The Schools of Tarkington Prairie
Cleveland, Liberty County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Burton B. Tarkington brought his family from Indiana to present Liberty County in the 1820s. The vast prairie he settled came to be known for him, and it accommodated a number of dispersed agricultural communities over the years. Many of the communities established their own schools, and records indicate there were 15 separate schools at Tarkington Prairie in the century from 1857 to 1957. Talk of consolidation first came in the 1920s as a result of state mandates, and by 1931, the voters of the area made the change a reality. Controversy arose over the central location of new facilities, resulting in sectional splits and court litigation. While the matter seemed resolved with the construction of a new high school, it may have resurfaced a few years later when a fire of suspicious origin destroyed the building. District officials quickly constructed a new building, completed in 1938, and nearby teacher housing provided measures of stability and security. Passage of Gilmer-Aikin legislation in 1949 threatened the area's traditional independence with regard to education, and talk of consolidation with nearby Cleveland spurred voters to create an independent school district. Because Tarkington had no high school facilities for African American students, however, those students were bussed to Cleveland until the implementation of integration. Today, Tarkington I.S.D. remains as a central focus for the surrounding rural settlements; there is still no town within the large district. With continued expansion of facilities, collections and programs, the residents of Tarkington Prairie aim to ensure the success of their most valued resource, their children. (2003)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Burton B. Tarkington brought his family from Indiana to the Texas prairie in the 1820s, and the vast grassland took his name as scattered farming communities took root. Between 1857 and 1957 some fifteen separate schools served the prairie, and the long, contentious drive to consolidate them—marked by court fights, sectional splits, and even a suspicious fire—finally produced a unified district. Because the area had no high school for African American students, they were bussed to Cleveland until integration.
Why it matters
The saga of Tarkington's schools captures a century of rural American education—its fierce localism, its slow consolidation, and its segregated inequities—all playing out on a single Texas prairie that still has no town.
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Related people
- · Burton B. Tarkington
Related events
- · Gilmer-Aikin legislation
Themes & tags
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