Stringtown Schoolhouse
Newton vicinity, Newton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1908, this one-room wood-frame schoolhouse served the students of Stringtown for nearly 40 years. Joe S. Griggs, a community resident and later a school trustee, used his own money to hire John Pepper to construct the building. A later addition, used to house the teacher overnight when necessary, was removed after it burned. Until 1940, the schoolhouse also served as a meeting place for the Primitive Baptist Church. After the Stringtown School consolidated with Newton schools after the 1942-43 school year, the Stringtown schoolhouse became a gathering place for community activities and reunions. The building stands as a reminder of 20th-century rural education in Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1908, this one-room wood-frame schoolhouse served the Stringtown community for nearly 40 years, funded when resident Joe S. Griggs hired John Pepper to construct it out of his own pocket. A small addition once housed the teacher overnight, and until 1940 the building doubled as a Primitive Baptist meeting place. After Stringtown consolidated with Newton schools in 1943, the schoolhouse became a gathering spot for community reunions.
Why it matters
The little schoolhouse stands for the countless one-room schools that carried rural education across twentieth-century Texas before consolidation swept most of them away.
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Related people
- · Joe S. Griggs
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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