Lamar School
Plainview, Hale County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first Plainview schoolhouse was built in 1887, the year the town was founded. Located northwest of this site, it was a half-dugout sod building similar to many of the pioneer homes of the area. Built by local men under the supervision of Judge J. M. Carter and Col. R. P. Smyth, the structure also served as a community center and was used for the organization of at least two local churches. In 1889 the Plainview Masonic Lodge constructed a two-story frame building west of this site. The second floor was used for lodge meetings and the ground floor was occupied by the school, which became known as The Llano Estacado Institute for Male and Female in 1893. The building served as the schoolhouse until it burned in 1902. Shortly after the organization of the Plainview Independent School District in 1902, the elementary school was renamed in honor of the noted Texas leader Mirabeau B. Lamar. A two-story schoolhouse at this site was moved in 1910 when the original section of the present building was constructed. Later used as a vocational training center, Lamar School reflects the pioneer educational, social, and religious growth of the community. 1981
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Plainview's first schoolhouse, a half-dugout sod building, went up in 1887, the year the town was founded, and doubled as a community center where local churches were organized. A Masonic-built frame structure followed, briefly styled the Llano Estacado Institute, until fire destroyed it in 1902. The reorganized school was renamed for Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas and a champion of public education.
Why it matters
From a sod dugout to a brick schoolhouse, it charts the birth of public education on the Texas High Plains under the banner of a founding statesman.
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Related people
- · Mirabeau B. Lamar
- · J. M. Carter
- · R. P. Smyth
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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