Bastrop County, Texas, has a compelling history of education, reflecting the growth of its communities, the challenges of a developing frontier, and the complexities of social change, particularly regarding segregation. From early one-room log cabins to established institutions, schools have always been at the heart of the county’s progress.
Here’s a look at some of the historical schools of Bastrop County:
Early Schools and Academies:
- One-Room Log Schools (Pre-1850s): The earliest forms of education in Bastrop County, like much of early Texas, were often informal. A one-room log school was in operation in Bastrop by 1847. These rudimentary structures served small, often scattered, populations, with teachers often living within the community and providing basic instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic.
- Bastrop Academy (Founded 1851): This institution marks a significant step in the formalization of education in Bastrop and was located at 1402 Church St., Bastrop, Texas. Founded by the Bastrop Educational Society and chartered in 1852, Bastrop Academy was initially coeducational. Professor William J. Hancock became its first headmaster.
- Bastrop Female Academy (Established 1857): The Bastrop Female Academy was the separately incorporated girls’ department of Bastrop Academy. It grew out of one of the most prominent early educational institutions in Texas and reflects the formalization of female education in Bastrop during the 1850s. Its 1857 incorporation marks a distinct institutional identity for girls’ education in the county, at a time when many Texas communities still relied on informal or small subscription schools.
- Bastrop Military Institute (Established 1857): The male part of Bastrop Academy transitioned into the Bastrop Military Institute. This institute played a role in training young men, particularly during the lead-up to and during the Civil War. Colonel Robert Thomas Pritchard Allen replaced Hancock as headmaster. The institute’s focus was on both scientific and literary education, with a military component primarily for physical exercise. It later moved to Austin in 1870 and was renamed the Texas Military Institute. This early academy was one of the leading schools in Texas at the time.
Schools for African American Communities (Segregated Era):
A crucial part of Bastrop County’s educational history involves the segregated schools that served its African American population. These schools, though often underfunded and with fewer resources, were vital community centers and provided essential education in the face of systemic discrimination.
- Emile School (Founded 1892/1893): Located on East Marion Street in Bastrop, Emile School was a two-story structure on a 4-acre plot of land in an African American area. It initially housed grades 1-12. The school was named after Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s influential book on education, “Emile,” believed to have been chosen by Professor Buchanan, an early principal who came from Tennessee.
- Significance: Emile School served as the primary educational institution for African American students in Bastrop for decades. It saw various physical and social changes over the years, including the addition of new buildings and brick classrooms in the late 1940s and 1950s. The last high school class graduated from Emile in May 1969, as the Bastrop Independent School District (BISD) integrated. The building was later repurposed for elementary grades and in 1988, its original name, Emile, was restored, becoming Emile Elementary School.
- Hopewell School (Cedar Creek, Built 1921-1922): Also known as the Hopewell Rosenwald School, this former African American school in Cedar Creek is a significant historical site. It was built during a time of racial segregation with funding from a combination of sources: a land grant and monetary grant from Martin and Sophia MacDonald (who were formerly enslaved), public funds, money raised by the African American community, and a grant from the Rosenwald Fund.
- Significance: Rosenwald Schools were part of a philanthropic effort to build schools for African American children in the rural South. Hopewell School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2022. It closed in the late 1950s following the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. The building has been restored as a community center.
Integration and Modern Schooling:
The mid-20th century brought significant changes to education in Bastrop County, particularly with the legal battles against segregation.
- Delgado v. Bastrop ISD (1948): This landmark lawsuit, filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) with attorney Gus Garcia, challenged the segregation of Mexican American children in Texas public schools. The suit charged that the Bastrop Independent School District, among others, was segregating Mexican children from “other White races” without specific state law and depriving them of equal facilities and education. Judge Ben H. Rice of the U.S. District Court agreed, ordering an end to this separation by September 1949. While the court allowed separate classes on the same campus for language-deficient students in the first grade only, the decision was a crucial step in undermining the rigid segregation of Mexican Americans and foreshadowed broader desegregation efforts.
- Bastrop High School (Established 1898): This institution has served as a central educational hub for the Bastrop community for over a century. Located in historic downtown Bastrop, it has undergone many changes and expansions over the decades, adapting to the needs of a growing and diversifying student population.
- Bastrop Independent School District (BISD): The modern public school system in Bastrop County, BISD, serves a wide geographic area including Bastrop, Cedar Creek, Red Rock, Elgin, and other communities. It encompasses numerous elementary, middle, and high schools, including more recent additions like the Colorado River Collegiate Academy (opened 2014), an early college high school that allows students to earn an associate’s degree concurrently with their high school diploma.
The historical schools of Bastrop County reflect the evolution of education in Texas – from self-organized community efforts to formal academies, from the injustices of segregation to the ongoing pursuit of equitable and advanced learning opportunities for all students. Each institution, whether still standing or remembered only in records, contributes to the rich educational tapestry of the county.