BACCUS SCHOOL
The Baccus School was located north of present-day SH 121 and
west of Custer Rd, FM 2478, on the headright of Jacob Baccus. It replaced the
Young School which was located due south on the Sam Young headright near CR 111.
The Baccus School started around 1880. The Baccus children were too old to
attend it. John T. Young was one of the Trustees for the school.
One of the earliest teachers was Alice Cantrell, who lived in
Frisco. Later teachers were F. M. Scott, Mr. Mantooth of McKinney, Olita Boone
of Dallas, Louise Pearce of Dallas, Mr. Angel of Allen, Olive Tollar and Rosa
Allen from Allen. Olita Boone was a Catholic. The Rowlett community was
predominately Baptist. One of the Trustees refused to let a Catholic teach his
children. The other trustees knew that Ms. Boone was a good teacher so they did
not tell the other trustee that she was a Catholic. Ms. Boone wore a rosary all
of the time but the man never did find out that she was a Catholic. In those
days, the teachers would stay in the neighborhood with the students' families in
order to get to know them better. Ms. Boone stayed with the family of the
Trustee that hated Catholics but she removed her rosary when she did.
Mr. Mantooth replaced a young man who had trouble disciplining
the students. He would ride the Interurban from McKinney and walk the 6 miles
from Allen. He told the boys, "I've come here with my fighting clothes
on." The boys never gave him any trouble.
Louise Pearce of Dallas was the niece of Dr. Compton's wife in
Allen. She was young and pretty. The boys would have fights to see who would
give her a buggy ride to Allen.
The school had about 25 students. They went for 7 years. It
had a small library. Courses included reading and writing (no printing),
arithmetic, algebra, geography, English history, and art. The students had to
draw and color maps. They sang and performed a play at the end of the school
year. The school year was short because many of the students had to work in the
fields when the crops came in. The Baccus School exchanged performances of the
plays with the Upper Rowlett School which was north on Custer Road, but south of
US 380. There was a Hedgcoxe School to the south. The students marched into
school. Each student had a collapsible cup to drink water from the well. The
boys would draw the water for the girls.
The games they played were croquet, ante over (with a ball
made of string), drop the handkerchief, with basketball for the girls.
Families who used the school included the Youngs, Rasors,
Dixons, Becks, Olivers, Bolins, Greens, Howells, Knights, Marions, Weems, Edmins,
Bridges, Yendalls, Scotts, and Mattinglys.
This school was replaced in the 1930's by the Bush School
which was north of SH 121 and east of Custer on the Wm. Bush land.
interview with Miss Gladys Young, a graduate of the school
School Index
- Recommended citation:
- "Baccus School - Collin County Schools,"
Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of
Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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