Waring Schoolhouse
Waring, Kendall County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Anglo pioneers in a predominantly German-settled area built the west wing of this building in 1891. Land for this first public school was given by Robert Percival Maxwell Waring, a native of Ireland for whom the town had been named in 1888. Citizens volunteered labor, funds, and materials for the building, and paid their children's tuition of $1 to $1.50 per month. The east wing was added in 1903, and exterior braces were applied in the 1930s. The school closed in 1954. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1891, Anglo settlers in this heavily German-settled area built the west wing of Waring's first public school on land donated by the town's Irish-born namesake, Robert Percival Maxwell Waring. Neighbors volunteered the labor and materials, and families paid a dollar or so a month in tuition for each child. The building grew with an east wing in 1903 and served until the school closed in 1954.
Why it matters
It captures how frontier Texans of many origins pooled their resources to educate their children long before public funding was assured.
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Related people
- · Robert Percival Maxwell Waring
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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