Angleton Independent School District
Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On September 5, 1892, two Angleton residents donated one of the original town blocks near this site to the city for school purposes. Citizens contributed two hundred dollars for a frame building to house the first classes for Angleton students and serve as a meeting house for lectures, programs and services. Enrollment increased quickly, and the community made additions to the structure as needed. In 1897 Angleton was incorporated as a school district. A new brick building erected that year was destroyed in the 1900 storm but was soon replaced. The people of Angleton took pride in their school system and its support. The city touted its academic program to attract new residents. Citizens continued to demonstrate their dedication to the district by voting to enlarge the district from 12 to 25 square miles and approving the construction of another, larger brick facility after the second brick building was destroyed in a 1909 storm. The new structure was called "Albert Sidney Johnston School" for one of the county's famous former citizens. The community continued to grow, and within a few years a new high school was erected. In 1931 the school district served eleven grades instead of ten, and in about 1940 the district extended its program to twelve grades. Separate schools for African American and Hispanic students were established until widespread integration was achieved in the 1960s. The town annexed more rural land, resulting in a still-higher enrollment and more crowding in the schools. The Angleton School District continued to grow, and by the end of the twentieth century encompassed 396 square miles. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1892 two residents donated a town block for schools, and citizens raised two hundred dollars for a frame building that doubled as Angleton's meeting house. The district incorporated in 1897, and its brick schools were twice destroyed by the great coastal storms of 1900 and 1909, each time rebuilt larger. Angleton touted its schools to attract settlers and repeatedly enlarged the district; separate schools for African American and Hispanic students operated until integration was achieved in the 1960s.
Why it matters
The district's growth mirrors both Texas towns' faith in public education as an engine of growth and the long era of segregated schooling that the civil rights movement finally ended.
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Related events
- · 1900 Galveston hurricane
- · School integration
Themes & tags
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