Site of Bralley-Pendleton School
Honey Grove, Fannin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first school for Africa Americans in Honey Grove began in 1882 with 20 students and one teacher. The school was named for F. M. Bralley, an early superintendent. By 1911 there were 188 students and two teachers. Bralley became a high school in 1925 when Smith Hill School opened for elementary grades, but the two schools were joined again in 1934. In 1959 the school was renamed in honor of its long-term principal John W. Pendleton. After the Honey Grove schools were integrated in 1965-66, the Bralley-Pendleton School buildings were sold and razed. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Honey Grove's first school for African American children opened in 1882 with twenty students and a single teacher, named for early superintendent F. M. Bralley. It grew steadily, split into separate schools and rejoined, and in 1959 was renamed for its long-serving principal, John W. Pendleton. When the town's schools integrated in 1965–66, the Bralley-Pendleton buildings were sold and torn down.
Why it matters
The school's founding, flourishing, and demolition trace the whole arc of segregated Black education in a small Texas town — from Reconstruction-era hope to the bittersweet close of integration.
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Related people
- · F. M. Bralley
- · John W. Pendleton
Related events
- · School integration
Themes & tags
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