East Mound Cemetery and School
Bridgeport, Wise County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This community was named for the lookout point used by Indians and settlers in the 19th century. From his land near the landmark mound, W. C. Ellis designated (1876) acreage for public use, and the cemetery had been opened by 1880. Van Dearing Perrine (1869-1955), later a noted artist, lived here about 1880. His mother's unmarked grave is in this cemetery. On March 15, 1887, W. C. Ellis and T. J. Wise deeded 3 acres for the school, in which enrollment would rise at times to nearly 100 pupils in eight grades taught by one teacher. In 1930 the school was consolidated with Bridgeport.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
East Mound took its name from a lookout point used by Indians and settlers alike in the 19th century. In 1876 landowner W.C. Ellis set aside acreage for public use, and a cemetery opened by 1880; a decade earlier the future artist Van Dearing Perrine spent part of his boyhood here. In 1887 Ellis and T.J. Wise deeded three acres for a one-room school that at times packed nearly a hundred pupils across eight grades under a single teacher, until it consolidated with Bridgeport in 1930.
Why it matters
The cemetery and school together tell the story of how rural Texas communities built civic life around shared land, faith, and education.
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Related people
- · W.C. Ellis
- · T.J. Wise
- · Van Dearing Perrine
Themes & tags
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