Early Kirbyville Schools

The plaque gives no enrollment figures for the school. The Handbook of Texas lists Kirbyville's schools separately by race in 1905: the White school had 320 pupils and one teacher, the Black school 65 pupils and one teacher. In 1896 the town's schools had 75 pupils and one teacher. At Magnolia Springs, the Handbook says, the district reported three White schools with 97 pupils and three Black schools with 132 pupils that year. Kirby Lumber had made Kirbyville a company town in 1901, and the 1905 count came four years later.

What the plaque says

Early Kirbyville Schools In the new town of Kirbyville in 1895, a 2.07-acre lot was set aside from the H&TC survey for a school. A 40 by 60 foot frame school opened in 1896. When it burned in 1904, a much larger two-story school was constructed. In 1917, the second structure was lost to fire. For the third building, residents passed a $25,000 bond to build a brick school. Although the masonry read "Kirbyville High School," all grades were taught. The red brick structure boasted two floors and a basement. The grounds featured playgrounds and a baseball field at the northwest corner. Led by B.W. Martin, long-time superintendent, the school became a center of the community. As the district grew, the school continued to serve until closing in 1967. (2023)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Martin Dies, Jr. State Park — 23 mi
  A 705-acre state park on Steinhagen Reservoir at the meeting of the Neches and Angelina rivers, with about 14 miles of paddling trails through sloughs and more than 200 campsites.

More markers nearby

• Kirbyville, Town of, Site of Town Lot Auction — 0.3 mi
• Biloxi Community — 7.5 mi
• Swift Cemetery — 8.4 mi
• Pinetucky — 8.9 mi