HomeMy WebLinkAboutTexas Historical Marker Dedication-Euless School (1914-1955)•
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MARKER DEDICATION
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EULESS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24,
SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
605 SOUTH MAIN STREET
EULESS, TEXAS
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Text of Historical Marker
EULESS SCHOOL
IN 1913, PATRONS OF THREE AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS—EULESS AND
TARRANT IN THE EULESS DISTRICT AND EVART, (CROSSROADS) IN THE EVART
DISTRICT —SUCCESSFULLY PETITIONED THE EULESS COMMON SCHOOL DIS-
TRICT. VOTERS ELECTED JOHN D. HUFFMAN, THOMAS P. HUFFMAN AND DR.
LUTHER F. RHODES TRUSTEES AND APPROVED A $7,000 BOND ISSUE FOR A TWO-
STORY BRICK SCHOOLHOUSE, WHICH OPENED FOR THE 1914-1915 SCHOOL
YEAk.
THE SCHOOL BUILDING ALSO BECAME A COMMUNITY CENTER, HOSTING
MANY ACTIVITIES PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR RURAL FAMILIES, SUCH AS FARM
AND HOME DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS, FARMERS' MEETINGS, AND CLUB
WORK FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
TRIOTIC EVENTS WERE ALSO
MOUSLY INCORPORATED A.
SEVERAL SOCIAL, CULTURAL, POLITICAND L A.V
HELD THERE, IN 1925 EULESS VOTERS UNANI-
AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
ELECTED A SEVEN MEMBER BOARD OF TRUSTEES. JOSEPH T. HOUSE BECAME
THE FIRST SUPERINTENDENT AND ALSO TAUGHT. ALONG WITH FOUR CLASS-
ROOM TEACHERS. IN 1932, • HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA, SPEECH AND, LITERACY
CLUBS ORGANIZED, AND ELECTRICITY ON THE CAMPUS MADE POSSIBLE
PROPER LIGHTING AND A DEPENDABLE WATER SUPPLY FROM A NEW WELL.
CITIZENS OF ADJOINING DISTRICTS
MET SEVERAL TIMES IN THE 1940s TO DIS-
CUSS THE POSSIBILITY OF, MERGING AND
BUILDING A CENTRAL FACILITY WITH A
BROADER HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM. THE
OPENING OF THE NEARBY BELL HELICOP-
TER MANUFACTURING PLANT AND FORT
WORTH MUNICIPAL AIRPORT BROUGI-IT
POPULATION GROWTH, AND IN JANUARY
1955 RESIDENTS VOTED TO MERGE THE
EULESS AND HURST DISTRICTS. BEDFORD
VOTERS INITIALL• Y REJECTED CONSOLIDA-
TION BUT JOINED IN 1958, CREATING THE
PRESENT HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD INDE-
PENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE 1914
EULESS SCHOOL,WHICH SERVED UNTIL 1955
CONSOLIDATION, WAS RAZED IN 1970.
SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NOW
OCCUPIES THE SITE.
Program
OPENING REMARKS................................................................................................ BETTY PULLER
Cam, E ULESS HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
EULESS HIGx SCHOOL GRADUATE 9950
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE....................................................................................6 KENZIE CREWS
STUDENT, SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CALL TO REMEMBRANCE &INVOCATION ........................... THE REV. DR. BRUCE WEAVER
EULESS SCTIOOL TEACHER >947-1949
PASTOR EULESS METHODIST CHURCH 4945-1949
WELCOME &REMARKS......................................................................................NARY LIB SALEH
MAYOR, CITY OF E ULESS
RANDY BELCHER
PRINCIPAL, SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BRENT MORTON
CHAIRMAN, TARRANT COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION
DR. GENE BUINGER
SUPERIlVTENDENT, HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
HISTORICAL STATEMENT..................................................................DR. WELDON G. CANNON
PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF HISTORY, TEMPLE COLLEGE
EULESS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE 995
MARKERUNVEII.ING............................................................................................. SUSAN TAYLOR
MARKER CHAIRMAN, TARRAN'T COUNTYHISTORICAI_ COMMISSION
RANDY BELCHER, PRINCIPAL &SALLY BEN, STUDENT
SO UTH E ULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE ............................................... SOUTH EUL-cc S ELEMENTARY CHOIR
DIRECTED BY JEFF BROOKS
SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SUZUKI STRINGS
DIRECTED BY PATTI PURCELL
CLOSING REMARKS................................................................................................. BETTY PULLER
CxAIRn�IN, EULESS HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
RECEPTION.................................................................... SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
HOSTED BI' THE SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MARK WOLFE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TARRANT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT
GLEN WHITLEY, JUDGE * Roy G BROOKS, PRECINCT 1
MARTI VANRAVENSWAAY, PRECINCT 2 * GARY FICI�ES, PRECINCT �
J.D. JOHNSON, PRECINCT 4
TARRANT COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION
BRENT MORTON CHAIR1vIAN
SUSAN TAYLOR, MARI�R CHAIR1tiIAN
CITY OF EULESS CITY COUNCIL
MARY LIB SALEH, MAYOR �k LINDA MARTIN, MAYOR PRO TEM
TIM STINNEFORD, PLACE 1 * LEON NOGG, PLACE 2 * DONNA MICKAIN, PLACE 4
GLEN PORTERFIELD, PLACE 5 *PERRY BYNUNI, PLACE 6
CITY OF EULESS HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
BETTY FULLER, CHAIR1vIAN
HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
JEFF BURNETT, PRESIDENT * Kr1Y MILLER, PLACE 1
JIlVI SCHOOLER, PLACE j * ELLEN JOKES, PLACE 4 * FAYE BEAULIEU, PLACE 5
ANDY CARGILE, PLACE 6 * MARK CYRIER, PLACE %
DR. GENE BUINGER, SUPERINTENDENT
SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
RANDY BELCHER, PRINCIPAL, THE PARENT -TEACHER ASSOCIATION,
THE SOUTH EULESS ELEILENTARY CHOIR AND SUZUIiI STRINGS PROGRAM
RESEARCH HISTORIAN
WELDON CANNON
MARKER SPONSOR
CITY OF EULESS
Weldon G. Cannon History Files
EULESS SCHOOL
In this folder donated to the City of Euless, labeled EULESS SCHOOL, are a few key documents and
other materials from files donated to The University of Texas at Arlington for the Weldon G. Cannon
Euless Collection in the Special Collections of the University Library. Following is a brief summary of
materials in 3 folders under this subject that were donated to UTA:
1. MARKER
Folder contents
The application, including the historical narrative; marker inscription; correction of a mistake made in
both narrative and inscription; dedication ceremony program and invitation; list of people invited;
correspondence; historical statement by author of narrative.
2. BACKGROUND
Folder contents
Earlier histories of education in Euless; early drafts of narratives for historical markers; newspaper
articles; interviews; programs of various events at Euless School; correspondence; high school
graduates; photo negatives of tearing down standing remains of 1913, 1935, 1947 buildings.
3. DOCUMENTS
Folder contents
Public records, especially deed and commissioners court; state department of education school records;
bond issue papers; poll lists; maps.
[Also see another folder, 191h CENTURY EDUCATION IN EULESS]
Text of Historical Marker
EULESS SCHOOL
IN 1913, PATRONS OF THREE AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS--EULESS AND
TARRANT IN THE EULESS DISTRICT AND EVART, (CROSSROADS) IN THE EVART
DISTRICT -SUCCESSFULLY PETITIONED THE EULESS COMMON SCHOOL DIS-
TRICT. VOTERS ELECTED JOHN D. HUFFMAN, THOMAS P. HUFFMAN AND DR.
LUTHER F. RHODES TRUSTEES AND APPROVED A $7,000 BOND ISSUE FOR A TWO-
STORY BRICK SCHOOLHOUSE, WHICH OPENED FOR THE 1914-1915 SCHOOL
YEAR.
THE SCHOOL BUILDING ALSO BECAME A COMMUNITY CENTER, HOSTING
MANY ACTIVITIES PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR RURAL FAMILIES, SUCH AS FARM
AND HOME DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS, FARMERS' MEETINGS, AND CLUB
WORK FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. SEVERAL SOCIAL, CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND PA-
TRIOTIC EVENTS WERE ALSO HELD THERE. IN 1925 EULESS VOTERS UNANI-
MOUSLY INCORPORATED AS AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
ELECTED A SEVEN MEMBER BOARD OF TRUSTEES. JOSEPH T. HOUSE BECAME
THE FIRST SUPERINTENDENT AND ALSO TAUGHT ALONG WITH FOUR CLASS-
ROOM TEACHERS. IN 1932, HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA; SPEECH AND LITERACY
CLUBS ORGANIZED, AND ELECTRICITY ON THE CAMPUS MADE POSSIBLE
PROPER LIGHTING AND A DEPENDABLE WATER SUPPLY FROM A NEW WELL.
CITIZENS OF ADJOINING DISTRICTS
MET SEVERAL TIMES IN THE 1940s TO DIS-
CUSS THE POSSIBILITY OF MERGING AND
BUILDING A CENTRAL FACILITY WITH A
BROADER HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM. THE
OPENING OF THE NEARBY BELL HELICOP-
TER MANUFACTURING PLANT AND FORT
WORTH MUNICIPAL AIRPORT BROUGHT
POPULATION GROWTH, AND IN JANUARY
1955 RESIDENTS VOTED TO MERGE THE
EULESS AND HURST DISTRICTS. BEDFORD
VOTERS INITIALLY REJECTED CONSOLIDA-
TION BUT JOINED IN 1958, CREATING THE
PRESENT HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD INDE-
PENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE 1914
EULESS SCHOOL,_WHICH SERVED UNTIL 1955
CONSOLIDATION, WAS RAZED IN 1970.
SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NOW
OCCUPIES THE SITE.
Euless School /Historical Marker Application /Page I of 13
EULESS SCHOOL 1913-1955
CONTEXT
In 1913 patrons of three schools in two Northeast Tarrant County districts created
the Euless Common School District, soon erecting one new building to provide better
learning opportunities for their children. The new school fit developing early 20`h century
models at national and state levels. Across the nation education goals and guidelines were
being established, while in Texas small rural districts were consolidating rapidly.
Reforms were debated and finally adopted, all benefiting the new district. After 42 years
of service, in 1955 the Euless Independent School District consolidated with a
neighboring district. In the intervening years the small, rural, relatively poor district
provided a basic, adequate education for its students with the resources available.'
0VERVIE W
In the last half of the 191h century at least 10 small schools were established in
various parts of the 21 square miles that eventually constituted the new district. By 1913
there were only two common school districts. In the Euless district, earlier named
Woodlawn, were small elementary schools in the village of Euless and the nearby
railroad town of Tarrant. The adjoining Evatt district, previously named Glassco, had a
small elementary school, nicknamed "Crossroads," that served a few scattered farm
families.'
On June 27, 1913, Tarrant County Commissioners' Court, responding to a petition
from Euless and Evatt trustees, officially merged the districts. Voters in the new district
soon elected three trustees, each representing one of the schools —John D. Huffman of
Euless, Dr, Luther F. Rhodes of Tarrant, and Thomas P. Huffman of Evattand on July
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 2 of 13
22 approved a $7,000 bond issue to finance a new building. The cornerstone of the two-
story, dark red brick building was laid on December 18, 1913. Contractors were Charles
F. Nelson and Frank Thomas, well-known builders from Arlington, Texas, who
completed the structure by the beginning of the school term in 1914. Erected on a four -
acre tract out of the Joseph E. Whitener farm one-half mile south of the existing Euless
school and one and one-half miles from Tarrant and Evatt schools, it was described as
"magnificent" and "splendid" by first-time visitors. It was, indeed, an ambitious building
project for the few farm families living in that part of northeastern Tarrant County. The
only "white" school in the district until the 1955 consolidation, it was demolished in 1970
after extensive remodeling and many additions. On the site, now location of South Euless
Elementary School, a school has operated continuously longer than at any other in the
Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District.3
The new building had four classrooms and a utility room downstairs plus two
classrooms and a large auditorium upstairs. However magnificent, it lacked most modern
conveniences. Kerosene lamps furnished light at night and coal-fired stoves provided
heat. Water was piped from a nearby farm, and outdoor toilets stood on the back side of
the property.4
In addition to use as a school, the building immediately became a community
center, hosting a wide variety of events. Many activities were particularly useful for rural
families —farm and home demonstration programs, farmers' meetings, and club work for
boys and girls. It was also the site of ice cream and box supper socials, plays and
musicals, lectures and picture shows, voting, political rallies, preaching, and singings.
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 3 of 13
The pace accelerated during World War I with the school becoming the focal point of
many patriotic activities.s
The school also benefited from several developments in education. Texas
mandated compulsory school attendance in 1915 and free text books in 1918. After 1920
districts had a freer hand in levying taxes'
In 1925 the district crossed another important threshold when voters unanimously
incorporated the Euless Independent School District. They also elected a seven member
board of trustees which had much greater authority than the common district board in
such matters as policies, taxation, and personnel. Joseph T. House (1901-1975) became
the first superintendent and also taught along with four classroom teachers. He served as
superintendent until 1931 and again from 1934 to 1939.'
A high school probably was established about the same time. Brief newspaper
references to a high school appeared in June and August, 1915, before the beginning of
the second year in the new school. No other references have been found, however, until
January, 1927, followed regularly by numerous references. A high school probably meant
no more that the addition of one or two grades to the eight -grade elementary school. By
1932 it was a two -grade high school and by 1934 another grade had been added but still
was not accredited as late as 1938. Nevertheless, students who chose could stay in the
community and get a bit more schooling. Others continued their education at accredited
high schools in nearby Arlington, Grapevine, Birdville, Irving, or even Fort Worth or
Dallas. Even after accreditation some students still attended other schools to receive a
more comprehensive education!
