Baccus School - north side SH121 at Custer Road
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
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