Cartwright School
Wills Point, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Provisions for the first African American public school in Wills Point were made around 1878. The school was located on the north side of Wills Point on what is now North Wills Street. In 1926, the school relocated to the south of town on Bertha Street. Although the school was underfunded, it attracted certified African American teachers, some of whom taught children during the day and their parents at night. In 1930, when grades were extended through tenth grade, the school was named in honor of principal and teacher professor Robert L. Cartwright. a new school was built with assistance of land and labor provided by the local African American community and grant funds through the Rosenwald Foundation which was established to improve African American education in the south. In 1935 and 1938, students earned awards in math, declaiming and debate in competitions at Prairie View College (a historically black college). Over the years, school enrollment grew and in 1944 Samuel A. Sparks was hired as principal. Classes were extended to twelfth grade in 1949 and the school became a state accredited high school. Acapella choir, homemaking, basketball and other activities were added to the curriculum. The last graduating class at Cartwright School was in 1965 following integration and several original buildings were demolished in 1998. However, with a state grant, the Cartwright School gymnasium was converted to a multi-purpose center. The school is a clear reminder of the hardships and determination to provide an education to the African American community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Wills Point made provisions for its first African American public school around 1878, and despite chronic underfunding it drew certified Black teachers who taught children by day and their parents by night. In 1930 it was named for principal Robert L. Cartwright, and a new building rose with land and labor from the local Black community and a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation. Extended to a twelfth grade and accredited by 1949, the school graduated its last class in 1965 as integration arrived.
Why it matters
Cartwright School embodies the determination of a Southern Black community to educate its own children in the face of segregation and scarce resources, a story repeated at thousands of Rosenwald schools across the region.
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Related people
- · Robert L. Cartwright
- · Samuel A. Sparks
Themes & tags
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