Illinois Bend School
Illinois Bend, Montague County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located in the bend of the Red River in northeast Montague County, Illinois Bend received an official title in 1877. By the 1890s, Illinois Bend was a thriving community where cotton farming swelled the population. Many churches and schools were conducted in private homes prior to 1845 when the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas set aside provisions to aid local lodges in erecting educational buildings. In January 1893, a Masonic building for fraternal, educational and spiritual purposes was erected here. During the week, the lower level was used as a one room school and a church on Sundays. The original name of the school district was Valley Branch School District No. 14 due to the location near the branch which feeds into the Red River. Over time, it became known as Illinois Bend School District no. 14. All age levels were taught in the same room and the first teacher was W.O. Edwards. There was no electricity or plumbing in the school until 1945 so outhouses were erected behind the building. The lower portion of the building was also the social center of the community, hosting reunions, wedding receptions and other group activities. With the onset of WWII, the school closed in 1944. Church services in the lower level ceased in the 1920s with the establishment of local churches. In 1968, the building was no longer used on a regular basis; however, an Illinois Bend community homecoming was held each fall and continues today. The building was refurbished by the Illinois Bend Community Club in 1987 and is a remnant of the community partnerships formed with the help of the masonic lodge. (2014)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Tucked in a bend of the Red River, the Illinois Bend community was officially named in 1877 and grew on cotton farming through the 1890s. In 1893 residents raised a Masonic building that served triple duty: a one-room school by weekday, a church on Sundays, and the community's social hall for reunions and weddings. Lacking electricity or plumbing until 1945, the school taught all grades in a single room until it closed in 1944, and the restored building still anchors an annual homecoming.
Why it matters
The building is a fine example of how frontier Masonic lodges helped erect the schools and gathering places that knit isolated rural communities together.
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Related people
- · W.O. Edwards
Themes & tags
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