Marion Public Schools
Marion, Guadalupe County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The town of Marion, a German settlement, was founded in 1877 as a marketing and shipping point for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad. T. W. Peirce donated $3,000 and land for free public schools in Marion. In 1878 the first schoolhouse was built. In 1917 a brick building facing Cunningham Street replaced the first school. In 1938 a third building was constructed by the Works Progress Administration. As student enrollment increased, the grades were split into three schools. The community continues the tradition of strong support of its district schools. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Marion took shape in 1877 as a German settlement and shipping point on the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad, and free public education followed almost at once when T. W. Peirce gave land and three thousand dollars for schools. The first schoolhouse opened in 1878, a brick building replaced it in 1917, and the Works Progress Administration added a third in 1938. As enrollment climbed, the grades split across separate campuses.
Why it matters
The steady rebuilding of one town's schools traces how immigrant communities invested in education as the foundation of American belonging and opportunity.
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Related people
- · T. W. Peirce
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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