Rock Schoolhouse
Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Constructed in 1886 largely due to the efforts of schoolteacher Robert E. Hendry (1847-1910), this was the first public school in Mineral Wells. Stones were hauled from nearby Rock Creek in mule-drawn wagons and hand cut on the site. Features of the one-story structure include a flat roof, concrete coping, a central end-entry with segmental arch, and an enclosed belfry. The oldest existing school building in town, it served as an educational facility until 1972. (1987)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Mineral Wells needed its first public school in 1886, teacher Robert E. Hendry led the effort to build one from the land itself—stones hauled from nearby Rock Creek in mule-drawn wagons and hand-cut on site. The sturdy one-story building, with its flat roof, segmental-arched entry, and enclosed belfry, served generations of students for nearly nine decades until 1972. It remains the oldest surviving school building in town.
Why it matters
The Rock Schoolhouse embodies the grassroots determination of frontier Texas communities that quarried their own stone and taxed themselves to give their children a public education.
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Related people
- · Robert E. Hendry
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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