Young School House and Cemetery
Smithville, Bastrop County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1872, area pioneer John P. Young (1829-1906) donated two acres of his land for a community school and cemetery. The earliest marked grave, that of W. T. Sanders, is dated 1874. Since then, the cemetery has been used primarily by area settlers and their descendants. Shortly after the land was donated, community leaders opened a five-month term school, which was named in honor of John Young. With the help of carpenter Samuel D. Sanford, this schoolhouse was constructed in 1872 of hand-hewn pine logs. Young School closed in 1907 when the rail line was laid through the Upton community (3 mi. N.), and a larger school was established there. Although no longer in use as a schoolhouse, the building has been maintained as a community center and has been the site of worship services for several area congregations. Young School House Baptist Church, whose roots date to 1910, continues to worship at the site. The building has been moved twice to make room for more cemetery plots. Much of the history of this part of Bastrop County revolves around Young School House and Cemetery, each of which has been in use for more than 100 years.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1872 pioneer John P. Young gave two acres for a community school and cemetery, and carpenter Samuel Sanford raised a schoolhouse of hand-hewn pine logs that same year. The five-month-term school taught local children until 1907, when a rail line drew families to a larger school nearby; the building lived on as a community center and house of worship, and Young School House Baptist Church still gathers on the site. The adjoining cemetery, in use since 1874, has served area settlers and their descendants for well over a century.
Why it matters
The site shows how a single donated tract could become the school, cemetery, and church that together held a rural Texas community together across generations.
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Related people
- · John P. Young
Themes & tags
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