O'Henry School Building
Llano, Llano County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The original section of this two-story schoolhouse was completed in 1887 to serve the Llano students living south of the river. Constructed of native sandstone and timber, it was known as the "College Building" because of the stately style. An addition to the north of the schoolhouse, built of locally-quarried granite, was completed in 1902. The school name was chosen to honor the noted Texas writer William Sydney Porter (O. Henry). The O'Henry School building housed all grades until 1925, when a separate high school structure was built.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1887 of native sandstone to serve Llano students living south of the river, this stately two-story schoolhouse was grand enough that locals dubbed it the "College Building." A granite addition followed in 1902, and the school took its name in honor of William Sydney Porter, the Texas writer known to the world as O. Henry. It held every grade until a separate high school opened in 1925.
Why it matters
Sturdy rural stone schoolhouses like this one anchored frontier Texas communities and reflect the growing civic investment in universal public education in the late nineteenth century.
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Related people
- · William Sydney Porter (O. Henry)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Grace Episcopal Church
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The building began in 1881 as Llano Academy, a schooling venture that failed, before the West Texas Missionary District of the Episcopal Church bought it in 1883. Completed and opened for worship in 1889 under Bishop James Steptoe Johnston, it became Grace Episcopal Church. It was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965.
Llano Woman's Culture Club
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Six Mile School
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The Six Mile community grew up in the 1880s around farming, ranching, and granite quarrying, and in 1883 a local couple donated land here for a school and cemetery. The Union School opened in 1884 and was renamed Six Mile School in 1898, running only a few months each year so children could help with farm labor. After the nearby Methodist church closed, the schoolhouse also hosted services and revivals until classes ended in 1945.
Castell School
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