Lone Elm School - 1935 - Near Wylie
Lone Elm School #63
Brown Town
Lone Tree
Parker Road at Meadowlark
St. Paul, Texas
There were 2 schools in Collin County named Lone Elm. One was located northwest of McKinney and was also called Rivers. The other one was located north of present-day Wylie and was also known as Brown Town and Lone Tree.
The name Lone Tree came from the fact that there was a lone mail box attached to a tree for the whole community. The Brown family lived in the area. At one time the main road connecting Murphy and Nevada went through Lone Elm. It was a stage coach route. With the construction of Lake Lavon, that road is now under the lake.
Mr. Clayton Stone had a letter written to his grandfather addressed to Lone Tree, Collin Co., Texas and dated Dec. 25, 1860. Mr. Stone stated that Lone Tree and Lone Elm were the same. Lone Elm was the name of a school located there later. After the Lone Tree P. O. was established, mail was no long left in homes in this area. In 1861 unclaimed letters remaining in the Lone Tree Post Office were listed by the Lone Tree, P. O. Collin County, post master John Seaborn at Lone Tree, Collin County, Texas.
The Lone Tree school was included on a list of Collin County schools in 1880. It was said to be located east of Plano 8 to 10 miles. The teacher was W. J. Dowling.
In the Lone Tree (Brown Town) community, East Fork Lodge No. 650, A. F. and A. M. was granted a charter Jan. 18, 1887, and was set to work Feb. 18, 1887. The Hall was built at Brown Town. Following a Masonic custom, the ground floor was given for use as a school building and the name of the community was changed to Lone Elm. The school was designated in the deed as District No. 63; however, it was always referred to as the Lone Elm School. All of the Wylie schools were listed as District No. 63, including Cotton Belt, Nickleville and Lone Elm.
In July of 1890 the Collin County Alliance met at Lone Elm school house. There was a full delegation present, and it resulted in a harmonious meeting.
Flem McDonald of Wylie taught the Lone Elm school in 1895 and pleased patrons so well that he was again employed to teacher the same place the ensuing term.
“Lone Elm School House and Masonic Hall Licked up by Flames.
In December 1897 Messrs. Moore, Dinwiddie and Hillin, the former two being trustees, were in McKinney for the purpose of consulting county superintendent Shepherd in regard to rebuilding a new school house for the Lone Elm district. About 3 o’clock Sunday morning the old building, which cost in the neighborhood of $1000 to build, caught fire and was soon in ashes. It was a two-story building, the upper one being used by the Wylie Masonic Lodge as a place of meeting. All the school apparatus fixtures and Masonic paraphernalia were destroyed. The efficient young educator Prof. Flem McDonald, who had been teaching at the place for several years, lost about $30.00 worth of books, charts, pictures, etc. that were used to assist him in teaching. Total loss will be upwards of $1000 and there was no insurance. “
W. McDonald and son, Marion, of Wylie, were in town in April 1909. Marion was teaching the Lone Elm school for his tenth term, which was a record hard to beat. He succeeded as teacher his brother, Prof. A. F. McDonald, who had taught the same school five years. Thus, the two brothers had been teaching the same school for fifteen consecutive years. They were raised in Lone Elm district which speaks all the more emphatically of the high esteem of these two worthy young men. A. F. was teaching in the Wylie schools.
Mr. Douglas was the teacher in 1913-14. James Wright McDonald was the teacher in 1915-16.
In 1918 the County Superintendent of Schools said this about Lone Elm:
“The Lone Elm school is one of the three schools in the Wylie Finger Ring school. This house has lately been repaired and made comfortable and is to be further improved during the summer. This district voted the limit of taxation last year and have one new two-room house completed and one new one-room house nearing completion. These new houses are modern and will be well equipped. When the Lone Elm house is completed next summer no district in the county will have better equipped houses for their school than will this district. J. W. McDonald is teaching at Lone Elm, Miss Edith Searcy at Cotton Belt, Miss Kate Ryan and Miss Elsie Osburn at Kreymer. The trustees of these schools believe in paying their teachers living wages and the teachers are in turn showing their appreciation by giving them good service. The people of this district are to be commended for their progressive spirit. This district will receive State aid.”
In November of 1919 a contract was let for construction of a school building. County Superintendent W. S. Smith stated that the trustees of the Lone Elm school let the contract to J. M. Pistole of this city for the erection of a new school building. Work on the new building began immediately. The building contained one room, but was modern and built according to the plans and specifications of the state Department of Education. The old school house was wrecked by a storm several months ago. The new building was to be completed in time for school to begin December first. Miss Gladys Shook had been employed as teacher of the Lone Elm School.
