Public Education in Anna

Anna's name has several origin stories. The Handbook of Texas lists them: some sources say the town was named for a daughter of Greer; others for Anna Quinlan, daughter of George A. Quinlan, a former superintendent of the Houston and Texas Central; one makes Anna Quinlan the wife of Quinlan and the daughter of J. L. Greer; and another says Anna Huntington, daughter of railroad builder C. P. Huntington. The plaque follows the railroad-official story. The Handbook also says the town was platted in 1883 with twenty people, two stores, a steam gristmill and a Baptist church.

What the plaque says

Public Education in Anna The earliest citizens of Anna were determined that their children should have the best educational opportunities possible. Founded in 1883 with a population of twenty, Anna was named for the daughter of a Houston & Texas Central Railroad official. In 1885, the town sought and was granted Collin County School District Number 23. Former teacher and future mayor J.L. Greer deeded a 2.5 acre tract of land on this site for $125. A small frame building served as a school until 1909, when the school district became one of very few incorporated school districts in Collin County. In keeping with their new status, the citizens erected a more visionary three story edifice. The younger students were taught in small wooden buildings by 1939. Since enrollment had reached 350, a new building, W.L. Roper High School, was opened in honor of a longtime educator who served the schools from early in the century until 1943 as principal and superintendent. His devotion inspired two former students, who followed in his footsteps. A new elementary school went up in 1974; a new high school was built in 1987 and includes a cafetorium, library, offices, and a gymnasium. The community and its educational system continue to grow. (1997)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary — 13 mi
  A 289-acre sanctuary in McKinney that Bessie Heard founded at the age of 80, with five habitats, a 50-acre wetland and 6.5 miles of trails.
• Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site — 25 mi
  The two-story farmhouse west of Bonham that the longtime Speaker of the House built in 1916 and kept as his home, left as he lived in it and open as a museum since 1975.
• Audie Murphy / American Cotton Museum — 31 mi
  A Greenville museum of Hunt County's military heroes, including Audie Murphy, and of cotton, which keeps the engine of what it says was the world's largest inland cotton compress.

More markers nearby

• First Christian Church of Anna — steps away
• Mantua — 2.4 mi
• Coffman Cemetery — 2.5 mi
• Highland Cemetery — 2.7 mi