Riverside School
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
After opening in 1914, the Water Street Mexican School, later named Riverside School, was the only facility available for Mexican American students in Gonzales. The one-story brick schoolhouse originally housed six grades, and there were additions to the building and new facilities on the campus as enrollment grew. This included a surplus Army building from Camp Swift and the former Stieren School both being moved here. The Riverside School was used for Hispanic students until 1948 and then for African American students until 1965. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2018
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Opened in 1914 as the Water Street Mexican School and later renamed Riverside, this one-story brick schoolhouse was the only facility for Mexican American children in segregated Gonzales. As enrollment grew it absorbed a surplus Army building from Camp Swift and the relocated Stieren School, serving Hispanic students until 1948 and then African American students until 1965.
Why it matters
Riverside School documents the long era of separate, unequal schooling for Mexican American and Black children in Texas, a firsthand marker of the segregation that the civil rights movement fought to end.
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