Calvert Colored High School
Calvert, Robertson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1929 with aid from the Rosenwald School Fund, Calvert County Training School, later renamed Calvert Colored High School, was one of the largest Rosenwald schools built in Texas. Up until this point, what little African American education had been attempted in Robertson County was largely relegated to "plantation schools." In Calvert, a small school taught Black students until they were old enough to help in the fields or cotton gins. To make the new school possible, funds were acquired from various sources, including the Black population ($3,900), the Julius Rosenwald Foundation ($2,600) and a county tax grant ($20,000). The school's 6-A floorplan accommodated up to 12 teachers and first though eleventh grades. Very little has changed of the C-shaped brick building, although modern conveniences have been added.Willie Daniel Spigner (1895-1975) was the long-term headmaster. Students received training in home economics and vocational skills that did not conflict with occupations commonly held by white people. Headmaster Spigner increased enrollment by encouraging children from outlying rural schools to attend classes in Calvert. Indoor plumbing was added in 1948 along with other improvements to the building. The school gained a 12th grade class in the 1950S and a gymnasium in 1957. The name of the school was changed to honor Headmaster Spigner, and the Class of 1961 were the first graduates of W.D. Spigner High School. Campus life was active with clubs, sports and bands. During integration, the high school students were transferred to Calvert High School, while elementary students remained at W.D. Spigner. In 1977, classmates gathered for a reunion, and in 1982, the the reunion evolved into a three-day event terminated in religious services delivered by alumni ministers. When the school permanently closed, the alumni association retained the building. - Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2021.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1929 with help from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, this was one of the largest Rosenwald schools in Texas, replacing the meager 'plantation schools' that had been Black students' only option in Robertson County. The community raised its own share of the cost, and under longtime headmaster W. D. Spigner, enrollment grew as he drew in children from surrounding rural schools. Over the decades it added grades, plumbing, and a gymnasium, was renamed in Spigner's honor, and its building still stands, cared for by the alumni association.
Why it matters
Rosenwald schools like this one were a lifeline for African American education in the Jim Crow South, and its survival preserves the memory of a community that built and defended its own path to learning.
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Related people
- · Willie Daniel Spigner
- · Julius Rosenwald
Related events
- · Rosenwald school construction
Themes & tags
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