robert J. Moore and J. B. Moore were the two responsible for having the school building removed. (Ref: Travis County Deed Records, Volume 238, Pages 405 & 406)
By 1909, the Moore’s Crossing School was all but abandoned. Later the Moore’s Crossing School was torn down in 1909 by Moore’s Crossing community residents in 1909. No traces of the school remained as after demolition everything was gone. Only an outbuilding or 2 survived from the vicious demolition by local residents. (Ref: Stolle, 1995)
J. B. Moore immediately repossessed the school lot and sold that lot to W.T.Caswell with the stipulation that Caswell erect a "first rate" cotton gin on the site in 1909. So the school was replaced with a cotton gin on land he donated to W.T. Caswell. Robert J. Moore helped build a cotton gin on land donated to W.T. Caswell with his brother J. B. Moore. This cotton gin would become known as Moore’s Crossing Cotton Gin. (Ref: Travis County Deed Records, Volume 239, Pages 508 & 509).
Undoubtlely Moore's Crossing residents were dissatisfied with how Travis County officials handled the matter. All traces of that school were gone by 1910. By 1925, any chance that Moore's Crossing would develop into a larger, more prosperous community center had passed. The cotton gin that replaced the Moore school was abandoned and later torn down. Moore’s Crossing Cotton Gin was shut down immediately.
Today only a dilapidated outbuilding that was an outhouse for the Moore’s Crossing School survives, but exists in ruin on the Michalk property less than 1 block away from Michalk Grocery. Today the Jessica Michalk and the Michalk family own the building.
Moore’s Crossing School was located at 12237 Moore’s Crossing Road, Del Valle, Texas, US 78617.
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