Site of Bartley-Woods School
Gober, Fannin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Several rural schools existed in Fannin County in the 1890s, including Bartley School and Woods School. In 1932 the County School Board consolidated the schools, along with Providence School and formed the Bartley-Woods School. Three teachers were responsible for not only the consolidation, but for teaching a wide range of subjects. A new brick building, designed by architect Hoke Smith, was erected here in 1940 on land acquired by the Bartley-Woods School District. Constructed with assistance from the Works Progress Administration, the new school building included seven classrooms, a library, cafeteria, and an auditorium with seating for 300 people. The modern campus served a large area. By 1941 seven teachers instructed about 200 pupils. A gymnasium was added to the school in the early 1950s. The school not only provided quality education for youth, but also community programs that benefited farmers and returning veterans after World War II. The building also served as a community center for the area for several years. The County School Board closed the Bartley-Woods School in 1958. The building was razed in 1991. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Fannin County's scattered 1890s country schools — Bartley, Woods, and Providence among them — were merged by the county board in 1932 into the consolidated Bartley-Woods School. With Depression-era help from the Works Progress Administration, a modern brick building designed by architect Hoke Smith rose here in 1940, boasting seven classrooms, a library, cafeteria, and a 300-seat auditorium. By 1941 it taught some 200 pupils and served as a community center until it closed in 1958.
Why it matters
The school shows how rural consolidation and New Deal public works together modernized country education across mid-century America.
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Related people
- · Hoke Smith
Related events
- · Works Progress Administration
Themes & tags
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