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 4 of 13
Although Euless High School never fielded a football team, it excelled in
basketball and competed well in softball, volleyball and track. Even though the school
had no gymnasium until 1948 and teams practiced outdoors on hard, red clay courts and
fields, both boys and girls often won competitions with larger nearby schools and
sometimes competed successfully in tournaments in Fort Worth and elsewhere.9
Extensive remodeling and building programs in the 1930s changed the appearance
of the campus. By the late 1920s the 1913/1914 building became unstable and the second
floor had to be removed. A new free standing wood frame auditorium, seating 300, was
built and opened in March, 1930, replacing the upstairs auditorium. Another small wood
frame building was constructed nearby to house the lower grades but later housed a wood
shop and science lab. In 1932 the district built a house on the campus for the
superintendent and his family. Even in the midst of the Great Depression, in 1935 voters
approved a bond issue for $8,000 to construct a white brick high school building that had
three classrooms, a study hall/library, and a superintendent's office. The community
proudly opened the new building officially on January 24, 193 6. 10
In addition to building programs, a flurry of other activities about the same time
improved the school setting and enhanced education opportunities. In 1927 the dirt road
in front of the school was graveled frgm the Euless business district, one-half mile north,
to the school. Electric power lines were extended to the school in 1932 making possible
not only proper lighting but a dependable water supply from a new well on campus. The
same year music and speech were offered for the first time and high school drama, speech
and literary clubs were organized. New physical education equipment was also added."
Euless School /Historical Marker Application / Page 5 of 13
The school continued to serve as a community center. The auditorium was the site
of plays, singings, traveling movie presentations, political rallies, and other events. The
school sponsored activities for student athletic teams, group trips to the state fair in
Dallas or the stock show and rodeo in Fort Worth, a junior -senior banquet, class.plays,
trips, dinners and parties, and a May Pole fete. Dances were forbidden.12
In the late 1930s and early 1940s several developments affected school life. At the
beginning of the 1941 school year another grade was added to the school, fulfilling a
mandate that all high schools be four years. The high school probably was fully
accredited at that time. All grades in the school were double -promoted so there would be
a twelfth grade graduating class. What had been the 1 Oth grade the year before became the
121h, and so forth all the way through the system. In 1943 another room was added to the
elementary school building and a cafeteria was established, making hot lunches available
for the first time. Better roads and highways connected Euless with nearby towns and
cities, affording a broader range of work, shopping and entertainment opportunities. New
families moved to Euless and their children added diversity to the school.13
World War II profoundly affected the community and school life. Most young
men entered the armed services, some even cutting short their schooling. In fact, the 1945
and 1946 graduating classes were all female. Some of their parents worked in war related
industries in Fort Worth and Dallas. War bond and stamp drives were conducted and the
school hosted numerous patriotic programs and rallies. Students dismissed from school
scoured pastures and roadways collecting scrap metal for recycling. Construction of a
pilot training air field at Euless brought an additional influx of workers and families.14
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 6 of 13
More changes were in store at the end of the war when a new superintendent,
Oscar B. Powell (1889-1959), arrived in 1945, and the district launched the most
extensive building program since 1913-14. Powell had a reputation as a builder, having
supervised construction projects as superintendent at Jacksboro and Forney. In 1947 the
Euless elementary and high school buildings were linked as the gap between them was
filled with two additional classrooms, new superintendent's office, and for the first time,
indoor rest rooms and drinking fountains, and modern science labs. The elementary
school was remodeled so its appearance harmonized with the high school and the
additions. A free standing gymnasium, finished in January, 1948, provided an indoor
place for basketball games and other athletic competitions, plus physical education
classes and a variety of school and community activities.t5
Other changes enhanced the quality of education. Some elective courses were
added, and in the 1947-48 school year a monthly newspaper, The Cardinal Calls, and a
yearbook, The Cardinal, were published for the first time. The school mascot was the
cardinal and the colors were red and white.16
Teachers had to be versatile. During the 1947-48 school year there were six full-
time teachers, besides the superintendent who also taught classes, and two part-time
teachers for special classes such as music. Grades one through eight were in self-
contained classrooms, two grades with one teacher for each room. High school teachers
taught several subjects, some for which they had little preparation. They also supervised a
myriad of activities, serving as homeroom sponsors, directing plays, interscholastic
league events and publications, coaching athletics, supervising class trips, and being
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 7 of 13
counselors. Sometimes they attended graduate school or even had outside employment,
such as serving as minister of a local church."
About the same time the high school, perhaps even the school district, was
threatened with extinction. Proposed state school reform legislation in 1947 would have
forced consolidation or closure of most small schools. Euless and other districts
vigorously protested the proposals, which were modified in the 1948 Gilmer -Aiken laws,
preserving many of the schools and even increasing state funding. Euless also benefited
by the addition of high school students from the adjoining Sowers School District in
Dallas County in 1950. Residents of the districts discussed consolidating and building a
new high school, but Sowers eventually merged with the Irving district.18
In 1950 Euless attracted attention from across the state and even beyond when
African -American students from the Mosier Valley community attempted to enroll in the
all -white school. The Euless district closed the Mosier Valley Elementary School in 1949
and transferred black students to Fort Worth. A federal judge ruled in June 1950 that
Euless must provide a school in the district for black students, but district voters in
August rejected a bond issue to build a new school for them. On September 4 black
students attempted to enroll in the white school. In a tense situation, they were turned
away because the Texas Constitution mandated separate schools for the races. In 1953 the
Euless district built a new school for African -American students in Mosier Valley. Racial
segregation did not end locally until after the Euless district had consolidated with the
Hurst and Bedford districts.19
Mr. Powell retired in 1951, and Johnnie O. Edwards, high school teacher and
coach, became superintendent. The number of students grew a bit, and in 1954 a free
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 8 of 13
standing cafeteria was built between the main building and the gymnasium. Still, the
district struggled with old problems —an insufficient number of students to secure enough
state funding and an inadequate tax base to provide enough local funding. Hence, it was
not possible to offer a curriculum broad enough to meet the needs of high school
students. Patrons of the Euless Independent School District and the Bedford and Hurst
common school districts had met several times in the 1940s to discuss possibilities of
merging and building one high school to serve the entire area. Nothing came of the
discussions at the time, however.20
Nevertheless, the area grew rapidly. Euless incorporated as a municipality in
1950, assuring a dependable public water supply. In 1953 Bell Helicopter manufacturing
plant near Hurst and the Fort Worth municipal airport near Euless opened. Transportation
arteries through the area were significantly upgraded. Hurst quickly outpaced other
communities in growth, and on December 9, 1954, voters incorporated the Hurst
Independent School District. On December 22, 45 Euless petitioners and 36 Hurst
petitioners asked the Tarrant County Commissioners' Court to call an election to merge
the districts. Both approved the proposal on January 22, 1955—Euless 151 to 21 and
Hurst 238 to 168. Hence, the Euless School District came to an end. On February 26
Bedford voters rejected a proposal to merge their district with the new Hurst -Euless
Independent School District but in 1958 joined, creating the present Hurst -Euless -
Bedford Independent School District.21
SIGNIFICANCE
The Euless School District, established in 1913 with the consolidation of two
districts and three schools to better meet the educational needs of their children, erected a
Euless School /Historical Marker Application / Page 9 of 13
fine building to help achieve this goal. After numerous remodelings and expansions, parts
of the building were still standing in 1955 when the Euless district consolidated with the
Hurst district for the same reason it had been created. In the intervening 42 years the
Euless School ably achieved its basic purpose of educating the community's children,
while also serving as a community center and a focal point of local spirit and pride.
DOCUMENTATION
I Frederick Eby, The Development of Modern Education In Theory, Organization and
Practice (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice -Hall, Inc., 1952), pp. 648-650, 655-659; Jim
B. Pearson and Edgar Fuller, Education in the States: Historical Development and
Outlook —Texas (Washington, D.C.: National Education Association of the United
States, 1969), pp. 1,203-1,205; Frederick Eby, The Development of Education in Texas
(New York: The MacMillan Company, 1925), pp. 220-231, 236-237; George N. Green,
Hurst, Euless, and Bedford: Heart of the Metroplex, (Austin: Eakin Press, 1995), pp. 25,
69; Weldon Cannon and Sarita Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education: Euless School
and South Euless Elementary School (Euless: South Euless Elementary Parent -Teachers
Association, 1993), pp. 1, 5.
2 The Evatt district also maintained a school for "colored children" in the African -
American community of Mosier Valley. The Texas Constitution and laws mandated that
"separate schools shall be provided for the white and colored children, and impartial
provision shall be made for both." This was the so-called "separate but equal" policy
approved by the United States Supreme Court until 1954. In 1913 the Mosier Valley
School became part of the new Euless district. The three schools that merged into one in
1913, the subject of this marker application, were defined as "white." Glenn M. Holden,
"A Partial History of Education in Tarrant County," M.A. Thesis, Texas Christian
University, Fort Worth, Texas, 1931, pp. 34-36; Minutes, Tarrant County
Commissioners' Court, MSS, vol. 23, pp. 258-260, vol. 27, pp. 293-300, Tarrant County
Court House, Fort Worth, Texas; Constitution of the State of Texas, Article VII, Sec. 7,
Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide 1954-1955 (Dallas: A. H. Belo Corporation,
1953), p. 491; Ron Tyler, Editor in Chief, The New Handbook of Texas (Austin: The
Texas State Historical Association, 1996), vol. 2, pp. 791; Video tape interview with
Willie Huffman Byers by Diana Crawford, January 5, 1993, Euless, Texas, in possession
of the City of Euless Parks and Community Services Department, Euless, Texas; Official
Texas Historical Marker Applications: "Elisha Adam Euless," "Bear Creek School,"
"Site of Glassco School," "First United Methodist Church of Euless," "Site of Mosier
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 10 of 13
Valley School," Library, Texas Historical Commission, Austin, Texas. The "Site of
Glassco School" was recognized with an Official Texas Historical Marker in 1982 and
the "Site of Mosier Valley School" was marked in 1983.
3 Tarrant County Deeds, MSS, vol. 475, pp. 125-129, Tarrant County Court House, Fort
Worth, Texas; Cornerstone, "Euless -Tarrant School Dist. 95, Erected 1913," at South
Euless Elementary School, Euless, Texas; "Poll List of a Special Election Held at Euless
in Precinct No. 36 in Tarrant County, Texas, July 22, 1913", photocopy in possession of
Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education,
PP. 1-2; The Arlington Journal, December 12, 1913, p. 1, December 26, 1913, p. 6, April
30, 1915, p. 1, June 4, 1915, p. 4; "A Tradition of Excellence," [19821, Office of
Communications, Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District, Bedford, Texas;
Willie Huffman Byers Interview, January 5, 1993.
4 The Arlington Journal, April 30, 1915, p. 1, October 18, 1918, p. 4; Cannon and Ellis,
Celebrating 80 Years of Education, pp. 2, 4; Willie Huffman Byers Interview, January 5,
1993, Euless; Video tape interviews with former students and teachers of Euless School
by Diana Crawford, January 5, 1993, Euless, Texas, in possession of City of Euless Parks
and Community Services Department, Euless, Texas.
The Arlington Journal, February 12, 1915, p. 5, April 30, 1915, p. 1, June 4, 1915, p. 4,
August 13, 1915, p. 5, September 10, 1915, p. 4, October 22, 1915, p. 5, April 6, 1917, p.
5, June 22, 1917, p. 1, May 10, 1918, p. 8, September 20, 1918, p. 6, September 27, 1918,
p. 3, October 4, 1918, p. 6. October 11, 1918, p. 6, October 18, 1918, p. 4, November 22,
1918, p. 2; Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education, p. 2; Willie Huffman
Byers Interview, January 5, 1993; Interview with Willie Huffman Byers by Weldon
Cannon, August 27, 1993, Euless, Texas, transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon,
Temple, Texas.
6 Eby, The Development of Education in Texas, pp. 230-233; James Smallwood, "The
Greatest Challenge: Education in Texas," in Donald W. Wisenhunt, ed., Texas: A
Sesquicentennial Celebration, (Austin: Eakin Press, 1985), pp. 393-394; Tyler, The New
Handbook of Texas, vol. 2, p. 790.]
7 Minutes, Tarrant County Commissioners' Court, vol. 27, pp. 293-300; "Public School
Directory, 1925-1926," Bulletin No. 200, State Department of Education, Austin, Texas,
January, 1926, p. 16; Eby, The Development of Education in Texas, pp. 206-210; Former
Euless School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993.
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 11 of 13
8 Green, Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, p. 44; The Arlington Journal, June 4, 1915, p. 4,
August 13, 1915, p. 5, February 4, 1927, p. 8, April 22, 1927, p. 2, April 29, 1927, p. 2,
June 10, 1927, p. 3, December 16, 1927, p. 1, May 30, 1930, p. 2, May 1, 1931, p. 2,
March 11, 1932, p. 6, February 17, 1933, p. 4, April 28, 1933, p. 5, May 22, 1936, p. 8;
"Texas Public Schools, Standards and Activities of the Division of Supervision, 1934-
35," Bulletin No. 347, State Department of Education, Austin, Texas, July, 1935,
pp. 123-127, 140; Interview with Margie Neeley Massey by David Massey and Betty
Heideman Fuller, January 27, 2006, Euless, Texas, transcript at Euless Public Library,
Euless, Texas; Interview with Margie Neeley Massey by Weldon Cannon, May 14, 2003,
Euless, Texas, transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Former Euless
School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993; Interview with Louise Cannon
Griffith by Weldon Cannon, January 7, 1993, Dallas, Texas, transcript in possession of
Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Interview with Jimmy Payton by Weldon Cannon,
November 24, 2008, Euless, Texas, transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple,
Texas; Interview with Evelyn Whitener Himes by Weldon Cannon, February 11, 1993,
Euless, Texas, transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Former Euless
School students and teachers interview, January 5, 1993.
