Site of Thomas Arnold High School
Salado, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Dr. Samuel J. Jones (1857-1918) and his wife, Charlotte Hallaran Jones (d. 1904), established Thomas Arnold High School on this site in 1890. The school, which was actually a private academy, occupied the stone buildings vacated by Salado College, where Dr. Jones taught. Named for Thomas Arnold (1795-1842), noted headmaster of Rugby School in England, the academy provided quality education during a time when there were few public high schools. After it closed in 1913, the facilities were again operated as Salado College until 1918, and as a public school until 1924, when the buildings burned. (1975)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1890 Dr. Samuel J. Jones and his wife Charlotte founded Thomas Arnold High School in Salado, a private academy housed in the stone buildings left behind by Salado College. They named it for Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of England's Rugby School, and offered rigorous schooling at a time when public high schools were scarce. After the academy closed in 1913, the buildings served again as Salado College and then a public school until fire destroyed them in 1924.
Why it matters
The school reflects the private academies that carried the burden of advanced education across rural America before public high schools became common.
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Related people
- · Samuel J. Jones
- · Charlotte Hallaran Jones
Themes & tags
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