The Junior Historian, Volume 15, Number 1, September 1954 Page: 8
32 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
THE JUNIOR HISTORIAN
EARLY EDUCATION IN CUERO
by JANIE HOFFMAN
Cuero High SchoolAFTER the San Antonio and Mexi-
can Gulf Railway reached Cuero
in 1873 the village began to pros-
per, and the citizens wanted their chil-
dren to have adequate education. Al-
though schools were established at Clin-
ton and at Concrete, the people felt that
Cuero should have its own school.
Since there were no public funds
available, some of the businessmen got
together, and largely at their own ex-
pense, financed a stock company, the
purpose of which was to provide a sys-
tem of public instruction for the chil-
dren of Cuero. This organization began
searching for a suitable instructor, and
D. W. Nash was persuaded to come to
Cuero from Lockhart in the spring of
1873.
The first school taught by Nash was
in a little box house which soon became
known as The Academy. The editor of
an early Cuero newspaper had this to
say about the school:
In September, 1873, D. W. Nash came as
a pioneer educator from Lockhart, and opened
a school in a square box house. The Academy
as it was called, was quite remote from the
din and busy traffic, and at a safe distance
from the not infrequent shootings that took
place on the streets at that time. West of the
building was a thicket of chaparral and
served as ample play ground for the boys
and girls.
Miss Mary Jan Pleasants, sister of the late
H. Clay Pleasants taught the first primary
school in Cuero, and it was under her gentle
Christian influence that many children in
Cuero began their education. Early in the
history of Cuero a German-English school
was established and later merged into a grade
school.
The German-English school men-
tioned was run by a Professor Colston,
and Mrs. Otto Buchel was for some
time assistant. Colston was the teacher
of the first real public school in Cuero,
for Nash erected his own building.
Some of the teachers who were asso-
ciated with Nash at various times wereMiss Mary Teas, Miss Annie Murphy,
Mrs. W. K. Breeden, Mrs. Otto Buchel.
John W. Burns, who was one of Nash's
pupils, later taught in the school.
After Cuero had provided a public
school system, Nash built a school on his
own property and continued to teach a
private school.
Not only Cuero youth, but also many
boys and girls from farms, ranches, and
neighboring towns, came to receive in-
struction from The Academy, later
known as Guadalupe Academy. Mrs.
Nash took many boys into her home.
Besides the "three R's," some of the
other subjects taught at Guadalupe
Academy were geography, history, alge-
bra, geometry, physiology, Latin,
Greek, and etymology. The price of tu-
ition was five dollars per month. Nash
taught and maintained a high enroll-
ment until his death in 1909.
NEW CHAPTER
On June 8 in the Barker Texas His-
tory Center, Association Director H.
Bailey Carroll presented charter num-
ber 132 to the Spring Branch, Harris
County, Junior Historians. The presen-
tation of the charter and tours of the
Barker Texas History Center and the
Texas Memorial Museum were photo-
graphed and presented on the TV pro-
gram, "Texas in Review."
The Spring Branch Junior Historians
started their activities with a tour of
Texas. A two-week outing from June
6 to 20 included visits to such places of
historical interest as Washington-on-
the-Brazos, Camp Verde, Fort Stockton,
Big Bend National Park, Fort Davis,
and Indianola. Thirty-one Junior His-
torians and four sponsors made the
trip. Louis Lenz, a long-time friend of
the Association and the Junior Historian
organization, was instrumental in get-
ting the Spring Branch chapter organ-
ized.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 15, Number 1, September 1954, periodical, September 1954; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391347/m1/10/: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Texas State Historical Association.