Cold Springs School
C Springs SchoCold Springs School #140
Cold Springs Road
Van Alstyne, Texas
The Cold Springs community was located along the Grayson/Collin County line southeast of Van Alstyne. It roughly covered the area between the HT&C Railroad tracks and Sister Grove Creek, about 2 ¾ miles.
The community got its name from two cold springs that started in the area and flowed east to empty into Sister Grove Creek. In 1959 the U. S. government dammed the two creeks to make a Soil Conservation Lake named Sister Grove No. 25.
There were 2 Cold Springs Schools. The first Cold Springs school was just inside Collin County near the two springs. There was a school well. The well and the first Cold Springs school site are now under Sister Grove No. 25. Today, there is a Cold Springs Road, which makes a southern loop from FM 3133 (Sedalia Road). Both Cold Springs schools were east of Cold Springs Road.
The first Cold Springs school served students from both counties. It appeared on the list of Collin County schools in 1900 as School District #140. The August 16, 1900 edition of the McKinney Democrat stated that the Cold Springs school had 30 students in 1899 and 28 students in 1900. All later Collin County School lists have a blank for District #140.
By 1901 the first school was replaced by a second Cold Springs School, which was built in Grayson County a half mile northeast of the first one. It was one mile west of Sister Grove Creek on the south side of FM 3133 (Sedalia Road). It faced north with an east/west configuration. The school served grades 1 – 8. Roy Adams said he doesn’t remember any student riding a horse to school. Everyone just walked.
The Cold Springs school building was typical of country schools at that time – a large room with folding doors in the middle so it could be used as one large room or divided into 2 classrooms. Grades 1-4 were on the west end of the building and 5 – 8 were on the east. There was a stage and a couple of dressing rooms on the west end. There was also a coat room that was later turned into a kitchen/ lunchroom. Someone was hired to prepare hot meals for the students. The building had windows that could be opened when you needed to be cool and a coal burning furnace for heating. A well was close by for drinking water. There were outdoor toilets and the boys were assigned to clean them
The school would have plays. Parents and the community were invited to attend.
Known teachers were Mr. Lyman Umphress and his wife and Willie B. (Ashley) Riffe.
The families of the children attending Cold Springs School were: Savage, Christian, Terry, Springfield, Adams, Cook, Pope, Dhanes, Lays and High.
About 1948 the Cold Springs School building was no longer in use. The Van Alstyne School Board decided to move it to the Van Alstyne campus to use it as a lunchroom. The plans were to move the building on a Monday morning. The night before it could be moved, the school building was burned “under suspicious circumstances.”.
Cold Springs Road
Van Alstyne, Texas
The Cold Springs community was located along the Grayson/Collin County line southeast of Van Alstyne. It roughly covered the area between the HT&C Railroad tracks and Sister Grove Creek, about 2 ¾ miles.
The community got its name from two cold springs that started in the area and flowed east to empty into Sister Grove Creek. In 1959 the U. S. government dammed the two creeks to make a Soil Conservation Lake named Sister Grove No. 25.
There were 2 Cold Springs Schools. The first Cold Springs school was just inside Collin County near the two springs. There was a school well. The well and the first Cold Springs school site are now under Sister Grove No. 25. Today, there is a Cold Springs Road, which makes a southern loop from FM 3133 (Sedalia Road). Both Cold Springs schools were east of Cold Springs Road.
The first Cold Springs school served students from both counties. It appeared on the list of Collin County schools in 1900 as School District #140. The August 16, 1900 edition of the McKinney Democrat stated that the Cold Springs school had 30 students in 1899 and 28 students in 1900. All later Collin County School lists have a blank for District #140.
By 1901 the first school was replaced by a second Cold Springs School, which was built in Grayson County a half mile northeast of the first one. It was one mile west of Sister Grove Creek on the south side of FM 3133 (Sedalia Road). It faced north with an east/west configuration. The school served grades 1 – 8. Roy Adams said he doesn’t remember any student riding a horse to school. Everyone just walked.
The Cold Springs school building was typical of country schools at that time – a large room with folding doors in the middle so it could be used as one large room or divided into 2 classrooms. Grades 1-4 were on the west end of the building and 5 – 8 were on the east. There was a stage and a couple of dressing rooms on the west end. There was also a coat room that was later turned into a kitchen/ lunchroom. Someone was hired to prepare hot meals for the students. The building had windows that could be opened when you needed to be cool and a coal burning furnace for heating. A well was close by for drinking water. There were outdoor toilets and the boys were assigned to clean them
The school would have plays. Parents and the community were invited to attend.
Known teachers were Mr. Lyman Umphress and his wife and Willie B. (Ashley) Riffe.
The families of the children attending Cold Springs School were: Savage, Christian, Terry, Springfield, Adams, Cook, Pope, Dhanes, Lays and High.
About 1948 the Cold Springs School building was no longer in use. The Van Alstyne School Board decided to move it to the Van Alstyne campus to use it as a lunchroom. The plans were to move the building on a Monday morning. The night before it could be moved, the school building was burned “under suspicious circumstances.”.
