Old Rock Schoolhouse

Before the rock building, Pleasanton's school lived in borrowed rooms. The Handbook of Texas says the town became county school district number 1 in 1860, with W. J. Pepham as its first teacher. The log cabin that had served as the courthouse for nine years was rented to the district after a new courthouse went up, and it held classes until a rock schoolhouse replaced it in 1875. The old courthouse also served as a church at one time. The sandstone school ended a run of improvised classrooms.

What the plaque says

Old Rock Schoolhouse Constructed of locally quarried red sandstone, the Old Rock Schoolhouse was built in 1874 with funds pledged by citizens of Pleasanton. Once completed, the building was deeded to the county for free public school purposes. In addition to its educational function, the schoolhouse also served as a place of worship for the First Baptist Church from 1875 to 1883. A storm cellar in the school yard served as a sanctuary against Comanche Indian raids on many occasions. Children attended classes six months of the year at no charge, but paid tuition for the remaining three months of the term. The Pleasanton Normal School, a training institute for teachers, operated in the schoolhouse during the summer months. After the city built a new public school on Main Street about 1913, the Old Rock Schoolhouse was closed. It later served as a store, a private residence, and an apartment building. Purchased by the First Baptist Church in 1986, it later was renovated to serve once again as an educational facility. Known for many years to local residents as the "Red Rock Schoolhouse," its original sandstone exterior was concealed under a coat of plaster and paint. (1991)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Longhorn Museum — 1.5 mi
  Atascosa County in one roadside museum: longhorn-and-mustang ranching, a moved railroad depot and caboose, a horse-drawn hearse and the town that calls itself the birthplace of the cowboy.
• Atascosa County Courthouse — 4.7 mi
  The only surviving Mission Revival courthouse in Texas, built in 1912-13 on Jourdanton's town circle after a county seat vote that some residents still call a theft.
• Mission Espada and the Espada Aqueduct — 25 mi
  The southernmost San Antonio mission and the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the United States, still carrying river water over Sixmile Creek to the fields after nearly three centuries.

More markers nearby

• Pleasanton — steps away
• George Washington Marion Duck — 0.2 mi
• Capt. Peter F. Tumlinson — 0.6 mi
• Pleasanton School Integration — 0.6 mi