9 Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education, p. 2; The Arlington Journal,
January 28, 1927, p. 8, February 4, 1927, p. 8, February 25, 1927, p. 2, December 16,
1927, p. 1, September 14, 1928, p. 2, November 32, 1928, p. 6, March 8, 1929, p. 6, June
7, 1929, p. 4, April 4, 1930, p. 7, January 31, 1936, pp. 3, 4, March 4, 1938, p. 7, April 1,
1938, p. 5; Green, Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, p. 49; Interviews with Former Euless
School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993; Willie Huffman Byers
interview, January 5, 1993.
i0 The Arlington Journal, September 27, 1929, p. 3, October 11, 1929, p. 3, February 28,
1930, p. 7, April 4, 1930, p. 7, January 31, 1936, pp. 3, 4; Fort Worth Star -Telegram,
Morning Edition, October 18, 1932, p. 3; "Euless Independent School District School
House Bond, Series of 1935," in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Green,
Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, p. 44; Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education,
p. 3; Former Euless School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993.
11 Tarrant County Deeds, vol. 1178, pp. 275-276; The Arlington Journal, August 26,
1927, p. 2, February 28, 1930, p. 7, October 5, 1934, p. 2; Fort Worth Star -Telegram,
Morning Edition, September 18, 1932, p. 3.]
12 Former Euless School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993; Willie
Huffman Byers interview, January 5, 1993; Green, Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, p. 49; The
Arlington Journal, December 6, 1929, p. 6, February 14, 1930, p. 3, February 28, 1930,
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 12 of 13
p. 7, August 29, 1930, p. 8, March 20, 1931, p. 7, October 2, 1931, p. 14, October 9,
1931, p. 3, February 5, 1932, p. 5, May 19, 1933, p. 7, October 26, 1934, p. 2, March 27,
1936, p. 10, May 15, 1936, p. 8, March 18, 1938, p. 3, May 27, 1938, p. 2, June 3, 1938,
p. 4, May 9, 1947, p. 7, October 31, 1947, sec. 2. p. 3 .
13 Green, Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, pp. 44, 50-51, 63; Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating
80 Years of Education, p. 4; "Thirty -Second Biennial Report, State Department of
Education, 1940-1941, 1941-1942," Bulletin No. 425, State Department of Education,
Austin, Texas, p. 40; Former Euless School students and teachers interviews, January 5,
1993; Temple Daily Telegram, April 27, 1941, p. 12; The Belton Journal, June 19, 1941,
Magazine Section, p. 4; Interview with Bill Byers by Weldon Cannon, April 13, 1998,
Euless, Texas, transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Interview
with Betty Heideman Fuller by Weldon Cannon, November 15, 2008, Euless, Texas,
transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas.
14 Stanley Howard Scott, "The Battle of Midway Airport: The Dallas -Fort Worth
Regional Airport Controversy," M.A. Thesis, Texas Christian University, 1967, p. 24;
"Graduates of Euless High School, 1932-1947," compiled by Betty Heideman Fuller,
Euless, Texas, photocopy in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; The
Arlington Journal, October 31, 1947, p. 1; Louise Cannon Griffith interview, January 7,
1993; Former Euless School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993; Cannon
and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education, p. 4; Green, Hurst, Euless, and Bedford, p.
44, 50.
15 Interview with Nancy Powell Bowen by Weldon Cannon, September 3, 2008,
Garland, Texas, transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Former
Euless School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993; The Arlington Journal,
May 9, 1947, p. 7, September 5, 1947, p. 10, September 26, 1947, sec. 2, p. 2.; The
Cardinal, 1948 (n.p., n.p., 1948), p. 69; "Public School Directory, 1945-1946," Bulletin
No. 460, State Department of Education, Austin, Texas, January, 1946, p. 31.
16 The Cardinal, 1948, p. 57; The Arlington Journal, October 24, 1947, sec. 2, p. 3.
17 The Cardinal, 1948, pp. 7, 15, 51-57; The Cardinal, 1949 (Kansas City, Mo.: Eaton -
Cunningham Company, 1949), pp. 17, 59; Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of
Education, p. 4; The Arlington Journal, May 9, 1947, p. 7, May 30, 1947, sec. 2, p. 4,
September 19, 1947, sec. 2, p. 5, September 26, 1947, sec. 2, p. 2; Former Euless School
students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993; "First United Methodist Church of
Euless."
Euless School / Historical Marker Application / Page 13 of 13
18 Pearson and Fuller, Education in the States: Historical Development and Outlook —
Texas, pp. 1,210-1,212; Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education, p. 4; The
Cardinal, 1951 (Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1951), pp. 27, 31, 33; Betty
Heideman Fuller interview, November 15, 2008; Tyler, The New Handbook of Texas,
vol. 2, p. 790.
19 The New York Times, September 6, 1950, p. 34; Green, Hurst, Euless, and Bedford,
pp. 66-67, 74; Fort Worth Star-Teleg am, Morning Edition, June 20, 1950, p. 1; The
Dallas Morning News, September 6, 1950, sec. 1, p. 12; "Site of Mosier Valley School;"
Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of Education, p. 5; Former Euless School
students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993.
20 "Public School Directory, 1951-1952," Bulletin # 525, Texas Education Agency.
Austin, Texas, January, 1952, p. 160; Cannon and Ellis, Celebrating 80 Years of
Education, p. 5; Interview with David Massey by Weldon Cannon, November 10, 2008,
Euless, Texas, transcript in possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Interview
with Bill Byers by Weldon Cannon, August 13, 2008, Euless, Texas, transcript in
possession of Weldon Cannon, Temple, Texas; Jimmy Payton interview, November 24,
2008.
21 Schmelzer, Where the West Begins, pp. 92-93; Green, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, pp. 63-
65, 67, 69; Former Euless School students and teachers interviews, January 5, 1993;
Tarrant County School Records, MSS, vol. 2, pp. 50, 53, 63-64, Tarrant County Court
House, Fort Worth, Texas.
SUBJECT MARKERS:
2009 Official Texas Historical Marker
S onsorsI A Iication Form
Valid October 15, 2008 to January 15, 2009 only
This form constitutes a public request for the Texas Historical Commission (THC) to consider approval of
an Official Texas Historical Marker for the topic noted in this application. The THC will review the
request and make its determination based on rules and procedures of the program. Filing of the
application for sponsorship is for the purpose of providing basic information to be used in the evaluation
process. The final determination of eligibility and therefore approval for a state marker will be made by
the THC. This form is to be used for subject marker requests only. Please see separate forms for either
Historic Texas Cemeteries or Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks.
Proposed marker topic (Official title will be determined by the THC): Euless School 1913-1955
County: Tarrant
Town (nearest county town on current state highway map): Euless
Street address of marker site or directions from town noted above: 605 South Main Street, 76040
Marker Coordinates:
If you know the location coordinates of the proposed marker site, enter them in one of the formats below:
UTM Zone Easting Northing
Lat: Long: (deg, min, sec or decimal degrees)
Otherwise, give a precise verbal description here (e.g. northwest corner of 3rd and Elm, or FM 1411, 2.6
miles east of McWhorter Creek): At the front entrance to the South Euless Elementary School, 605
South Main St.
Will the marker be placed at the actual site of the topic being marked? ® Yes ❑ No
If the answer is no, provide the distance and directions to the actual location from the marker (i.e. 100
yards east).
Subject marker definition
Subject markers are educational in nature and reveal aspects of local history important to a community or
region. These markers honor topics such as church congregations, schools, communities, businesses,
events and individuals. Subject markers are placed at sites that have historical associations with the
topics, but no legal restriction is placed on the use of the property or site, although the THC must be
notified if the marker is ever to be relocated.
Criteria
I. Age: Most topics marked with subject markers must date back at least 50 years, although historic
events may be marked after 30 years, and historic individuals may be marked, or may be mentioned
in a historical marker text, after they have been deceased 10 years. The THC may waive age
requirements for topics of overwhelming state or national importance, although exceptions are rarely
granted and the burden of proof for all claims and documentation is the responsibility of the narrative
author.
EULESS-SCHOOL-MARKER
2. Historical significance: A topic is considered to have historical significance if it had influence, effect
or impact on the course of history or cultural development; age alone does not determine significance.
Topics do not necessarily have to be of statewide or national significance; many historical markers
deal with local history and a local level of significance.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Any individual, group or county historical commission (CHC) may apply to the THC to request an
Official Texas Historical Marker for what it deems a worthy topic. Only complete marker applications
that contain all the required elements and are received via email, as required, can be accepted or
processed by the THC. For subject markers, the required elements are: sponsorship application form,
narrative history and documentation. No photograph is required.
• Completed applications must be duly reviewed, verified and approved by the CHC in the county
in which the marker will be placed. Paper copies of applications, whether mailed, emailed or
delivered in person, cannot be accepted in lieu of the electronic version.
• The sponsorship application form, narrative history and documentation must be in the form of
Microsoft Word or Word -compatible documents and submitted via email attachments to the THC
no later than January 15, 2009.
■ Required font style and type size are a Times variant and 12-point.
■ Narrative histories must be typed in a double-spaced (or 1.5-spaced) format and include separate
sections on context, overview, significance and documentation.
■ The narrative history must include documentation in the form of reference notes, which can be
either footnotes or endnotes. Documentation associated with applications should be broad -based
and demonstrate a survey of available resources, both primary and secondary.
■ Upon notification of the successful preliminary review of required elements by the THC, a non-
refundable application fee of $100 is required. The fee shall be submitted to the THC within 10
working days of application receipt notification.
APPROVAL BY COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION
The duly appointed marker representative (chair or marker chair) noted below for the county historical
commission will be the sole contact with the THC for this marker application. To ensure accuracy,
consistency and efficiency, all information from and to the THC relative to the application —and
throughout the review and productions processes —will be via direct communication with the CHC
representative. All other inquiries (calls, emails, letters) to the THC will be referred to the CHC
representative for response. By filling out the information below and filing the application with the THC,
the CHC representative is providing the THC with notice that the application and documentation have
been reviewed and verified by the CHC and that the material meets all current requirements of the
Official Texas Historical Marker program.
As chair or duly appointed marker chair, I certify the following:
[] Representatives of the CHC have met or talked with the potential marker sponsor and discussed the
marker program policies as outlined on the THC web site. CHC members have reviewed the
history and documentation for accuracy and made corrections or notes as necessary. It is the
determination of the CHC that the topic, history and documentation meet criteria for eligibility.
CHC comments or concerns about this application, if any:
Name of CHC contact (chair or marker chair):
Mailing address: City, Zip:
Daytime phone (with area code): Email address (required):
EULESS-SCHOOL-MARKER 2
PERMISSION OF PROPERTY OWNER FOR MARKER PLACEMENT
Will the marker be placed on right-of-way maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT)? ❑ Yes ® No
If the answer is yes, the THC will secure the necessary permission from TxDOT, and no other
information is required. If the answer is no, please provide the following information for the person or
group who owns the property.
Property owner: Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District; Gene Buinger, Ph.D.,
superintendent
Address: 1849 Central Drive City, State, Zip: Bedford, Texas 76022
Phone: 817-283-4461 Email address: buingerg@hebisd.edu
NOTE: The property owner will not receive copies of correspondence from the THC. All
correspondence —notice of receipt, request for additional information, payment notice, inscription,
shipping notice, etc. —will be sent via email to the CHC representative, who is encouraged to share the
information with all interested parties as necessary. Given the large volume of applications processed
annually and the need for centralized communication, all inquiries about applications in process will be
referred to the CHC for response. The CHC is the sole liaison to the THC on all marker application
matters.
SPONSORSHIP PAYMENT INFORMATION
Prospective sponsors please note payment must be received in full within 45 days of the official approval
notice and be accompanied by the THC payment form. The THC is unable to process partial payments or
to delay payment due to processing procedures of the sponsor. Applications not paid in the time frame
required may, at the sole discretion of the THC, be cancelled or postponed.
• Payment does not constitute ownership of a marker; Official Texas Historical Markers are the
property of the State of Texas.
■ If, at any time during the marker process, sponsorship is withdrawn, a refund can be processed,
but the THC will retain the application fee of $100.
■ The Official Texas Historical Marker Program provides no means of recognizing sponsors
through marker text, incising or supplemental plaques.
Marker sponsor (may be individual or organization): City of Euless
Contact person (if applicable): Mayor Mary Lib Saleh, c/o Susan Crim, city secretary
Mailing address: 204 North Ector Drive Euless, Texas 76039
Phone: 817-685-1422 Email address (required): scrimnci.euless.tx.us (Susan Crim, city secretary)
EULESS-SCHOOL-MARKER 3
SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS
If the proposed marker site is on TxDOT right-of-way, the marker will be shipped directly to the district
highway engineer for placement, with consultation from the CHC. If the marker will go on property other
than TxDOT right-of-way, provide full information in the space below. In order to facilitate delivery of
the marker, neither post office box numbers nor rural route numbers can be accepted. To avoid additional
shipping charges or delays, use a business street address (open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday).