Brown Town
Lone Tree
Parker Road at Meadowlark
St. Paul, Texas
There were 2 schools in Collin County named Lone Elm. One was located northwest of McKinney and was also called Rivers. The other one was located north of present-day Wylie and was also known as Brown Town and Lone Tree.
The name Lone Tree came from the fact that there was a lone mail box attached to a tree for the whole community. The Brown family lived in the area. At one time the main road connecting Murphy and Nevada went through Lone Elm. It was a stage coach route. With the construction of Lake Lavon, that road is now under the lake.
Mr. Clayton Stone had a letter written to his grandfather addressed to Lone Tree, Collin Co., Texas and dated Dec. 25, 1860. Mr. Stone stated that Lone Tree and Lone Elm were the same. Lone Elm was the name of a school located there later. After the Lone Tree P. O. was established, mail was no long left in homes in this area. In 1861 unclaimed letters remaining in the Lone Tree Post Office were listed by the Lone Tree, P. O. Collin County, post master John Seaborn at Lone Tree, Collin County, Texas.
The Lone Tree school was included on a list of Collin County schools in 1880. It was said to be located east of Plano 8 to 10 miles. The teacher was W. J. Dowling.
In the Lone Tree (Brown Town) community, East Fork Lodge No. 650, A. F. and A. M. was granted a charter Jan. 18, 1887, and was set to work Feb. 18, 1887. The Hall was built at Brown Town. Following a Masonic custom, the ground floor was given for use as a school building and the name of the community was changed to Lone Elm. The school was designated in the deed as District No. 63; however, it was always referred to as the Lone Elm School. All of the Wylie schools were listed as District No. 63, including Cotton Belt, Nickleville and Lone Elm.
In July of 1890 the Collin County Alliance met at Lone Elm school house. There was a full delegation present, and it resulted in a harmonious meeting.
Flem McDonald of Wylie taught the Lone Elm school in 1895 and pleased patrons so well that he was again employed to teacher the same place the ensuing term.
“Lone Elm School House and Masonic Hall Licked up by Flames.
In December 1897 Messrs. Moore, Dinwiddie and Hillin, the former two being trustees, were in McKinney for the purpose of consulting county superintendent Shepherd in regard to rebuilding a new school house for the Lone Elm district. About 3 o’clock Sunday morning the old building, which cost in the neighborhood of $1000 to build, caught fire and was soon in ashes. It was a two-story building, the upper one being used by the Wylie Masonic Lodge as a place of meeting. All the school apparatus fixtures and Masonic paraphernalia were destroyed. The efficient young educator Prof. Flem McDonald, who had been teaching at the place for several years, lost about $30.00 worth of books, charts, pictures, etc. that were used to assist him in teaching. Total loss will be upwards of $1000 and there was no insurance. “
W. McDonald and son, Marion, of Wylie, were in town in April 1909. Marion was teaching the Lone Elm school for his tenth term, which was a record hard to beat. He succeeded as teacher his brother, Prof. A. F. McDonald, who had taught the same school five years. Thus, the two brothers had been teaching the same school for fifteen consecutive years. They were raised in Lone Elm district which speaks all the more emphatically of the high esteem of these two worthy young men. A. F. was teaching in the Wylie schools.
Mr. Douglas was the teacher in 1913-14. James Wright McDonald was the teacher in 1915-16.
In 1918 the County Superintendent of Schools said this about Lone Elm:
“The Lone Elm school is one of the three schools in the Wylie Finger Ring school. This house has lately been repaired and made comfortable and is to be further improved during the summer. This district voted the limit of taxation last year and have one new two-room house completed and one new one-room house nearing completion. These new houses are modern and will be well equipped. When the Lone Elm house is completed next summer no district in the county will have better equipped houses for their school than will this district. J. W. McDonald is teaching at Lone Elm, Miss Edith Searcy at Cotton Belt, Miss Kate Ryan and Miss Elsie Osburn at Kreymer. The trustees of these schools believe in paying their teachers living wages and the teachers are in turn showing their appreciation by giving them good service. The people of this district are to be commended for their progressive spirit. This district will receive State aid.”
In November of 1919 a contract was let for construction of a school building. County Superintendent W. S. Smith stated that the trustees of the Lone Elm school let the contract to J. M. Pistole of this city for the erection of a new school building. Work on the new building began immediately. The building contained one room, but was modern and built according to the plans and specifications of the state Department of Education. The old school house was wrecked by a storm several months ago. The new building was to be completed in time for school to begin December first. Miss Gladys Shook had been employed as teacher of the Lone Elm School.
