Public Education in Terrell
Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On July 3, 1883, the citizens of Terrell voted overwhelmingly to establish and support a system of public schools. The first classes were held in September of that year in buildings that had previously been occupied by various private schools. In 1885, Terrell's first public school building, a three-story brick structure, was completed at the corner of Moore and Ann streets. It burned in 1913, and classes were held at the site of the former Wesley College until a replacement was completed in 1914. Over the years additional facilities have been built as the student population increased. The Terrell School System has been served by able leaders throughout its history. D. A. Paulas served the first superintendent. From 1893 to 1918 the district was headed by S. M. N. Marrs, who went on to become state superintendent of public instruction in 1922. Since its beginning in 1883 and its first graduating class in 1886, the Terrell schools have produced fine community citizens and leaders. Public education in Terrell has had a significant impact on the development and growth of the town and the surrounding area.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On July 3, 1883, Terrell's citizens voted overwhelmingly to establish a public school system, holding the first classes that fall in buildings once used by private schools. The town's first public school building, a three-story brick structure, opened in 1885, burned in 1913, and was replaced the next year. Among its early leaders was S. M. N. Marrs, who headed the district from 1893 to 1918 and later became state superintendent of public instruction.
Why it matters
Terrell's decisive 1883 vote reflects the broad post-Reconstruction push to build tax-supported public schools across Texas, and the district produced educators who went on to shape statewide education policy.
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Related people
- · S. M. N. Marrs
- · D. A. Paulas
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Porter Farms
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On February 26, 1903, a citizens' committee chose the farm of Walter C. and Mrs. Porter for the first 'farm demonstration' led by Dr. Seaman A. Knapp of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The wildly successful project proved that scientific methods could transform ordinary farming and gave birth to what became the nationwide agricultural cooperative extension. Today extension work is part of every land-grant university and has been adapted around the world.
First Presbyterian Church of Terrell
Terrell, TX
This congregation grew from two Presbyterian churches formed in the 1870s: a Cumberland Presbyterian church that had stood in the town of Lawrence, and Terrell's Old School Presbyterian congregation. The two united in 1904 into a single body. It built a sanctuary at Rockwall and High streets in 1907-08 and replaced it with a new building on the present site in 1958.
Terrell Elementary School
Terrell, TX
A school has stood on this Terrell, Texas, site since 1901, when a two-story primary school was built to serve children living north of the Texas and Pacific Railway tracks. Rising enrollment led the school board to replace it in the 1930s, and the current Georgian Revival building — designed by noted Dallas architect Mark Lemmon with Public Works Administration funds — was completed in 1936. It was renamed in 1979 to honor longtime superintendent John E. Langwith.
Marrs, S. M. N.
Terrell, TX
Born in wartime Virginia in 1862, Starlin Marion Newberry Marrs began teaching at sixteen and worked coal mines to fund his own schooling before coming to Texas in 1881. Chosen as Terrell's school superintendent, he weathered a bruising local political fight and went on to statewide office, rising to State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1922. In that role he pushed compulsory attendance, stronger rural schools, and higher teaching standards, and he was later honored among the great figures of Texas education.