Name: South Euless Elementary School, Carma Schellhorn, principal
Street address: 605 South Main Street Euless, Texas 76040
Daytime phone (required): 817-399-3933 Email (required): schellhc@hebisd.edu
TYPE AND SIZE OF SUBJECT MARKER
As part of its review process, the THC will determine the appropriate size of the marker and provide
options, if any, for the approved topic based on its own review criteria, including, but not exclusive of,
historical significance, replication of information in other THC markers, relevance to the Statewide
Preservation Plan and the amount of available documented information provided in the application
narrative. In making its determination, however, the THC will also take into account the preference of the
CHC, as noted below.
The sponsor/CHC prefers the following size marker:
® 27" x 42" subject marker with post ($1,500)
❑ 27" x 42" subject marker without post*($1,500)
❑ 18" x 28" subject marker with post ($1,000)
❑ 18" x 28" subject marker without post* ($1,000)
*For markers without posts, the CHC must receive prior approval from the THC for the planned
placement. Such prior approval is based on the following:
■ Submittal of a detailed plan for where the marker will be mounted, including the surface to which
it will be placed (masonry, metal, wood); and
■ A statement of why a marker with a post is not feasible or preferred.
SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION (via email required)
When the CHC has determined the application is complete, the history has been verified and the topic
meets the requirements of the Official Texas Historical Marker Program, the materials should be
forwarded to the THC via email at the following address: markerapplicationicuthc.state.txius.
■ The CHC or marker chair should send an email containing the following attachments (see attachment
function under file menu or toolbox on your computer):
• This application form
• The subject history (including documentation)
RECORDS RETENTION BY CHC:
The CHC must retain hard copies of the application, as well as an online version, at least for the duration
of the marker process. The THC is not responsible for lost applications, incomplete applications or
applications not properly filed according to the program requirements. For additional information about
any aspect of the Official Texas Historical Marker Program, visit the Markers page on the THC web site
(Ilttp_i', www.tlic.state.tx.uslmarkerdesigs/madmark.html).
EULESS-SCHOOL-MARKER 4
CORRECTION
EULESS SCHOOL HISTORICAL MARKER
In writing the historical narrative for the 2008 application for a Texas Historical Marker
for the Euless School, I made a mistake. The mistake was repeated in the inscription on the
marker erected at the site of the school and dedicated in 2010.
One of the three trustees elected in 1913 for the newly formed Euless School District is
inscribed on the cornerstone and listed in most public records as J. D. Huffman. In attempting to
fully identify the trustees, I concluded that the name was John D. Huffman, which I wrote into
the narrative and is in the inscription on the marker. In fact, the trustee was Joseph D. Huffman
(1866-1954), a son of John W. Huffman (1823-1907) who was also father of another of the
three trustees, Thomas P. Huffman (1869-1928). John W. Huffman, with his wife and
children, migrated from Coffee County, TN, to Euless, TX, before 1880, along with several other
families. He became a highly respected citizen of his new community, owner of considerable
acreage, and a leader in the Euless Methodist Church. In 1896 he donated land for a new church
building. The congregation still worships at the site. Joseph D. Huffman moved from Euless to
Arlington soon after serving his term as school trustee. John W. Huffman and Thomas P.
Huffman lived the remainder of their lives in Euless. All three are buried in Calloway Cemetery,
Euless.
Weldon G. Cannon
January, 2019
EULESS SCHOOL
Another note about
BEGINNING DATE OF EULESS HIGH SCHOOL
According to Evelyn Whitener (Mrs.Andrew) Himes in an interview I had with her February 11,
1993, the graduating class of Euless High School for the first time in 1934 received state issued
diplomas. She was in that class. I should have incorporated this in the narratives I wrote.
Weldon G. Cannon
January, 2019
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 35
Historical statement
by
Weldon G. Cannon
at the
Dedication of the Texas Historical Marker
forthe
Euless School
Euless, Texas
October 24, N010
EULESS SCHOOL MARKER DEDICATION
October 24, 2010
In 1913, three schools in two small school districts consolidated for one basic reason —to
provide a better education for their children. In 1955, the district that had been created in 1913
consolidated with another district for one basic reason —to provide a better education for their
children. Between those dates-1913 and 1955—the Euless School educated its young people as best it
could. In 1913, the two common school districts were, first, Euless which had two schools, one in the
village of Euless, % mile north of here, and the new railroad town of Tarrant, 1 miles south. The other
district was Evatt, where the school, commonly called Crossroads, stood at the southwest corner of
present Airport Freeway and Industrial Blvd. There was another school in the Evatt district in the
African -American community of Mosier Valley. But those were the days of rigid racial segregation. The
Texas Constitution and laws mandated, with the blessings of the United States Supreme Court, that
schools be racially segregated. The site of the Mosier Valley School was awarded an Official Texas
Historical Marker in 1980.
The result of the merger was a new entity, officially named the "Euless School District." Trustees
elected were John D. Huffman of Euless, Dr. Luther F. Rhodes of Tarrant, and Thomas P. Huffman of
Evatt. Joseph E. Whitener and his family donated four acres of his farm, where we stand now, as a site
for a new school. Voters approved a bond issue for $7,000, and the cornerstone for a new building was
laid in December 1913. It was finished in time for opening of the new school year in September 1914.
For a few years, it was commonly called the "Euless -Tarrant School," as reflected in the wording on the
cornerstone. It was by far the most ambitious building project ever undertaken in the Euless, Bedford,
Hurst area up until that time. It even predated the Old Bedford School that still stands.
The new Euless school had seven classrooms and a large auditorium. Without electricity,
nighttime Fighting was furnished by kerosene lamps; water came from the Euless Nurseries of Arch
Cannon across the unpaved dirt road by an underground pipe; coal -burning stoves furnished heat;
outdoor toilets were located on the back side of the grounds. By 1915, with the addition of another
grade or two to the traditional eight -grade elementary school, Euless High School was recognized. In
addition to traditional school activities, it immediately became a community center. It was the site of
area gatherings and a voting place. All manner of activities, such as plays, shows, singings, revival
meetings, and during war -time patriotic events, were held in the auditorium.
In 1925, voters incorporated the Euless Independent School District, establishing much more
local autonomy. In 1927 the dirt road to the Euless business center, 1/2 mile north, was graveled. In
1932, electricity was brought from the business district to the school, enabling better lighting and
drilling of a water well on the school properties. A new free-standing auditorium and more classrooms
were built in 1930 and the second story removed. A separate high school building was erected in 1935,
while In 1941 a twelfth grade was added to the school and it became fully accredited. In 1943, natural
gas furnished heat and a hot -meal cafeteria was established. More classrooms were added in 1947, a
gymnasium constructed, and indoor toilets finally incorporated into the buildings for the first time.
Euless High School never had a football team —the Trinity Trojans are more than making up for that
deficiency —but basketball and softball teams competed favorably against larger schools in area leagues
and tournaments. The education experience was enhanced in many ways —with speech, drama, music
activities A Yearbook and newspaper were published. The school colors were red and white, the mascot
a cardinal.
Although Euless grew some in the 1940s and 1950s, it never had enough students or sufficient
tax base to support a high school capable of providing an education for a rapidly changing world. In the
1940s, patrons of Euless, Bedford, and Hurst school districts met occasionally to talk about the
possibility of creating one school district with a good high school, but nothing came of it —until 1955.
That year, the Euless and Hurst Independent school districts consolidated, joined in 1958 by Bedford,
thus creating the Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District.
In 1913, the Euless School district was created through consolidation to provide a better
education for its children. In 1955, it came to an end though consolidation for the same reason.
Between 1914 and 1955, on this site, the Euless School provided the best education that it could for its
children. And I assure you that on this same site, the South Euless Elementary School still does exactly
the same, only much better. In fact, for the last two years this school has achieved an Exemplary rating
according to the Texas Education Agency, the highest rating for a school. From my place across the
street I witness many school activities. I have been into the classrooms in session, into the cafeteria at
lunch time, in the principal's office. I confidently tell you that this is a great school, that the good work
that began on this site nearly a century ago, continues today. We can be proud!
Following is a slightly different version of my Historical Statement.
I don't remember which I used--WGC
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 36
EULESS SCHOOL MARKER DEDICATION
October 24, 2010
In 1913, three schools in two small school districts consolidated for one basic reason —to
provide a better education for their children. In 1955, the district that had been created in 1913
consolidated with another district for one basic reason —to provide a better education for their
children. Between those dates-1913 and 1955—the Euless School educated its young people as best it
could. In 1913, the two common school districts were, first, Euless which had two schools, one in the
village of Euless, % mile north of here, and the new railroad town of Tarrant, 1 miles south. The other
district was Evatt, where the school, commonly called Crossroads, stood at the southwest corner of
present Airport Freeway and Industrial Blvd. There was another school in the Evatt district in the
African -American community of Mosier Valley. But those were the days of rigid racial segregation. The
Texas Constitution and laws mandated, with the blessings of the United States Supreme Court, that
schools be racially segregated. The site of the Mosier Valley School was awarded an Official Texas
Historical Marker in 1980.
The result of the merger was a new entity, officially named the "Euless School District." Trustees
elected were John D. Huffman of Euless, Dr. Luther F. Rhodes of Tarrant, and Thomas P. Huffman of
Evatt. Joseph E. Whitener and his family donated four acres of his farm, where we stand now, as a site
for a new school. Voters approved a bond issue for $7,000, and the cornerstone for a new building was
laid in December 1913. It was finished in time for opening of the new school year in September 1914.
For a few years, it was commonly called the "Euless -Tarrant School," as reflected in the wording on the
cornerstone. It was by far the most ambitious building project ever undertaken in the Euless, Bedford,
Hurst area up until that time. It even predated the Old Bedford School that still stands.
The new Euless school had seven classrooms and a large auditorium. Without electricity,
nighttime lighting was furnished by kerosene lamps; water came from the Euless Nurseries of Arch
Cannon across the unpaved dirt road by an underground pipe; coal -burning stoves furnished heat;
outdoor toilets were located on the back side of the grounds. By 1915, with the addition of another
grade or two to the traditional eight -grade elementary school, Euless High School was recognized. In
addition to traditional school activities, it immediately became a community center. it was the site of
area gatherings and a voting place. All manner of activities, such as plays, shows, singings, revival
meetings, and during war -time patriotic events, were held in the auditorium.
In 1925, voters incorporated the Euless Independent School District, establishing much more
local autonomy. Between 1930 and 1947 many building projects and other initiatives enhanced learning
opportunities. In 19'& the dirt road to the Euless business center, one/half mile north, was graveled. In
1932, electricity was brought from the business district to the school, enabling better lighting and
drilling of a water well on the school properties. In 1941, a twelfth grade was added to the school and it
became fully accredited. A new free-standing auditorium, more classrooms were built in 1930. In 1935,
a high school building was erected. and a gymnasium were built. In 1943, natural gas furnished heat and
a hot -meal cafeteria was established. In 1947, more classrooms were added, a gymnasium constructed,
and indoor toilets were finally incorporated into the buildings for the first time. Euless High School
never had a football team —the Trinity Trojans are more than making up for that deficiency —but
basketball and softball teams competed favorably against larger schools in area leagues and
tournaments.
Although Euless grew some in the 1940s and 1950s, it never had enough students or sufficient
tax base to support a high school that could provide an education for a rapidly changing world. In the
1940s, patrons of Euless, Bedford, and Hurst school districts met occasionally to talk about the
possibility of creating one school district with a good high school, but nothing came of it —until 1955.
That year, the Euless and Hurst Independent school districts consolidated, joined in 1958 by Bedford,
thus creating the Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District.
In 1913, the Euless School district was created through consolidation to provide a better
education for its children. In 1955, it came to an end though consolidation for one primary reason, to
provide a better education for its children. Between 1914 and 1955, on this site, the Euless School
provided the best education that it could for its children. We can be pleased that on this same site, the
South Euless Elementary School still does exactly the same. I have been into the cl;assrooms and
witnessed numerous activities here. I can assure you that the good work that began on this site in 1914
continues today.
We who attended the Euless School are profoundly grateful —
to the City of Euless for sponsoring the marker (that means the City paid for it), especially Mayor Saleh
and the other City Council Members, numerous city staff for working diligently to make this day
possible, and the City Historical Preservation Committee for its encouragement and support;
to the Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District, especially Superintendent Dr. Buinger, for
allowing us to place the marker on school property;
to the Tarrant County Historical Commission for approving the marker application;
to the South Elementary School, Principal Belcher, faculty, staff, students, PTA, for being such gracious
hosts and making us feel so welcome. Thank you.
EULESS SCHOOL HISTORY
Beginnings to 1950
This is a narrative history of the Euless School from its 19'' beginnings until the opening
of the school term in September 1950. It includes an unsuccessful attempt by black students to
enroll at the white school at the beginning of the 1950-1951 school year. It does not include
1950-1955 years of Euless School and has nothing about South Euless Elementary School,
which, after 1955, occupied the site of the Euless School, 1913-1955. Much, if not all, of this
narrative has been incorporated into 2 Texas Historical Marker applications. One is for "19tn
Century Euless Schools," which was approved by the Texas Historical Commission, but was not
funded. The other is "Euless School 1913-1955," which was approved and funded and received a
marker that is at the South Euless Elementary School. There might be some information in this
narrative that is not in either of the applications that were approved. I wrote this well before the
application for "Nineteenth -Century Education in Euless" in 2015 and probably before the
application for "Euless School 1913-1955" in 2008.1 probably wrote it with the intention of
applying for a marker for the general subject "Education in Euless." I decided the subject was
too broad and broke it into 2 parts.
Weldon G. Cannon
January 2019
EULESS SCHOOL
Weldon Cannon
702 West Nugent Avenue
Temple, Texas 76501
EULESS SCHOOL
and
SOUTH EULESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
(817) 778-6068
When the new red -brick Euless School building opened its doors to school children in
1913, people called it magnificent and credited the combined efforts of three neighboring
communities to make it possible.
