Sam Houston School No. 4 is one of the lesser known schools of San Antonio, Texas. Only so much history related to this school is currently known. This school is not to be confused with Fort Sam Houston School or Sam Houston High School. This news article will explore and explain the history behind Sam Houston School No. 4.
Sam Houston School No. 4 was a negro school for African American students that was operated by San Antonio ISD from 1906 to 1932. Sam Houston School No. 4 was known as Sam Houston School and Camaron Street School. Prof. G. T Huff was principal of Sam Houston School for 24 years.
Sam Houston School No. 4 first opened in 1906 in a rented building at the corner of Main Avenue and San Pedro Avenue at the Main Avenue High School campus which was owned by San Antonio ISD. This building occupied by the Sam Houston school for 2 short years before relocating to Cameron Street and Obraje Street (now Travis Street). This was because there were so many school buildings being constructed in San Antonio during the early 20th century. Sam Houston School would be one of them eventually. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/38700137/)
A two-room addition to Sam Houston School No. 4 was constructed and completed in 1907. This two-room addition would serve as a two-room annex. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/38699850/)
From a careful study of the whole situation I suggest the following buildings and additions for the grades: "Two-room annex for No. 2 (Marshall street) school. A two-room addition to each of the following schools: No. 1 (Sam Houston) school, No. 4 (Mason street) school, No. 5 (Burnet) school, No. 8 (Pecos street) school, No. 9 (Bowie) school, No. 11 (Prospect Hill) school, No. 12 (Starr street) school, No. 13 (Laurel Heights) school. No. 15 (South Heights) school, No. 18 (Brooklyn Avenue) school, No. 17 (Harris) school, on Government Hill ; No. 18 (Herff) school, No. 19 (Briscoe) school, No. 21 (Kerr Hill) school, Grant school (colored), Brackenridge school (colored).
On February 22, 1908, San Antonio Gazette announced that a special meeting of the school board was called the previous night. The new school cost $12,300 dollars to build minus the Venetian blinds. (Ref: San Antonio Gazette, BOARD ACCEPTS SAM HOUSTON SCHOOL, Page 5, February 22, 1908)
“A special meeting of the school board is called last night to set right an understanding concerning Venetian blinds at the new Sum Houston School, the building was about to accept the school, when architects were hired discovered that Venetian blinds had been included in the contract.”
Architects Walker, Ayers and Dielman were put in charge of building and constructing the Sam Houston School on Cameron Street and Ojabe Street in March 1908. However work on the Sam Houston School was completed for 30 days as there was much delay. The contractors got into dispute over blinds. Total cost of the new school was a total of $12,800 dollars. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/30924826/)
Ordered bids for closets and partitions were advertised in the San Antonio Gazette in 1908. D. C. Chamberlain was elected as a general substitute in the schools. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/39228737/)
San Antonio Gazette announced the first free kindergarden addition in San Antonio was being opened at Sam Houston School during the fall semester of 1908. (Ref: San Antonio Gazette, Page 14, Saturday, September 12, 1908)
Sam Houston School suffered heavily from flooding after rain much. Floods heavily affected this school. Water from Azalan Creek backed over the school property with a depth of 2 feet. This would often damage the school. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth431949/m1/7/zoom/?q=camaron&resolution=1&lat=4809.655393900829&lon=616.9936330916876)
Education was not always satisfactory or academically acceptable by Texas Education Agency standards. Mexican children were having trouble learning the English language as indicated in the San Antonio Evening News back in 1921. (Ref: San Antonio Evening News, Page 1, Monday, September 5, 1921)
“The problem of handling Mexican boys and girls who speak can’t little of the language was also taken into account and a demonstration given under the supervision of F. S. Enkeley. The children are given no books but are taught their classes through object sessions which have for their foundation the familiarizing of the young pupils with the object, and connecting the thought of it with the name, which is then written on the blackboard gradually lengthened into a sentence, and 'repeated' by the class until the mere sight of the object calls to their minds the entire details. Mr. Enkeley said that this manner, without the aid of books, the children are taught; to read, to write, memory tests, some arithmetic and spelling.”
[Here is one example of Mexican children having trouble learning the English language. “The subject used in one class was "Americanization". The flag and pictures of Handing and Wilson, as well as a memorized salute to the flag, being the object lesson, of a class of 10 Mexican children, none of whom speak English, well.”]
Ordered bids for closets and partitions were advertised again in the San Antonio Gazette in 1922. D. C. Chamberlain elected to acquire more lots on West Salinas Street to accommodate growth. 
San Antonio ISD shut down Sam Houston School No. 4 in 1947 due to the opening of newer negro schools in the area. Sam Houston School No. 4 was no longer needed. So San Antonio ISD used the building for office space for San Antonio ISD administration.
From 1967 to 1983, the Sam Houston School No. 4 building served as a campus for San Antonio ISD’s nursing school called School of Vocational Nursing. A new high school vocational nursing program was implemented by San Antonio Independent School District in the summer of 1967 and summer of 1968. This vocational nursing program was the first of its kind in San Antonio. The school operated under the direction of San Antonio Independent School District. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/83871249/)
“A new high school vocational nursing program, first of its kind in San Antonio, will be implemented by the San Antonio Independent School District this summer. The first group of 25 qualifying senior students is scheduled to begin Phase I of the training June 1. The special class, taught by the district’s School of Vocational Nursing, 237 W. Travis St., is made available to students 17 or older who will have completed required subjects for graduation by the end of this, their junior year.”
Pre-entrance examinations for persons desiring to enroll in the vocational nursing course of the San Antonio Independent School District were held on Fridays at 8 AM at the School of Vocational Nursing. Pre-entrance examinations were given each Friday. However the rules changed. Those where 17 were not eligible. Only men and women over the age of 17 in good health could take the examination. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/57969786/)
The 12-month course includes 4 months of pre-clinical classroom instruction and hospital orientation. Instruction in the final eight months was concentrated on hospital practice at Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital and Baptist Memorial Hospital. Those who completed the course were eligible for the state board examination for licensed vocational nurses. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/63508746/)
Pre-admission tests and interviews were held at 237 W. Travis St in 1976. Cost of the test was $6.00. The program covered one year of instruction, with 570 hours of classroom learning and 1,306 hours of hospital practice. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/48585877/)
School of Vocational Nursing was known as “The San Antonio School of Vocational Nursing” beginning in 1972. The reason for this name change is unknown. A vocational nursing course was offered by the San Antonio Part Time & Evening School for The San Antonio School of Vocational Nursing. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/29609135/)
However San Antonio ISD decided to reopen Sam Houston School in 1985 as Sam Houston Elementary School for students in grades 1 through 6 only. San Antonio ISD operated Sam Houston Elementary School from 1986 to 1995. The Alamo Achievement Center was housed here from 1995 to 2005. This building also served as additional offices for San Antonio ISD administration. (Ref: https://schools.saisd.net/page/010.about)
San Antonio ISD sold the building to Travis Building LLC in 2009 on a special warranty deed. Today Sam Houston School No. 4 is owned by Travis Building LLC. Sam Houston School No. 4 is home by a personal injury attorney called Serna & Serna. (Ref: https://bexar.trueautomation.com/clientdb/Property.aspx?cid=110&prop_id=101750)
Sam Houston School No. 4 is located at 237 West Travis Street, San Antonio, Texas, US 78205.
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