Lockhart Vocational High School (Carver HS)
Lockhart, Caldwell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
According to local tradition, materials salvaged from Ross Institute, a former school for Lockhart's caucasian children, were used in 1923 to build this school for African American students. The Rosenwald Foundation of Chicago, which funded many African American schools in the south in the early 20th century, provided the design and part of the construction cost. The school district and local African American citizens raised the majority of the funds for its completion. Previously, African American children attended classes scattered throughout town. Elementary-aged students learned at Sunset School, Mt. Salem Methodist Episcopal Church or the Masonic Lodge; high school students used a building on Live Oak Street that was also a funeral parlor and domino hall. The two-story brick and stucco schoolhouse contained six classrooms, a Principal's office and a large auditorium that also served as a social center for the neighborhood. Prominent brick and stucco pilasters on the unadorned main façade rise above the parapet. The east and west sides of the building have large banks of windows to maximize natural light. The lower level has a centrally located portico with double doors that divide the principal façade. R.A. Atkinson was the first pricipal of the school, which received state accreditation in 1926. At the time two years of high school coursework were offered here, and students could attend the twelfth grade in Luling. In 1946, the facility changed its name to G.W. Carver High School. It closed in 1964 due to school integration, but the building was later used by the Head Start program. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-2008
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1923 for Lockhart's African American students—reportedly with materials salvaged from a former white school—this two-story brick and stucco schoolhouse was designed and partly funded through the Rosenwald Foundation, with the district and Black citizens raising the rest. Before it opened, Black children had studied in scattered churches, lodges, and even a funeral parlor. Accredited in 1926 and renamed G.W. Carver High School in 1946, it closed with integration in 1964 and later housed a Head Start program.
Why it matters
As one of thousands of Rosenwald schools, it stands for the nationwide effort that expanded education for Black children under segregation—and for the integration that ended the era.
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Related people
- · R.A. Atkinson
Themes & tags
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