The Euless School was the result of cooperation from three east Tarrant County farming
settlements, whose residents realized that they would have to work together to educate their
children. Three existing schools from the settlements of Euless, Evatt and Tarrant were
consolidated to create the new institution and to build the new school.
The imposing two-story structure, wide enough to fit two rooms and a hall, caught the
eye of many passersby. The downstairs had four classrooms and a storage room; upstairs were
two more classrooms and an auditorium. The architecture was simple, with no flourishes or frills.
The bricks were deep red with gray -black speckles, which blended into a dark cast overall. White
concrete slabs topped the window frames. Children, entering under a small portico held up by
two matching brick columns, passed through the double doors. The portico was trimmed with a
wrought iron railing. The new Euless School was an imposing structure on the landscape
compared to the nearby simple wood -frame farmhouses. The Arlington Journal in 1915
described it as "Euless' splendid two-story school house."
The original Euless School traces its origins to around 1881, when Elisha Adam Euless
erected a community building. Euless, after whom the town is named, migrated from Bedford
County, Tennessee, in 1867 and purchased 250 acres of land in eastern Tarrant County to farm
cotton. He erected a cotton gin on the north side of the present Huffman Drive. On the west side
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 17
of the present North Main Street, he constructed another building that housed a Presbyterian
Church and probably a Grange Hall, a meeting hall for farmers. According to tradition, a
community school began about 1881. The school was an informal institution created by
neighbors. Community schools were a common system throughout rural Texas between 1876
and 1885. Local citizens followed the custom of the times. Like schools in other Texas rural
areas, Euless' school had no defined district boundaries, no trustees and no tax base. Children
usually attended for only a few months out of the year. Classes were scheduled on a year-to-year
basis as the local inhabitants wished.
A small village grew around Euless' gin. In 1886, a post office opened, but it was
mistakenly identified in the United States postal records as "Enless." This probably occurred
when a clerk confused handwritten letters "u" and "n." This area just north of the Trinity River
and immediately west of the Dallas County line, was also known as "Woodlawn." In fact, when
Tarrant County school districts were first officially created in 1885, the earliest records identify
the local school as Woodlawn.
By 1894, the school was designated as Euless School and administered by a board
composed of W.J. Blessing, Joseph E. Whitener and R.E. Ferris. School trustees that year bought
a tract of land on the south side of the present East Euless Boulevard from W.N. Mood Fuller
and his wife, Sarah M. Fuller.
Most students attended classes in a new one -room building that was later enlarged. Older
students attended classes in the nearby Methodist Church building, which had been erected about
1891 on the east side of present North Main Street and facing the Presbyterian Church. A 1903
school census indicates that about 100 students attended the Euless School.
Many teachers served the school and its young students -- some known, others long
forgotten. Among them was John W. Calhoun, who eventually became president of the
University of Texas at Austin in 1937. Calhoun moved from Coffee County, Tennessee, to
Euless at the invitation of his distant cousin, trustee Joseph E. Whitener. Many Euless residents
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 18
had migrated from Bedford and Coffee counties between the end of the Civil War and the turn of
the 20th century. Calhoun, thus, was kin to many residents.
Calhoun later recalled that relocating to Texas meant he would double his $25 monthly
salary in Tennessee. He taught for six months from November 1897 to May 1898. Voters in the
spring election pledged new trustees to employ him for another year. He had 40 students, ranging
from 6 to 19 years old; subjects spanning elementary subjects to algebra and plane geometry. "I
swept the house, made the fires, kept the school building and its equipment in order, kept the
students in such order as I could and did my best to teach them something," he wrote in his
autobiography.
At the same time Euless students attended their classes, other youngsters were attending
the Evatt School, located about one mile west of the Euless School. Evatt School first appeared
in Tarrant County records about 1891, identified as Glascow School or the Crossroads School.
After William H. Evatt donated an acre of land in 1897 at the southwest corner of the present
Airport Freeway and Industrial Boulevard, the school was officially renamed in his honor.
Within the bounds of the Evatt district lay the Mosier Valley community, the residence of former
slaves. In the early 1900s, the black citizenry elected trustees from their community in the Evatt
District and helped to manage the school, called the Mosier Valley School, which functioned
separately from the all -white schools.
The third neighboring community, Tarrant, was established in 1903 as the Rock Island
Railroad linked Dallas and Fort Worth with a new line north of the Trinity River and about one
and a half miles south of Euless. Originally named Candon, Tarrant was officially platted as a
town in 1904 with blocks, lots and streets, which neither Euless nor Evatt had. The railway
company awarded Tarrant the largest depot between Dallas and Fort Worth, expecting it to
become the most important town between the two cities. It briefly grew to be an important
business center and transportation hub for east -central Tarrant County. Smaller depots at the
other new towns of Irving and Hurst were also erected.
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 19
The Tarrant Post Office opened in 1905, and a new school was built in the town's
northeastern section. Official county records do not reveal the existence of an entity called the
Tarrant School District although the school was still in operation. Thus, the school was
technically in the Euless District. Nevertheless, Tarrant residents were fiercely proud of their
new town and school.
What was it like to attend school at Evatt, Tarrant or Euless before 1913? The wooden
school houses, usually one room, were often ramshackle but blessed with many windows that
were kept open to catch cooling breezes in hot weather. In cold weather, potbellied stoves were
fired by coal or with wood probably brought by the students themselves.
One teacher -- either a man or woman -- was employed to teach all subjects and grades to
about the 30 or 40 children who attended. Sometimes hardly older than their advanced students,
teachers had very little training for their jobs. Salary ranged from $45 to $50 monthly. Teachers
frequently boarded with nearby families for about $15 monthly.
School terms began in November, when cotton picking season was over, and lasted until
about May or when the school's money ran out. The last day of class each year was special.
Student programs packed with singing, readings and recitations filled the afternoon.
No doubt a teacher had to be well organized to accomplish anything. Older students took
on added responsibilities of helping to teach the younger ones, in addition to finishing their own
lessons. Discipline was rigid and severe, sometimes even harsh. Whippings were common.
Students wore whatever clothes they had. Dresses and shirts were made by hand out of
cotton sacks. Boys wore overalls. Youngsters brought their lunches from home, often in tin
buckets. The victuals were whatever came from their home kitchens -- biscuits, cornbread, sweet
potatoes, sausages.
Electricity and indoor plumbing were unheard of. Toilets were crudely built shacks
located in back of the school house. Water was brought each morning, usually from a neighbor's
well, and ladled from a bucket or drinking keg. Hanging on wall pegs were tin drinking cups
with each student's name.
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 20
Children still had time to frolic apart from the chores and schoolwork. A favorite boys'
game was "Shinny," a team sport played with sticks shaped like golf clubs or hockey sticks.
Two boys, one from each side, stood over a tin can or wooden puck. They hit their sticks
together three times in the air, then struck at the puck. Each team tried to get it across a goal line
defended by the opposing side. When a team scored, the players hit their opponents on the shins
with their sticks.
These schools also served their communities beyond educating children. They evolved
into centers for community meetings, political speeches and rallies, box suppers, socials and
regular "singings." The schools were also on the circuits of traveling performers who brought
entertainment to rural residents. Among the amusements was a new device called the "talking
machine," which played recordings of jokes. Another machine, not terribly successful, projected
slide pictures on a screen via the light of a kerosene lamp.
In June 1913, trustees for the Euless and Evatt common school districts asked Tarrant
County officials to consolidate the areas into a new school district. The new name was the Euless
Common School District. The new district's trustees were J.D. Huffman, a former Euless trustee;
his brother, T.P. Huffinan, former Evatt trustee; and Dr. L.F. Rhodes, a Tarrant resident who was
a Euless trustee.
The following July, voters approved a $7,000 bond issue to erect a new school building
and undertook a 20-cent tax per $100 valuation to pay for it. The district's total property
valuation was $293,085. That September, trustees bought four acres from Joseph E. Whitener, a
widower, and his children for $133.33. The Whiteners had grown cotton on this northwest corner
of the farm, which stretched for one-half mile along the east side of present Main Street to
Pipeline Road. This four -acre tract is the present school site.
Charles F. Nelson and Frank Thomas, well-known Arlington contractors, constructed the
impressive two-story school building. When the cornerstone was laid on December 18, 1913,
local citizens, students from Euless and Tarrant schools and numerous out-of-town visitors
flocked to the ceremony. The cornerstone was inscribed: "Euless Tarrant, School Dist. 95,
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 21
Erected 1913"; the trustees' and builders' names were inscribed below. Water for the school was
supplied by Arch N. Cannon and his wife, Della, daughter of Joseph E. Whitener. The Cannons
owned a hundred -acre farm and nursery across from the school on the present Main Street.
Youngsters who moved from their old schools to the new schoolhouse in 1913 were
impressed with the building. Former students Warren Fuller, Ruth Fuller Millican, Ginny Fuller
Payton and Willie Huffinan Byers remember their excitement when they started classes there.
All recall how very different the routine was from their old one -room schoolhouses. Especially
awesome to them was the second -floor auditorium.
The typical day began early for school children back then. Most had chores on their
family farms -- milking cows, feeding chickens and hogs and chopping firewood -- usually
beginning at about 5:30 a.m. The chores completed, they walked up to two miles to school,
lugging their lunch pails with them.
The school day began with singing songs and occasionally a prayer. Each Friday, they
gathered in the auditorium for an all -school assembly, called chapel. A hand bell summoned the
children from the play yard, and they lined up politely to file in the auditorium.
After classes, the children trekked home. They often stayed up at night, gathering
flickering kerosene lamps on the kitchen tables to study for their next day's lessons.
Euless School evolved into a community center, a focal point for the citizenry where they
could vote, attend political rallies, hear speeches, produce plays, hold box suppers and carnivals
and conduct fifth -Sunday gospel singings. Special attraction at the musical events was Willie
Huffinan Byers, always in demand for her piano expertise although she never had formal lessons
and could not read music. She began playing as a child for school assemblies. Even after she
graduated, she was much in demand as an accompanist for school programs. Also of special
interest were the traveling promoters who brought motion picture project equipment and giant
outdoor screens. Everyone brought lawn chairs and settled on the playground for an evening of
motion pictures and socializing.
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 22
Sports -- especially basketball -- built esprit de corps among the townspeople. Although
Euless School had no gymnasium, the boys' and girls' basketball teams were nearly always
outstanding, besting even top Fort Worth teams. Squads practiced on an outdoor dirt court.
A long-standing tradition that continued through the 1940s was fall school trips to the
Texas State Fair in Dallas. In the 1920s, Lee Byers loaded all the school youngsters in the back
of his farm truck. They traveled along narrow two-lane country roads to Dallas as the children
stood -- and sometimes wrestled
-- in the back. Sam Mills and other men with big trucks continued the tradition.
Following the practice with Texas' common school districts, the new school was
administered by the Tarrant County school board and superintendent with advice from three
local trustees. However, in 1925, 47 voters petitioned the Tarrant County commissioners to call
an election to create an independent school district. In June, 33 voters unanimously approved the
proposition that created a seven -member board authorized to appoint its own superintendent.
Elected trustees for the new Euless Independent School District were G.E. Himes, T.E.
Whitener, J.T. Fuller, H.F. Ferris, George Degenhart, C.W. Simmons and W.J. Eden. The
petition asserted that the "town" of Euless comprised 700 citizens, in fact, the approximate
population of the entire school district.
Euless flourished in population as Dallas and Fort Worth grew and commuting became
an accepted practice. Most residents, however, remained farmers; the dairy business also grew
prominent. School enrollment, likewise, expanded and soon more space was needed. By the late
1920s or early 1930s, a new wooden auditorium was erected just north of the existing building.
A small frame building for first and second graders was constructed between the auditorium and
the original two-story school. This small building eventually became the wood shop and science
lab.
Alumni all agree on one incident that could have had a tragic outcome, but emerged into
a benefit for the school district. The story begins when the new auditorium was under
construction in about 1930. The wooden structure was held up during construction by flimsy
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 23
supports. Workmen and some school trustees were on the roof when someone tossed a large
bundle of shingles topside. The weight was too much. The entire structure collapsed like a house
of cards. The men on top rode the building down without injury. The school district collected
insurance and rebuilt a more substantial structure which withstood children and weather for more
than 30 years.
The Euless School reached another milestone in 1932 with additional construction and
the inauguration of cultural and extra -curricular activities. A "teacherage," costing $600, was
built on the north end of the school property, facing Main Street, as a home for the
superintendent and his family. A deep well was dug to assure a dependable supply of water on
the school grounds. Electric power lines were extended from the Euless business district, one-
half mile north, to provide power for the well pump and to light the buildings and grounds.
A parent -teacher association was established, along with a glee club, a literary society
and a drama club. The physical education classes received new equipment. Additional teachers
were hired to manage the expanded activities. Women from the community volunteered
countless hours to support the school, to conduct fund-raisers, to help with extracurricular
activities, to decorate for holidays and to provide moral support. The curriculum was also
improved to conform with state guidelines. Hence, Euless High School awarded its 1934
graduating class state -issued diplomas for the first time.
School trustees enthusiastically led the way for these improvements. They were T.E.
Whitener, president; and members S.W. Mills, L.O. Wommack, J.N. Pierce, J.E. Fuller, Ross
Cannon and C.W. Ferris. Superintendent was W.B. Love.
The county school superintendent's report reflected this development. In 1935, the annual
report showed that Euless had the third largest increase in students. Birdville and Arlington rank
first and second, respectively. Neighboring Grapevine lost students.
