Waldo Mathews High School
Silsbee, Hardin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
At the turn of the 20th century, Silsbee became a very busy mill town due to the success of the railroad connecting Silsbee and Beaumont. Many jobs were provided for both white and black settlers. A school dedicated to the education of African American students quickly developed, organized by the reverends J.R. Dunbar and W.H. Jermany. Professor Waldo Mathews, who served as principal for more than 15 years, watched the school grow from two teachers to a staff of eight. In 1921, Mr. J.C. Frazier of Newton County was hired and served as principal for 28 years. In 1922, a six-room building and workshop was built utilizing the Julius Rosenwald fund to replace the old facilities. On May 1, 1939, the county school board stated that Waldo Mathews (Silsbee Colored) was given eleventh-grade classification – the only African American School in Hardin County listed. With Professor C.A. Johns as prinicipal, Waldo Mathews developed into one of the best educational systems in the area. By 1967, all of the schools of the Silsbee Independent School District had fully and voluntarily integrated with no incidents. Waldo Mathews High School was destroyed by a fire on January 9, 1970. The outer buildings, elementary school, cafeteria and field house were then demolished, leaving the foundations which can still be seen today. In 2003, Texas parks and wildlife approved a grant petitioned by the city of Silsbee for the construction of a park named Waldo Mathews city park in honor of Waldo Mathews high school. A large pavilion stands where the high school once stood.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As the railroad turned Silsbee into a busy mill town at the turn of the 20th century, Black settlers organized a school for their children, guided by Reverends J.R. Dunbar and W.H. Jermany. Under principal Waldo Mathews it grew from two teachers to eight, and in 1922 a new six-room building rose with help from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. By 1939 it was the only African American school in Hardin County to earn eleventh-grade classification, and Silsbee's schools integrated peacefully by 1967.
Why it matters
The school reflects the Rosenwald Fund era, when Black communities and philanthropy together built thousands of schools that opened education to the segregated South.
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Related people
- · Waldo Mathews
- · J.R. Dunbar
- · W.H. Jermany
Themes & tags
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