Ozona Junior High School
Ozona, Crockett County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first permanent school building in Ozona; constructed of native limestone in 1910-1912, when Ozona was only 21 years old. The heating and ventilating system, never before used in the state when installed here, is still in operation daily. County school superintendent and judge, C. E. Davidson, was the general foreman of construction. Walter Kyle oversaw stonework. Building was financed by sale of $75,000 of long-term bonds. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1968
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Ozona was only twenty-one years old, the town raised $75,000 in bonds to build its first permanent school from native limestone in 1910โ1912. County judge C. E. Davidson oversaw construction and Walter Kyle led the stonework, and the building even boasted a heating and ventilating system never before used in Texas. Remarkably durable, that system was still running daily decades later.
Why it matters
The schoolhouse reflects the pride and ambition young Western towns invested in education, treating a sturdy stone school as proof of permanence and civic promise.
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Related people
- ยท C. E. Davidson
- ยท Walter Kyle
Themes & tags
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