History of McLewis School in Orange, Texas explored.

This news article will discuss the history behind the McLewis School in Orange, Texas. McLewis School is one of the lesser known and forgotten schools of Orange, Texas.

William McFarland Lewis brought his family into Orange County in 1850 and settled in the city of Orange. He donated land to Orange Common School District (now Orange ISD) for educational purposes in 1884. The school was named in his honor. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth39146/m1/250/)

McLewis School was a single story wooden building which was built in 1898. The school employed more than one teacher. Miss Edna Peveto Hare taught here from 1898 to 1914. Miss Edna Peveto was one of the very first teachers to teach at this school. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1170645/m1/5/)

Not many people know this but McLewis School was a two-room schoolhouse which educated students in grades 1 through 11. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth312859/m1/54/)

McLewis School moved a couple of yards from their original location when Orange County School Superintendent Miss Allie Blanda was scouting out a new site for McLewis School to expand onto. Superintendent Miss Allie Blanda dedicated a new site for McLewis School at the Martin Cole place in 1925. (Ref: https://www.therecordlive.com/home/customer_files/pdfs/digital_editions/2020/cr20_081920.pdf)

“Miss Allie Blanda, County School Superintendent, dedicated a new site for the $10,000 McLewis School. The site is the Martin Cole place, six miles east of the city and north of the concrete road to Beaumont.”

The wooden structure operating as McLewis School was becoming outmoded by 1929 and needed much repairs. So maintenance and renovation was done. McLewis students attended school in the Old First Baptist Church while the new brick four-room schoolhouse was being built in 1929. McLewis School would reopen as a new four-room schoolhouse in 1930. This new structure was a brick schoolhouse. (Ref: https://www.orangeleader.com/2021/11/03/what-made-orange-great-history-of-orange-county-schools-as-recorded-in-1936/)

Here is how the campus of McLewis School was composed:

This plant is composed of three parts, a cafetorium, an old classroom building, and an attractive new classroom building. In all the plant has 14 classrooms, four of which are not now in use. The school is in good condition, but the lighting in the older wing could be improved. Provision of an elementary library and a music room would be desirable. If more classrooms are required in the future, additional site area should be acquired. (Ref: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED037013.pdf)

Beatrice Walles was principal of the McLewis School in 1936. Altha Barrington and Theta Pearl Noguess were the teachers of McLewis School. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth312859/m1/66/)

A two-room addition was added on to the brick structure serving as McLewis School in 1954 for expansion purposes to accommodate increasing enrollment of students in grades 1 through 8. This addition to McLewis School was highly needed. This addition was a combined cafeteria-auditorium built at a cost of $19,892. Matkin and Fitch designed the addition. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth556865/m1/1/)

A new water well was dug and installed to supply drinking water for McLewis School in 1958. Depth of this well extended 6 feet underground with an altitude of 12 feet above sea level. The diameter was 4 inches in size. (Ref: https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/bulletins/doc/B6516/B6516.pdf)

McLewis School became part of Orangefield ISD after school district consolidation when the McLewis School District consolidated into Orangefield ISD in 1958. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/orange-leader-jun-22-1994-p-2/)

A new sewage treatment plant was built to serve the McLewis Elementary School campus in 1973 after waiting for 3 years for a bid to come through. Expansion and improvement of the McLewis Elementary School Cafeteria was completed in 1977 after voters passed a bond. This was the last time the cafeteria would be renovated. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/30190992/)

McLewis School was shut down in August 1989 after an inspection by Hartford Steam Boiler Company found asbestos in floor tiles of the building. The aging building was discovered to have asbestos in and around the building. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1293742/m1/1/)

Orangefield ISD sold the McLewis School to Flying J Inc. in 1990 for about $2,000,000 million dollars. Teachers moved from McLewis Elementary School to a new 13,000 square foot wing of Orangefield Elementary School that same year. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1171101/m1/1/)

Orangefield ISD used proceeds from the sale of McLewis School to a facility grant for their school district. The money was later channeled into other grants that needed much funding. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/orange-leader-feb-02-1994-p-9/)

The school district applied for and received a grant application which came with a commitment too and that fit perfectly in their minds. Money made selling the McLewis Elementary Campus was used expand facilities at their elementary schools in Orange. That McLewis School sale netted the school district more than for $7,000 dollars. (Ref: Orange Leader, p. 5, July 31, 1993)

The brick schoolhouse was cleared and leveled to make way for a $1 million dollar filling station facility called Texaco-operated business Flying J which was built on the property in 1993 and opened in 1995. Flying J is a Texaco-operated business. (Ref: https://newspaperarchive.com/orange-leader-jul-31-1993-p-5/)

However on August 27, 1993, Flying J Inc. was issued a penalty due to a rule violation when they demolished McLewis School without giving proper notification of intention to demolition which violated TACB Rule 101.20(2) and a Code of Federal Regulations. Ultimately Flying J Inc. was given a $900 dollar penalty by the State of Texas due to those rules violations. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth181879/m1/106/)

McLewis School was where Flying J is today. There was an old Texaco truck stop in front of the McLewis School. The McLewis School no longer exists as a truck stop and filling station called Flying J has built over the campus.

McLewis School was located at 7112 I 10, Orange, Texas, US 77632.