Gaston Public School Complex
Henderson, Rusk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
An oil boom here in the early 1930s prompted the formal organization of the Gaston Independent School District in 1931 to cope with the community's rapidly expanding student population. The district chose Dallas architects Emory White and Howard DeFee to design both an elementary and a 2-story high school building. These brick structures were completed at this site, along with a football field, in 1932. The district added a wooden gymnasium and brick auditorium in 1936, home economics cottage in 1938, brick cafeteria in 1939 and shop building in 1940. Linked by arcades, the structures exhibit classically articulated features and sophisticated cast-stone and window details. The rustic style landscaping, which includes walls made of native stone from the nearby Hardy farm, was completed by the Works Progress Administration in 1936-1940. Students at this institution earned county, district and regional championships in football, basketball, and track, as well as awards in journalism, band, debate and other literary areas, including a Rhodes Scholarship, during the 1940s and 1950s. Gaston schools merged with the London school system in 1965 to form the West Rusk County Independent School District. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
An oil boom in the early 1930s swelled the local population and prompted formation of the Gaston Independent School District in 1931. Dallas architects designed an elementary and two-story high school, completed with a football field in 1932, and the campus grew through the decade with a gymnasium, auditorium, cafeteria, and shop, its native-stone landscaping finished by the WPA. Students went on to win regional titles and honors—including a Rhodes Scholarship—before the district merged into West Rusk County ISD in 1965.
Why it matters
The complex shows how the East Texas oil boom and New Deal public-works programs together built modern schools that shaped a generation of rural students.
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Related events
- · East Texas oil boom
Themes & tags
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