Sutherland Springs School Site
Sutherland Springs, Wilson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS SCHOOL SITE The Sutherland Springs Community was founded by Dr. John Sutherland and Joseph H. Polley in the 1850s. Both men were concerned with the need for a school in Sutherland Springs where social institutions had not yet developed. Early schools were built by churches, citizens or organizations. Public education funds were not adequately distributed and educational efforts in Texas remained sporadic through the close of the nineteenth century. In 1857, Dr. Sutherland built a rock building on the Cibolo used as a private academy. In 1871, J.B. Polley deeded to the school trustees of Cibolo Hall and female academy all his right, title and interest in lot #3 block #59. By 1877, the male and female academy opened in the rock schoolhouse. In 1910, a bond election was voted on and adopted to construct a new school. The next year, lot #4 was purchased. In 1934, citizens of district nine voted to incorporate for free school purposes under the name Sutherland Springs Independent School District. A new school was built in 1936 and a gymnasium was added in 1938. On the eve of Christmas holidays, December 19, 1947, fire completely destroyed the school building. After the fire, students finished the school year at the Baptist Church. A two-room building was erected for grades one through six. The district consolidated with Floresville in 1948 and the property was sold in 1953. However, the spirit of small, rural schools lives on through the community and memory. (2014)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in the 1850s by Dr. John Sutherland and Joseph H. Polley, the Sutherland Springs community soon needed a school in an era when Texas public education was sparse and unevenly funded. Sutherland built a rock schoolhouse on the Cibolo in 1857, and by 1877 a male and female academy was operating there; the district incorporated in 1934 and raised new buildings before a 1947 fire destroyed the school just before Christmas. After the fire students finished the year in the Baptist church, and the district consolidated with Floresville in 1948.
Why it matters
The school site tells the larger story of how rural Texas communities built their own education from private academies before public schooling took firm hold, sustaining learning through fire and consolidation.
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Related people
- · Dr. John Sutherland
- · Joseph H. Polley
Themes & tags
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