Blanco High School

The schoolhouse rose on an older, failed foundation. In December 1874 Blanco's Masons elected directors for a Blanco Masonic University, and in February 1875 they drew plans, asked the legislature for a land grant and had stone quarried. Money never came. In 1883 the university stock was moved to a new project, a Blanco Masonic High School, for which R. C. Traweek gave a lot and G. A. Horlee gave land to be sold. By September 1884 one wing was finished, but the directors then merged the school with the public school, and its first class graduated in 1887.

What the plaque says

Blanco High School Chartered in 1883, Blanco High School began as a combination private and public school. A white limestone schoolhouse was constructed at this site and opened for classes in October 1884. During its early years, Blanco High School offered a six-month public school term and a ten-month private school term. Over the years, the school has grown through consolidation, and new facilities have been built to match its growth. Throughout its history, Blanco High School has continued to meet the need for rural education in the surrounding area. (1984)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park — 12 mi
  The Johnson City district of the national park: the Victorian house where Lyndon Johnson grew up, and the stone barns his grandfather built in the Johnson Settlement.
• Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site — 15 mi
  A state park on the Pedernales opposite the LBJ Ranch, with a working Texas-German farm kept as it was around the First World War and the permit desk for the ranch tour.
• Pedernales Falls State Park — 18 mi
  The Pedernales stepping down over layered limestone east of Johnson City, a river that can turn from a placid stream to a torrent in minutes.
• Luckenbach — 21 mi
  A store, saloon and dance hall on Grape Creek that a humorist bought in 1971, declared a free state of mind, and turned into a pilgrimage for Texas music.

More markers nearby

• First Baptist Church of Blanco — 0.6 mi
• Amenthal — 0.7 mi
• Jesse L. McCrocklin — 0.9 mi
• Mt. Horeb Baptist Church — 6.9 mi