Site of Old Grammar School - Texas Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Marker Title: Old Grammar School
Index Entry: Grammar School, Old
Address: 730 E. 8th St.
City: Brownsville
County: Cameron
Subject Codes: educational topics
Year Marker Erected: 1984
Designations: na
Marker Location: 730 East 8th Street, Brownsville
Marker Size: 27" x 42"

Marker Number: 4851 Marker Text: Although public education in Cameron County had begun in 1854, the City of Brownsville was able to set up its own public school system in 1875, with classes held in various buildings throughout the city. In 1887 Captain William Kelly, chairman of the board of trustees, began a reorganization of the school system and called J. Frank Cummings to be superintendent of the Brownsville Schools. Cummings, a native of Brownsville, led the board of trustees to erect a centrally located school building on property that was donated by the city council. In October 1889 the Brownsville Public School, which housed the Grammar, Junior, and Senior High classes, opened at this site. The building originally had 12 rooms on two floors, crowned by a cupola, and was expanded as enrollment increased. Supt. Cummings and 12 teachers taught the 9 grades. The first graduates, Aggie Willman and Annie Russell, received their diplomas in 1890. Although the original building was razed in 1929, the present school was constructed with some of the bricks from the old school. In continuous use as a location for education since 1889, this site maintains an important link to the city's early history. (1984)

Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   01/04/2014 PeterNoG visited it