Despite the numerical gains, Euless' parents, children and trustees were dismayed to learn
that the second floor of the splendid 1913 building was unsafe. Condemned as a hazard, it had to
be removed, but that meant the school would loose much -needed classroom space. Trustees
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 24
called an $8,000 bond issue in June 1935 to renovate the existing building, to remove the second
floor and to construct a new white -brick, four -room high school. Voters concurred, and the bond
issue passed.
State -mandated changes also affected the Euless School. When the Legislature decreed
that the number of grades be raised from 11 to 12, Tarrant County in 1940 ordered that high
schools in its districts be raised accordingly. In order to have a 12th-grade graduating class for
the 1941-42 school year, all Euless School students were double -promoted in 1941 so that they
moved up two grades at the end of the year instead of one.
World War II affected the school profoundly. So many young men from the community
joined the armed forces that the graduating classes in 1945 and 1946 were all women. All of the
teachers were either women or old men. Students were dismissed from classes to scour pastures
and roadside for scrap metal to be used in the war effort.
The addition of the school lunchroom in 1943 was another important development. A
kitchen was built on the northeast corner of the elementary school. Mrs. Ernest (Ruth) Millican
managed the operation, ably assisted by Mrs. Abe (Ginny) Payton, Mrs. T.L. (Jessie) Cannon,
Mrs. Johnny (Kate) Neely and Mrs. W.L. (Willie) Byers. Mrs. Marshall (May) Tillery was hired
later. For the first time, students no longer brought their lunches to school; they bought a
wholesome meal for a modest price. Most were members of the Methodist Church. Wednesdays
were usually frantic. They rushed to serve lunch and wash dishes in time for the Methodist
missionary society's afternoon meeting, always held across the street in Della Cannon's home.
Two other unsung heroes who kept the school operating efficiently through the 1930s to
the 1950s were custodians Ocea Arnett and Jackson Himes. Mr. Arnett kept hogs at the back of
the school property near the boys' outdoor toilet. The porkers dined daily on scraps from the
school lunchroom.
Three school superintendents served after W.B. Love: J.T. House, C.E. Lyles and Hale
Riddle. At the end of World War II, O.B. Powell was named the new superintendent. Guiding
the district from 1945 to 1952, he successfully supervised a major building program and handled
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 25
several intense crises. During his tenure, the school's appearance changed dramatically. In 1947,
the separate high school and elementary buildings were linked with an addition containing more
classrooms, offices and, for the first time, indoor restrooms and drinking fountains. Up until
then, the adults and children used outhouses and outdoor fountains.
The district also built its first gymnasium. Although the school had long had an
outstanding basketball team, the athletic programs were hindered because the school had no
gymnasium. Trustees serving in 1947 were S.W. Mills, president; L.T. Cannon, secretary; and
members, E.V. Anderson, Ernest Millican, T.L. Pope and J.A. Horton.
The school faced a crisis in 1947, when the Legislature proposed to upgrade the state's
inadequate public education system. Under the original proposal, Euless and many other small
district would have suffered economically or would have been forced to close. Through intense
lobbying by officials from Euless and similar school districts, some changes were made before
the landmark Gilmer -Aiken Law was enacted in 1949. In the end, Euless benefitted from more
adequate funding and better qualified teachers who received higher salaries.
Another local crisis in September 1950 briefly propelled Euless into the national
spotlight. At the close of the 1948-1949 school year, the school board closed the all -black Mosier
Valley School, part of the Euless Independent School District. The Mosier Valley School had
remained an all -black school after the Evatt and Euless districts' merger in 1913. After 1949,
Mosier Valley students in all seven grades were transported to Fort Worth as well as the upper -
level students, who had always attended Fort Worth schools.
Black citizens sued the Euless district, claiming a violation of their civil rights under the
14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court's separate -but -equal rulings. In
June 1950, a federal district court judge ruled in favor of the black plaintiffs. Legal authorities
often called it a test case that could have affected as many as 1,100 districts throughout the
South. Euless trustees called a bond election to repair and reopen Mosier Valley School, but
voters defeated the measure. Nevertheless, some repairs were made, and the school was readied
to be opened. That September, however, black parents brought 35 students to be enrolled in the
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 26
all -white Euless School. Tension mounted as a crowd of whites assembled, some carrying guns.
The stand-off was resolved without major violence, and black children enrolled in Mosier
Valley.
The Fort Worth Star -Telegram commended Superintendent Powell for his negotiating the
end to the crisis. The Star -Telegram awarded him one of its "Fort Worthy" awards for "his tact
and diplomacy." An appellate court soon reversed the district court's decision on a technicality,
not on the merits of the case. The school year proceeded without further problems.
==END OF NARRATIVE==
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 27
Another Narrative of Euless School 1913-1955
This is another narrative of the Euless School 1913-1955, without references
or bibliography, that is slightly different from the official application for a Texas
Historical marker in 2008. The story is basically the same. It does not follow the
exact organization required by the Texas Historical Commission. Also, there are a
few additions and corrections that make it slightly different from the official
application. For example, J. D. Huffman is correctly identified as Joseph D.
Huffman, not John D. Huffman. The section about the origin of Euless High
School has some additions.
By Weldon Cannon
January, 2019
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 8
EULESS SCHOOL 1913-1955
By Weldon Cannon
In 1913, patrons of three schools in two Northeast Tarrant County districts created the
Euless Common School District and built one school to provide better learning opportunities for
their school children. The new school fit a developing early twentieth century model at both
national and state levels. Across the nation, education goals and guidelines were being
established. In Texas, small rural districts were consolidating at a rapid rate. Proposed reforms
were debated and finally adopted, all benefiting the new district. After 42 years of service, in
1955 the Euless Independent School District consolidated with a neighboring district for the
same reason it had been established. In the intervening years, the small, rural, relatively poor
district provided a basic, adequate education for its students with the resources available. .
In the last half of the 19t' century, as many as 10 small schools had been established in
various parts of the 21 square miles that eventually constituted the new district. By 1913, there
were small elementary schools in the village of Euless and the town of Tarrant in a school
district originally named Woodlawn in 1884 when the county first created districts but later
renamed Euless, reflecting the identity of the community. The nearby Evatt School, in a district
bearing that name, served a few scattered farm families. It was nicknamed "Crossroads School."
[footnote --The Evatt district also maintained a school for "colored children" in the African -American community of
Mosier Valley. The Texas Constitution and laws mandated that "separate schools shall be provided for the white and
colored children, and impartial provision shall be made for both." This was the "separate but equal' doctrine
approved by the U.S. Supreme Court until 1954. In 1913, the Mosier Valley School became part of the new Euless
district. It was recognized with a Texas Historical Commission marker in 1983. The three schools that merged into
one in 1913, the subject of this marker application, were defined as "white."].
Voters in the new Euless district elected three trustees representing each of the schools —
Joseph D. Huffman of Euless, Dr. Luther F. Rhodes of Tarrant, and Thomas P. Huffman of
Evatt--who supervised construction of a new two-story, brick building. The cornerstone was laid
in December, 1913, and the building completed by the beginning of the school term in 1914.
Erected on a four -acre tract one-half mile south of Euless and one and one-half miles from
Tarrant and Evatt, it was described as "magnificent" and "splendid" by visitors when they first
saw it. It was the most ambitious building project undertaken up until that time in the Euless,
Bedford, and Hurst area. The only "white" school in the district until the 1955 consolidation, it
was demolished in 1970 after extensive remodeling and many additions. The property is now
location of South Euless Elementary School. A school has operated continuously on the site
longer that at any other place in the Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District.
The new building had four classrooms downstairs plus two upstairs along with a large
auditorium. However magnificent, it lacked most modern conveniences. Kerosene lamps
furnished light at night and coal-fired stoves provided heat. Water was piped from a nearby farm
and outdoor toilets stood on the back side of the property.
-EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 9
The new building had four classrooms downstairs plus two upstairs along with a large
auditorium. However magnificent, it lacked most modern conveniences. Kerosene lamps
furnished light at night and coal-fired stoves provided heat. Water was piped from a nearby farm
and outdoor toilets stood on the back side of the property.
In addition to use as a school, the building immediately became a community center,
hosting a wide variety of events. Many activities were particularly useful for rural families —
farm and home demonstration programs, farmers' meetings, and club work for boys and girls. It
was also the site of ice cream and box supper socials, plays and musicals, lectures and picture
shows, political rallies, preaching, and singings. The pace accelerated during World War I with
the school becoming the focal point of many patriotic activities.
The Euless school was the beneficiary of several developments in education. Texas
mandated compulsory school attendance in 1915 and free text books in 1918. After 1920,
districts had a freer hand in levying taxes.
In 1925, Euless reached another milestone when voters incorporated the Euless
Independent School District. At the request of 47 petitioners, Tarrant County Commissioners'
Court called an election in which 33 voters unanimously approved the incorporation on June 13.
Voters also elected a seven member board of trustees which had much greater authority than the
three common school district trustees in such matters as personnel, policies, and taxation. Joseph
T. House (1901-1975), the first superintendent, also taught along with four classroom teachers.
He served as superintendent until 1931, and again from 1934 to 1939.
Euless High School might have been established at the same time. In a Bulletin of the
State Department of Education, "Public School Directory, 1925-1926," January, 1926, Euless
High School is listed, during the district's first year as an Independent School District. Numerous
varied sources thereafter mention Euless High School. But even before 1925-1926 there were
hints of something called Euless High School. According to an Arlington newspaper article on
August 13, 1915, shortly before the beginning of the second year in the new building, "The
trustees of the Euless school went to Fort Worth last Monday and succeed[ed] in getting our
school in the High School class." On a fly leaf of a textbook, now in the City of Euless Museum,
is a handwritten list, dated 1918, of 23 students, ages 15 to 20, of "Euless & Tarrant High
School." A high school probably meant no more than the addition of one, maybe two grades, to
the eight -grade elementary school. According to one local account the first graduating class of
Euless High School was in 1934. The high school was not accredited, however, as late as 1938,
when it was a three-year high school. Nevertheless, the students who chose could stay in the
community and get a bit more schooling. Others continued their education at accredited high
schools in nearby Arlington, Grapevine, Irving, Birdville, or even Fort Worth or Dallas. After
Euless High School was accredited, some students still attended other schools to receive a more
comprehensive education.
Although Euless High School never fielded a football team, it excelled in basketball and
competed well in softball, volleyball, and track. Even though the school had no gymnasium until
1947 and teams practiced outdoors on hard, red clay courts and fields, both boys and girls often
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 10
February, 1930, replacing the upstairs auditorium. Another small wood frame building was
constructed nearby to house the lower grades. Two years later the district built a house on the
campus for the superintendent and his family. Even in the midst of the Great Depression, in 1935
voters approved a bond issue for $8,000 to construct a white brick high school building that had
three classrooms, a study hall/library, and a superintendent's office.
In addition to building programs, a flurry of other activities about the same time
enhanced the school setting and education opportunities. In 1927, the dirt road in front of the
school was graveled from the Euless business district, one-half mile north, to the school. Electric
power lines were extended to the school in 1932 making possible not only proper lighting but a
dependable water supply from a new well on campus. The same year music and speech were
offered for the first time and high school drama, speech and literary clubs organized. New
physical education equipment was also added.
The school continued to serve as a community center. The auditorium was the site of
plays, singings, traveling movie presentations, political rallies, and other events. The school
sponsored activities for student athletic teams, group trips to the state fair in Dallas or the stock
show and rodeo in Fort Worth, a junior -senior banquet, class plays, trips, dinners and parties, and
a May Pole fete. Dances were forbidden.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, several developments affected school life. At the
beginning of the 1941 school year, a twelfth grade was added, and all grades were double -
promoted so there would be a twelfth grade graduating class. This probably is when the high
school was accredited. In 1943, another room was added to the elementary school building and a
cafeteria was established, making hot lunches available for the first time. Better roads and
highways connected Euless with nearby towns and cities, affording a broader range of work,
shopping, and entertainment opportunities. New families moved to Euless and their children
added diversity to the school.
World War II profoundly affected the community and school life. Most young men
entered the armed services, some even cutting sort their schooling. In fact, the 1945 and 1946
graduating classes were all female. Some of their parents worked in war related industries in Fort
Worth and Dallas. War bond and stamp drives were conducted and the school hosted numerous
patriotic programs and rallies. Students dismissed from school scoured pastures and roadways
collecting scrap metal for recycling. Construction of a pilot training air field at Euless brought an
additional influx of workers and families.
More changes were in store at the end of the war when a new superintendent, Oscar B.
Powell (1889-1959), arrived in 1945, and the district launched the most extensive building
program since 1913-14. Powell had a reputation as a builder, having supervised construction
projects as superintendent at Jacksboro and Forney. In 1947, the Euless elementary and high
school buildings were linked as the gap between them was filled with two additional classrooms,
a new superintendent's office, and for the first time, indoor rest rooms, drinking fountains, and
modern science labs. A free standing gymnasium was built near the high school building,
providing an indoor place for basketball games and other athletic competitions for the first time,
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 11
plus physical education classes and a variety of school and community activities. The elementary
school was remodeled so its appearance harmonized with the high school and the additions.
Other changes enhanced the quality of education. Some elective courses were added and
in the 1947-48 school year, for the first time a monthly newspaper, "The Cardinal Calls," and a
yearbook, "The Cardinal," were published. The school mascot was the cardinal and the colors
red and white.
Teachers had to be versatile. For the 1947-48 school there were six full-time teachers,
besides the superintendent who also taught classes, and two part-time teachers for special classes
such as music. Grades one through eight were in self-contained classrooms, two grades and one
teacher for each room. High school teachers taught several subjects, some for which they had
little preparation. They also supervised a myriad of activities —serving as homeroom sponsors,
directing plays, interscholastic league events and publications, coaching athletics, supervising
class trips, and being counselors. Sometimes they attended graduate school or even had outside
employment, such as serving as minister at a local church.
