Jacksonville Independent School District
Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Jacksonville Independent School District Jacksonville's early settlers valued education and had a school as early as 1846 at the original townsite. The Texas Legislature authorized creation of county school districts in 1854, and by the 1860s, Old Jacksonville supported at least two schools. In 1872, residents moved closer to the railroad, and by 1873, they established their first public school. More schools opened, including, at this site, the town's first free public school. Between 1905 and 1907, the city formed its own district with campuses for both white and black students. The schools integrated in the late 1960s. The district's notable graduates include Olympic and professional athletes, Grammy winners, Tony award nominees and many other successes. (2003)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Jacksonville's settlers prized learning early, running a school by 1846 at the original townsite. After residents relocated near the railroad in 1872, they built the town's first public school the next year, and between 1905 and 1907 the city formed its own district with separate campuses for white and Black students. Those schools integrated in the late 1960s, and the district has since sent Olympic athletes, Grammy winners, and Tony nominees into the world.
Why it matters
The district's arc—from frontier schoolhouse to segregated campuses to integration—mirrors the long, uneven story of public education across America.
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