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GRAPETOWN SCHOOL |
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A brief history of Grapetown School: Built in 1884. Teacherage in 1887. Consolidated in 1949. One of four schools which still has the original teacherage, the house where the teacher lived. This limestone two-room teacherage was built in 1887, and later a frame kitchen, storeroom, and smokehouse was erected. It was used until 1949 when Grapetown School District was consolidated with Rocky Hill School District as part of the rural school consolidation in Texas. Current activities: In 1950, residents of the Grapetown community formed the Grapetown Community Club and purchased the property from the Rocky Hill School District. Currently, the members gather once a month to enjoy an evening of “42”, food, and fellowship. |
| The History of Grapetown |
The Grapetown community began in 1857, when Ferdinand Doebbler built a stagecoach stop at the crossing of Immigrant Road and Upper South Grape Creek. As settlers moved into the community, a need arose for a school. Mr. Doebbler bought a small stone house from James William Vance, which he donated as a schoolhouse. After the Civil War, a log school was built on the Friedrich Baag property. On April 1, 1882, Friedrich Baag gave a parcel of land with the provision that no religious or political meetings would be conducted at the school. The labor to build the limestone one-room schoolhouse was donated by men from the community. Since construction took place whenever time could be spared, it took 2½ years to complete the building. In 1886, a decision was made to build a two-room stone teacherage with a porch. It was completed in 1887. Later, a frame kitchen and storeroom were added on the north side of the house, and a stone smokehouse was erected near the house. School closing picnics or celebrations were always held in the early days. Activities included a children's program with skits, drills, plays, songs, and poems, as well as public oral examinations that were very hard and took a great deal of courage. In 1904, the boundary lines of the school district were set by the county for tax purposes, and children from as far away as Kendall County attended. In 1944, the 11 pupils of Grapetown were transported to the Cain City School. This continued there until 1949, when the Grapetown School consolidated with the Rocky Hill School District. |
OPEN HOUSE #4 on the driving map GPS: 30.196402,-98.825798
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The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools, Inc.
P.O. Box 55
Fredericksburg TX 78624
(830) 685-3321
info@historicschools.org
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