About the same time, the high school, perhaps even the school district, were threatened
with extinction. Proposed school reform legislation in 1947 would have forced consolidation or
closure of most small schools. Euless and other small districts vigorously protested the
proposals, which were modified in the 1948 Gilmer -Aiken laws, preserving many of the schools
and even increasing state funding. Euless also benefited with the addition of high school students
from the adjoining Sowers School District in Dallas County in 1949. There was considerable talk
of consolidating the districts and building a high school between the communities, but Sowers
eventually consolidated with the Irving district.
In 1950, Euless attracted attention from across the state and even beyond when African -
American students from the Mosier Valley community attempted to enroll in the all -white
school. The Euless district closed the Mosier Valley Elementary School in 1949 and transferred
black students to Fort Worth. A federal judge ruled in June, 1950, that Euless must provide a
school in the district for black students, but district voters in August rejected a bond issue to
build a new school for them. On September 4, black students attempted to enroll in the white
school. In a tense situation, they were turned away because at the time the Texas Constitution
and laws, with the approval of U. S. Courts, required separate schools. In 1953 the Euless district
built a new school for African -American students in Mosier Valley. Racial segregation did not
end until after the Euless district had consolidated with the Hurst and Bedford districts.
Mr. Powell retired in 1951, and Johnnie O. Edwards, high school teacher and coach,
became superintendent. The number of students grew a bit, and in 1954 a new free standing
cafeteria was built between the main building and the gymnasium. Still, the district struggled
with old problems —insufficient number of students to secure enough state funding and an
inadequate tax base to provide enough local funding. Hence, it was not possible to offer a
curriculum broad enough to meet the needs of high school students. Patrons of the Euless
Independent School District and the Bedford and Hurst Common School Districts had met
several times in the 1940s to discuss possibilities of merging and building one high school to
serve the entire area. Nothing came of the discussions at the time, however.
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 12
Nevertheless, the population grew rapidly. Euless incorporated as a municipality in 1950,
assuring a dependable municipal water supply. In 1953, Bell Helicopter manufacturing plant in
Hurst and the Fort Worth municipal airport near Euless both opened. Transportation arteries
through the area were significantly upgraded. Hurst quickly outpaced other area communities in
growth, and on December 9, 1954, voters incorporated the Hurst Independent School District.
On December 22, 1954, 45 Euless petitioners and 36 Hurst petitioners, asked the Tarrant County
Commissioners' Court to call an election to merge the districts. Both districts approved the
proposal on January 22, 1955--Euless, 151 to 21, and Hurst, 238 to168. Hence, the Euless School
District came to an end. On February, 26 Bedford voters rejected a proposal to merge their
district with the new Hurst -Euless Independent School District, but then in 1958 joined, creating
the present Hurst -Euless -Bedford School District.
The Euless school district, established in 1913 by the consolidation of two districts and
three schools to better meet the educational needs of their children, erected a fine building to
help accomplish their goal. After numerous remodelings and expansions, parts of the building
were still standing in 1955 when the Euless district consolidated with the Hurst district for the
same reason that it had been established, to provide a better education for the school children. In
the intervening years, the Euless School served its purpose well.
EULESS SCHOOL / PAGE 13
EULESS SCHOOL, 1993
From notes made by Weldon G. Cannon
On January 5, 1993, about 14 former students, teachers, and their relatives, gathered at South
Euless Elementary School, site of Euless School, 1914-1955, plus members of City of Euless Historical
Preservation Committee, City officials, current teachers, and a newspaper reporter. The gathering was
held to video tape reminiscences of former students and teachers about the school, arranged by the
Committee, part of the City Parks and Leisure Services Department. According to a representative of
the Department on February 15, 2019, no one knows what happened to the tape and no transcription
has been found. I, Weldon G. Cannon, made notes of the meeting at the time for listened to the tapes
later and made notes] and now transcribe the notes as a narrative in case the tape is never found. I
know, from contemporary sources, that some statements are not correct or need to be annotated, and
will attempt to correct or annotate, in brackets. This is a continuation of another tape about the school
made earlier in the day with Willie Huffman Byers, another former student, who apparently was unable
to attend the general meeting. The Byers interview is preserved separately from this one. Diana
Crawford, Chairman of the Euless Historical Preservation Committee, moderated the school meeting and
sometimes asked leading questions to jog memories, but for the most part it was a freewheeling series
of recollections of those present with discussions and even arguments about what happened and when,
and who did and said what. Sometimes more than one person talked at the same time. Notes of other
interviews that I did with Willie, Steve Huffman, Warren Fuller, Ross Cannon and several others
supplement this January 5 tape.
In attendance were former students —Warren Fuller, Ginny [Jenny] Fuller Payton, Ruth Fuller
Millican, Horace Booher, Oneas Weatherly Booher, Helen Cannon Gleghorn (also a former teacher),
Willie May Tillery, Reta Millican Ray, Jean Whitener (wife of former student, Leon Whitener), Weldon
Cannon, Betty Anderson Henderson, Betty Heideman Fuller, and Joe Cannon. [Willie Huffman Byers
might have attended, but I don't think she did.]
Also attending were former teacher and principal, Bill Gay; Committee Chairman, Diana
Crawford; City Mayor Pro Tem, Mary Lib Saleh and her husband, Ray Saleh; Parks Department
representative, Nina Winters; newspaper reporter, Patsy Riddle; and some current teachers. This
transcript does not necessarily follow the chronological order of the comments but has been put in
order by topics in some places. Following is my transcription of my notes of this meeting.
Here begins the transcription:
Dr. [L. F.] Rhodes of Tarrant [and Euless] delivered most babies in the area. He came on
nearly the first train though Tarrant [he was a line physician for the Rock island RR when it built
through in 1903]. T. P. and J. D. Huffman were brothers. The Crossroads School [nickname for
Evatt School] started in 1908 [it was really much older than that]. The old Euless School [on
south side current East Euless Blvd.] had one room where all students and one teacher met.
Someone else said there were 2 rooms and 2 teachers [maybe at a later date]. Ruth Millican
went there one year; she remembers the old toilet, the outhouse out back by the creek, made
of just boards, no roof, no toilet tissue. Ruth and Jessie Cannon [her future sister-in-law]
sometimes twisted each other's hair in class; the teacher, catching them once, made them
stand on a stage in the classroom and do it to each other in view of whole class. The 7-year itch
was common. It was highly communicable via text books that were used year after year,
according to Warren. The common treatment was grease and sulfur, which created a terrible
stink, especially in winter when the building was closed up with no ventilation and a hot wood
burning stove was going.
He remembered the first year at the new school [built 1913-1914 on current South
Euless Main St.; school opened there in the fall of 1914], but doesn't remember any details
about the first day. No one else remembered exact detail about the first day. A Mr. Conn was
principal.
A centerpiece of the new school was an auditorium on the second floor. It was called a
"pretty thing." There were also 2 classrooms upstairs. It was more than just a school. It became
a community center, especially the auditorium. Politicians and others came to speak; religious
revivals were held; there were box suppers; etc.
Ginny remembered one very hot day at the new school. For some reason, water was not
coming from the Arch Cannon place across the road [he had a deep artesian well that usually
supplied water to the school through a pipe laid under the road]. On this occasion students had
to get buckets to go get water for the school. Ginny was so thirsty that she rushed to get a
drink. This made the principal unhappy, so he made her go to the end of the line to get a drink.
In the 1920s and 1930s there were typically 35-40 students in each classroom.
According to Warren, there was at least one person who did not like the location of the
new school —Jessie Cannon [Arch and Della Cannon's daughter, later Mrs. Warren Fuller]. Since
she lived across the road from the school, she now had to go home for lunch instead of taking
her lunch to school and eating with her school mates.
School began each fall, sometimes after cotton picking. It ran about 7 months or until
money ran out. The usual school day began with singing a song and sometimes and prayer
[apparently in each classroom since] a general assembly was held as chapel service each Friday
morning. The school was very quiet during class sessions; discipline was strict. Almost everyone
brought their lunch. Students came to school wearing whatever clothes they had, very limited
variety. There were many flour sack dresses and shirts. Families were large, sometimes with as
many as 8 to 10 children. Students got up early to take care of family chores before going to
school. They fed chickens and hogs, milked cows. They chopped kindling wood to take to school
to help start stove fires. Students usually had homework taken home from school. They studied
around the kitchen table, by kerosene lamp when darkness came. All manner of personal affairs
came up that needed attention. Ginny dropped out of school for a while to stay home and take
care of her sick mother.
World War I was especially exciting. They celebrated at school and elsewhere. Some
went to Fort Worth by horse and buggy or trucks and cars. An annual event was a trip to Dallas
to the State Fair for a day. Sam Mills and others took students in trucks. They did the same to
Fort Worth for the Stock Show.
There was no air conditioning, so rooms could be very hot, but no one seemed to care
because that is all they knew. Large coal -burning iron stoves in the corners of the rooms
provided heat. A large load of coal was delivered each year and dumped on the ground behind
the building.
Then Warren began talking about the September, 1950, opening of school when black
students from Mosier Valley attempted to enroll in the "white" school. A very tense situation
quickly developed as word spread around Euless. At least 2 men, Luther Morelock and [????]
Spencer, brought guns and sat in pickups nearby watching developments. It was the first day of
work for Bill Gay, a new, young teacher, who almost quit that day. [Mosier Valley was a nearby
predominantly black community in the Euless School District, where a "colored" school had
operated many years. In 1949 the district closed the school and bused students to Fort Worth
schools. Blacks protested that they didn't want their elementary age children being sent out of
district to attend school. This was 4 years before the U.S. Supreme Court declared the "separate
but equal" laws, segregation, for educating children, was unconstitutional. School Supt. O. B.
Powell and others defused the situation, the black students left, and the white school opened
the semester. The terms "colored" and "white" were embedded in the Texas Constitution and
laws.]
The "teacherage" [an on -campus house for the school superintendent and his family]
was built in 1932. It was provided as part of the pay for the superintendent. Mr. and Mrs. [????]
House were the first to live in the new house. Most teachers boarded in community homes.
Typical rent before 1940 was $13 per month. Warren and Jessie were among families who
boarded teachers. One especially he remembers, sometime after 1940, was Nadine Womack.
There was considerable discussion about when the new, detached wood frame
auditorium was built. Everyone agreed that it was after the second floor of the 1913/1914,
which included an auditorium, became unstable and unfit for occupancy, necessitating its
removal and construction of a new auditorium and classrooms. [According to one widely
circulated story, a giant boulder that could not be removed when the building was erected was
the cause of the destabilization as the building settled.] A new free standing wood frame
auditorium [seating 300-400] was built then north of the original building. Between them a new
wood frame classroom building was erected. The auditorium cost $750, built by men working a
10-hour day for a dollar [?] a day. When it was nearly finished, being shingled, it fell down, just
caved in, during a whirlwind. [No one was injured as it came down slowly] Insurance paid for
reconstruction.
Some said it was built about 1932/1933. Oneas Booher said she was sure it was 1935
the year she came to Euless. She especially remembers singings being held there then. Warren
was a school trustee for 1928-1929. He said there were 3 trustees then, and the county school
superintendent came occasionally to advise about running the school. [In fact, after the district
was incorporated as an Independent School District in 1925, it had a 7 member board.] The
second floor was removed in 1929, according to Warren. But later, in response to Diana
Crawford's comment that the second floor was removed and the new auditorium built in 1935,
Warren said, "That's right." Someone suggested that it was in 1935 when bonds were approved
to build a new high school building. In answer to another question, "Was the new auditorium
build before the second floor was removed," the answer was, "Yes." There had to be a new
place for chapel and assemblies quickly. Helen and Willie Mae say they think it was in 1935
because they started school in the wooden classroom building [about 1936] that was built
along with the auditorium. Helen thinks the auditorium, separate classroom building, and the
new brick high school were all built in 1935 at the same time. [The conversation degenerated
into chaos as all expressed opinions about the date. In fact, the new auditorium was built in
1929-1930 according to the Arlington newspaper. As early as April, 1930, finishing touches were
being put in place. There are numerous references in the newspaper through the rest of 1930
about finishing the work and the uses for the auditorium.]
The wood frame building between the old school and the new auditorium was used for
several purposes —as additional classroom space, wood working shop, chemistry and science
lab, and for special education classes —according to various people.
In 1935 the school district erected a new high school building about 200 feet south of
the old 1913 building. Between the buildings stood an old concrete drinking fountain with 2 or
3 outlets. Water came from the Euless Nurseries of Arch Cannon across the road, from a large
overhead storage tank filled from a deep well and pumped by windmill until 1932 when that
part of the community got electric power and the school drilled its own well. The landmark
fountain was taken out in 1947 when the school underwent extensive renovation and
expansion. The gap between the old elementary school building and the high school building
was filled with additional classrooms, labs, offices and, for the first time, indoor restrooms. Also
for the first time a gymnasium was built at the school.
Warren also said he remembered depression days when cattle were driven past the
school [or through the Euless business district] south toward the river bottom where they were
slaughtered to keep the price up [for beef or dairy products]. He was in the grocery business in
Euless by 1929. [See another interview I did with him when he expounded on this subject.]
Another question that came up was how World War II affected Euless, especially the
school. With most able bodied men going off to war, most teachers were women or older men,
one being a Mr. Hutchinson. Even most male students volunteered or were drafted when they
were old enough. There no male graduates in 1945, only 9 females, or 1946, only 10 females,
according to Willie Mae. In 1941 a 12th grade was to the 11 grade Euless School, so everyone
already in school was double -promoted.
