History of Evans Colored School in Austin, Texas explored.

Evans Colored School is one of the forgotten schools of Austin and Travis County. Not much history is known about this school or has been preserved at all. Hardly any documentation about the existence of this school can be found anywhere. Very little is known about this school. This news article will explain and explore the history behind Evans Colored School. Evans Colored School educated African American students in Austin during the 1860s and 1870s.

 

Evans Colored School was established as a negro school in 1863 by a white female teacher named Mrs. S. J. Evans. The school was also known as Miss Evans School. The school was located on West 3rd Street between San Antonio Street and Guadalupe Street. The 1872 city directory listed Evans Colored School as Mrs. S. J. Evans. (Ref: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=242864)

A local newspaper noted the end of the Spring semester in 1871: The Colored School - The closing exercises of Miss Evans' school, at the Hall of Representatives last Friday night, resulted to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, and reflected great credit upon teacher and pupils. (Ref: Daily State Journal, July 2, 1871). 

 

Evans Colored School was rebuilt in 1887. School district public funds were used to build Evans Colored School in 1877. The school would begin operating during the 1877-1878 school year. (Ref: Clayton Vocational Institute: A Superior School , 1983)

Elizabeth M. Evans Garland was a teacher in the early freedmen schools for the American Missionary Association and the Freedmen's Bureau. She later worked as a principal for Evans School (Evans Colored School). (Ref: https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/aushc/00357/00357-P.html)

Evans Colored School was listed as a rural school in Austin Short Stories in the Austin Statesman back in 1927. The Travis County Common School District had jurisdiction over this school. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/366280190/)

“Mrs. George R. Feller, county school superintendent, visited six rural schools Wednesday for the purpose of taking them magazines, observing classes and talking to them. The schools visited were Creedmoor Mexican School and the Creedmoor White School, Turnerville Mexican and white schools, the Evans Colored School and the Elm Grove School.

Evans Colored School stopped appearing in newspapers by 1937. So that meant Austin ISD had shut down the school by then.