Site of First Free Public School
Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1885 a two-story frame structure was built on this site and served as the first free public school in Jacksonville. It was destroyed by a tornado in 1890. A three-story brick building was erected here in 1910-12. Known as the East Side School, it served elementary and secondary students at different times until 1939. After decades of use for school purposes, the hillside stood bare until 1940. In that year a sports stadium, known as the Tomato Bowl, was begun by the Federal Works Progress Administration and the Jacksonville Independent School District.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1885 a two-story frame building on this hillside became Jacksonville's first free public school, only to be destroyed by a tornado in 1890. A three-story brick school known as the East Side School rose here in 1910–12 and taught students until 1939. In 1940 the Works Progress Administration and the local school district began building a sports stadium here, the Tomato Bowl.
Why it matters
The site traces the arrival of free public education in a small Texas town and, later, the New Deal public-works projects that reshaped communities during the Depression.
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Related events
- · Works Progress Administration
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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