Weldon recalled that he had started school in 1940 and really liked his first grade
teacher, Mrs. Marie Horton, who taught the first and second grades in one classroom. He
looked forward to Marie being his second grade teacher, but being promoted to the third
grade, was terribly disappointed. Furthermore, he did not like the third and fourth grade
teacher, Mrs. White. In the middle of one day Weldon went home [across the road from the
school], announcing to his mother that he had quit school. She talked with Mrs. Horton, who
then talked Weldon into going back to her second grade and soon convinced him that he should
move on to the third grade so he would be in the same class with others his age.
The school underwent a vast remodeling and expansion in 1947-1948 [under the
leadership of school superintendent 0. B. Powell]. The steeply pitched roof over the red brick
elementary building was replace with a flat roof, the front fagade was covered with cream brick
matching the high school building, and the gap between the two was filled with classrooms,
labs, offices, and indoor toilets. The old landmark outdoor drinking fountain was removed.
About 200-300 feet south of the high school building a brick gym was erected. An elementary
school room was renovated for a hot lunch room and an addition added for a kitchen [or maybe
that was done in 1943]. A new free standing cafeteria was built between the high school and
the gym sometime between about 1953 and 1958.
Euless never had a football team, but had a very good basketball team and good softball
team. It competed well with teams ranked in divisions above it. In 1956, the Euless and Hurst
School Districts consolidated, and all students attended Hurst -Euless High School in Hurst, until
L. D. Bell High School was built between the towns, but in the Euless City Limits.
End
EULESS SCHOOL 1993
By Weldon Cannon
This is a transcription of my notes from different papers than the preceding but of the same
session moderated by Diana Crawford on January 5, 1993, with a group of Euless residents who
attended the Euless School. These notes seem to add some materials or amend some comments slightly.
I do not know why there are 2 sets of notes. The above are hastily, randomly scribbled notes; the
transcription is more carefully crafted into sentences and paragraphs. They both seem to cover this
same subjects.
Here begins the transcription:
These people remembered moving from the old Euless School [on the south side of East
Euless Blvd.] to the new school [on present South Euless Main St.] in 1914: Willie Huffman Byers
[maybe], Warren Fuller, Ginny Fuller Payton, Ruth Fuller Millican. They recall how impressed
they were with the new building, a real contrast with the old one. In place of the old one -room
wood frame building, they were now in a large two-story brick building with several rooms.
They were especially impressed by the beautiful, spacious auditorium. It was overwhelming.
Each day began with singing some songs, and occasionally a prayer. Each Friday morning
was an all -school assembly in the auditorium, sometimes called "chapel" for many years. Each
teacher had a hand bell he or she would ring to summon students to class or assembly.
Students would line up and march in very orderly.
Most students in the rural community had household chores before and after school —
milking cows, feeding chickens and hogs, chopping firewood. Yet, each night they would gather
around the kitchen table to study lessons and read for the next school day by kerosene lamps.
Everyone walked to and from school, some as much as 2 miles from home.
The school was a real community center, a community focal point. It was a voting place;
political candidates, preachers, and many others spoke there; political rallies were held; plays in
the auditorium; box suppers; a Halloween carnival; traveling motion picture showings either in
the auditorium or out on the school grounds. People brought their own chairs for outside
events. The auditorium was on the rotating Tarrant County "Fifth Sunday" gospel singing
schedule. There were appearances by singing groups such as the Stamps -Baxter Quartet.
Not everyone was pleased with the move to the new school. Warren Fuller recalled that
Jessie Cannon, his future wife who lived across the road from the school, had to go home for
lunch instead of taking her lunch to school and eating with her school mates.
There was always a demand for a piano player for assemblies, any school performance
or other special occasion that called for music. Willie Huffman Byers usually filled this function.
Although she had no formal music training, really knew nothing about the theory of music,
never had a piano lesson, she could play a "mean piano" of anything by ear.
Euless basketball teams were nearly always outstanding, taking on far larger and better
trained and equipped teams, even though Euless had no gym. They practiced on hard clay
outdoor courts. And in the 'teens and twenties the girls basketball teams competed with great
success against the best Fort Worth schools could offer.
A body of folklore, many stories and tales, grew around a pivotal event —removing the
second story of the 1914 school and building a large wood frame detached auditorium. These
include the date, reason for doing it, constructing the new building, finishing out the interior, its
appearance, and the great variety of events subsequently held there, etc. [For details see other
interviews and the Arlington newspaper for 1930 and following years.]
Numerous other stories emerged from reminiscences by for former students. Mr.
Arnett, school custodian for many years, kept hogs across the back school ground fence in the
Whitener pasture. He took the school kitchen scraps to feed them every day. There were also
long standing traditions, such as taking truck loads of students to Dallas to the State Fair and to
Fort Worth for the Stock Show. Lee Byers, Sam Mills and others loaded students in trucks and
transported them for the day. The drinking fountain between the elementary and high school
buildings was a notable landmark and a gathering place for students and the source of many
tales and pranks. During World War II most teachers were women and the entire graduating
classes for 1945 and 1946 were girls. Students went around the community, up and down
roads, across pastures, through dump grounds looking for metal to turn in for the war effort.
Some boys once tried setting fire to one of the school buildings. Some activities were really
dangerous. Boys would bring bullets and shotgun shells from home and at noon or recess or
after school go into a deep canyon (maybe 10-12 feet deep, created by a creek eroding deep
sand) just off the campus in a pasture, build fire a fire, throw in the ammunition, then step back
and wait for explosions. Others feats were less dangerous, but nevertheless daring. Boys' and
girls' toilets were at the back side of the school grounds at opposite ends of the campus. They
were neatly whitewashed on the front facing the school and the entrances were from the back.
About the most daring thing a boy could do was race around behind the girl's toilet while his
friends watched from a distance. Another student decided to see how long it would take a
plastic ruler to melt on top of a hot coal burning stove. The room had to be evacuated and the
windows opened for a long time on a cold winter day while the acrid smell dissipated. While
most Shakespeare and fine poetry might be forgotten, scatological lines written on toilet walls
are unforgettable. I will spare the reader details. Another entertaining exercise for students was
standing outside on school grounds with a small mirror, flashing sunlight into the face of the
teacher trying to conduct class inside.
End
16
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&xaerpts from SOME HO:"B8 OF AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL KATLM COMECM WITH
T'HM MAY PROSAIC CAREER OF ONE J. V. CA.LHOUN, SCROOL TEACHER
(John W. Calhoun was born at Redden's Chapel, Coffee County, Tennessee,
In 1871. He came to Euless, Texas, in 1897, to teach school. 14 1937
he beds President of the University of '°'etas, and died in 1947. He
wrote his Autobiographical. Notes in 1939. j copied by Weldon Cannon.
'Grandfather Calhoun married Martha Redden, who lived in the coamu-
alty Where I was b6rn. Rov he cite to sleet ter, I do not know, for they
lived a long way apart, -- thirty miles or moreabout the same distance as
to the moon in that time and place. I assume that she wag perhaps in
Fart responsible for his leaving the mountains and moving to Coffee
County. The church in this -community wall on land belonging .to the Red-
d ea s and was called Redden's Chapel. The community was known as Redden-' s
Chapel Community or Neighborlxkod. I know as little of the Reddens as of
the Calbouns. From nei hborhood talk that I heard as a boy I gathered
that 'Uncle Joe Redden,- a brother of my grandmother, was the Xet.,- ist
class leader, Sunday school superintendent, Board of Stewards of the
hethodist Church at Redden's Chapel, the hardest worker, the biggest
eater, and the beat whiskey distiller in that part of the world. He was
a great camp meeting worker and was described as being 'a giant in
prayer. "' --- page 5
03�o:.e time about Oct. 10, 16978 I recieved a letter fr-am Nr. J. E.
Vhitener of Euless, Tarrant County Texas, aching me if I would be inter-
ested in cflLinz to Texas to tench iuhs village school for th-em belonging
aboc:t ?;ova.�ber and running, four or five mot.: hs at *50 a month. I prompt-
ly re .fled t`^__Q ` I would be very much Interes fed in such an arrangement.
24r. �:hitener, Mled by all the people of his community 'Uncle Joe,' was
about t1 a age of my father and had married a cousin of his. The Whiteners
had been our neighbors in my early &. ld.-od but had left Tennessee about
13to rake a_home in Euless. 'Uncle Joe' -was a trustee at EIessi
and hid -learned t iiV -tea gone into teac;_ing. During my childhood and
early youth there had been a great exo?us from our part of TennesBee to
^exa.s. The F�zllera, Bartons, ''?Imes, : er i_�r s, Blac coons, ihitezers,
Hod. ee and a lot of others had Waved west. The early ones went by
covered wagon, tailing from six to eight wee -a to reach" Dallas, the point
for which they all aimed. Later emir-m Ls sold t,-zel.r horses and ot:ner
property and cane by train. Many of t'_7em came back to ^Qnnessee and
staved, others stuck to :' xas, while some made two or core round trips
before making up their winds which place to stay. The &rester num:.er
finally took root in Texas. As so canny o2 amp childhood friends and
acqusintaces were 1++ Texas and such contradictory tales about the state
ln
cane back to us, I had long had a desire to see the state and form some
first-hand, opinions about it, though I do not think it had ever aceu ed
to me that I might become a resident in a per anent way." @-- page 52
'Euless was one of t'Le most Met sadistically religious places that
I even saw. It even had great croods out to prayer meeting --the one
institution t'.:nt almost universally is left to a h=dful of the old and
faithful. 7 :e c::ief performer at prepar meeting was Jim -Fuller, j�od1 s
oldest son, a can in the early forties when I was t'zera. 4`a� cbiz?8 i-ray
Iauc? er, C e s ti fy longer, shout 'amen' oftener and more vociferously than
ar:ybo y in the county, I am sure. Cn one occasion he got warmed n;e an
1
ri
subject of mothers and mother love, and at the end of a considerable
burst of words shouted, 10b God, give us more mothers.' An old lady in
the congregation who was none too fond of Jim and who had no inhibitions
&rose and said that she thought that while brother Jim Yae asking God for
more soothers it would not be a bad idea to request an equal number of
fathers.* _ =
"I taught six months at Wess, beginning in November 1.897 and
closing in Kay of 1898. 1 suppose I Fave general satisfaction, for
when trustees were elected in the Spring of 1898 the voters took pains
to pledge the now trustees to employ me for the next term. I had 40
students ranging in age from 6 to 19 and In grade from primer to algebra
and plane geometry. I swspt the house, made the fires, kept the school
building and its equipment in order, kept the students in such order as
I could and did my best to teach thew something.' -- page 75
*MY casing to Texas w--as due to the accident of being known to a man
xho bad come to Texas in the 1880's and vho had become school trustee
for a one -room school in Tarrant County. _ Re happened to remember me and
wrote inviting me to acme and teach in their school in 1897.' -- page 145
Scattered excerpts: John William Calhoun's father was George Calhoun,
and his grandparents were John V. Calhoun' end
Kartha 'Patsy" Redden, a sister of Joe Redden. He had tiro uncles, John
C. Calhoun and William Calhoun. John C. Calhoun and his grandfathers
John W. Calhoun, were killed in Lhs Civil Var. William Zalhoua died
soon after the war. John Willi= Calrou.n's mother was Maria F-areces
alas w and`*hAs grandparents were John Wesley Glasgow and zabeth
o -n;' Joan Nesley Glasgow, left hit wire and six -daughters r ly
after s return from the Civil Var.'
John Waliam Calhoun's brothers were Jim who worked for Mood Fuller,
-Tom, - rho became a doctor in_Zailae, -and his sister, Inca, married l i-6d,
n Stephenson; -and llves in Beech Grove, Tennessee. _- �e taught school at
Redden's C pel- and elsewhere is Tennessee before coming to Texas.`;'' At
Redden's Chapel, where he had forty to eighty students, the girls sat on
the left side and the boys on the right, facing each other, and he was
Fald about �'25 per mrnth salary for a normal tem of three a7nths.
Fe arrived by train at Arlington Nov. 1, 1p�7, duri�Id
n �r � :�r. i_:e two years he taught at Euless he lived xi "Zncle food
F-all er' . fie says: 'rood Fhaller was a brother of y _ ther' s s.. pmo er
and the woman whom I had known more. LOhan anyone- else as-' el?an as.
grandfather Glasgow left her, soc i after his return from t:.e Civil War.'
L+TS ni 3n, who -eami to` 74exas� in the late l Kl e, helped him
get an�cation a the University of Texas. he cglled+,him a man of
%good sense and high principles." He also mentions many other people:
JoVvidu-
11evt J_ernigan,-X.rt_B`arton, mom Meat, A?ez JerIligau, L'ncla
DaBloc' on,�Aunt __Becky Cribbs, John Buck.aloo, and M. R. Moore and
Hr. err ng n -o—Fli :earth: -- aI so t3 t;ht school at Grapevine, Arling-
ton and Benbrook. Be also describes the s'nnuting at Methodist revivals,
terrible conditions during the C17tl -Jar hard dally work, woma.n's work, .
clearing land, scbodi and church activities, waiting at the second `,.able
whdle the circuit rider and the presiding elder ate the Last piece of .
chicken at tte first table, and &any other things.
The City of Euless
The Tarrant County Historical Commission
The Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District
Invite you to the dedication of an official
i
Texas Historical Marker
for the
EULIESS SCHOOL
(11914 - ]V955)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
2:30 p.m.
e5e&6
South Euless Elementary School Cafeteria
605 South Main Street
Euless, Texas 76040
Reception follows the ceremony