Cottonwood School Melissa and Cottonwood School Plano
Cotton Wood School Highland Melissa
Shady Grove School
CR 365
Melissa, Texas
Cottonwood School was so named from the cottonwood grove in which it was built. There were 2 locations given for it. One location says it was located about 1 ½ [miles] north of Melissa, and east of the Highway [75] and west of the H. & T. C. Ry., and a short distance north of the present home of S. H. Parris, which was originally the home of Dr. Alvin Lacy, who was a practicing physician as was Dr. W. D. Lair, and they were the first doctors in that community. The other location says it was ½ mile south of the Highland Cemetery. Both of these locations place it at approximately CR 365 in an area known as Parris Hill.
In 1860 (Bettie Riffe) went to school there about halfway between Anna and Melissa of today. Got water at a spring where there was a large cottonwood tree, hence the name of the school. This was ½ mile south of old Highland Graveyard. George Portman taught 2 terms.
Miss Jennie Foster taught at Cottonwood in 1862. She taught 3 or 4 terms. She was sister in law to Uncle Charley Wysong. Cary Gates also taught 3 or 4 terms. George Portman taught there later.
COTTONWOOD SCHOOL Plano
Cottonwood School #7
Cottonwood Creek east of McCall Elementary School
Plano, Texas
This school is located across the street just east of the current Vaughn Elementary School in a grassy area remembered by Ed Lynge. Some people remember it being further up the hill where it was relocated due to flooding. Nothing remains of the school site. Cottonwood Trail has been built between the school and the creek and “there used to be a curved draw here where wagons went down to the spring (which is at a fault line) to get water. A good spring ran here when during a drought and people would take their barrels in their wagons and fill up with water for their homes and livestock.” This was part of the R.C. Whisenant Survey. Ed Lynge said that Albert Smith’s granddad went to school here when he was 6 years old. “He said that for a time this section of Allen had to go to Plano schools and his father didn’t like that at all. So he fought and fought and finally got this area back in the Allen school district.”
The early date of 1863 is in the Pioneering in North Texas by Capt. Roy Hall and Helen Gibbard Hall.. 1865 is the start date in History of Collin County by Stambaugh and Stambaugh.
Owen Mathews taught at this school. He had about 60 pupils It was a frame building and weather boarded and heated by a stove burning wood. Early students say it was down near Cottowood Creek while later students say it was on a hilltop, so it may have been moved. Ethyl Summers Reynolds taught there and remembers there being two outhouses . One for boys and one for the girls. There was a curtain down the center of the room that divided grades one through four and grades five through eight.
In 1909-10 in a Records book for the County, Marie Gifford was listed as a teacher for Nov., Dec., Jan., Feb., March, May and July. No trustees were listed.
