New Hope School
New Hope School #101
Rock Rest Road at FM 1827
New Hope, Texas
New Hope School was established about 1866 about four miles northeast of McKinney. The school was made of logs and was 16 feet square. Men in the community hauled the logs by oxen team and wagon to the school, and when they had enough logs, the men gathered in the school year to build the school. The floor was dirt and had a fireplace for heat. Professor Everett was one of the first teachers at the New Hope School. T. T. Webb taught in 1901, Professor W.L. Yarborough taught there the longest, and Professor Noyes taught in 1893. By 1890 there were 93 pupils in the school. In 1892 there were 69 students. J. J. Webb was the teacher in 1901 and Miss Jimmie Stiff in 1905.
Perhaps the favorite activities at the school were the end of the year Exhibitions led by Professor Yarborough. The programs were often opened with a grand march of school students, speeches, recitations, dialogues, and music. He successfully led a writing school for adults in the community. In 1890 George M. Wilson won the prize for the best penmanship, and Mrs. Addie Davis won for the greatest improvement.
In 1918 the County Superintendent described the New Hope School:
“This district has improved their house some but the arrangements are not what the school needs and is able to afford. They have some local tax but not the limit. They have a large attendance, really larger than most of the one teacher schools. The enrollment is 56 with a good regular attendance and the work is progressing as well as can be expected under the crowded conditions. Miss Gertrude Hollins is giving this district good work.”
In 1920 the patrons of the New Hope School District #101 voted on a bond issue of $2000 to be used for a new school building. The vote was 11 to 5 in favor of the bonds.
In May 1921 Mrs. Fred M. Ownbey closed her seven months school term at New Hope. It was her second year as teacher of that school. Also, in 1921 Prof. N. J. Wall stated that the district would erect a new two-teacher school by the opening of the coming fall term. Mrs. Margaret West Hughston was the teacher in 1924 and 25. Miss Carrie Mae Nelson taught the New Hope school in the fall of 1929. There were 60 students in 1925 and 33 in 1940.
Special Memories by Margaret West Hughston who taught at the school
“The 4 school trustees in 1924 were Charlie Tarvin, John Bates, W. W. Cooley and Ben Mallow. The building had been constructed about 1910. It was a white frame building, facing east, with a cloak room just inside the entrance. The one school room was large and square, accommodating about sixty desks. Windows filled the west wall and a blackboard covered the north one, with the teacher’s desk in front of it. One truly modern feature was an indoor rest room for girls, with a door in the south wall of the school room opening into it. There was no running water, The boy’s toilet was outside. There was a well, with a bucket and dipper. The school was heated in winter with a very large, coal-burning store. Ray Chapman was the janitor. The school grounds were bare, but the surrounding countryside was beautiful.
“I drove to the school [from McKinney] in a Model T Ford coupe. The road to New Hope was a winding, white rock one with a narrow strip of concrete known as the “sidewalk” across the East Fork Creek bottom, which was subject to frequent overflows. On more than one occasion I drove across the flooded sidewalk with men on horseback riding beside my car to keep me from getting off of the concrete.
“There was always a “dinner on the grounds” for the last day of school and an evening program celebrating the end of the school year at the Jacob Routh Baptist Church across the street.
“When baseball season arrived the boys and girls came down with the fever. During morning and afternoon recess period there was much activity with ball and bats. They played against the teams of 3 schools: Milligan, Woodlawn and Viney Grove.
“There was a cyclone. Mr. Taylor, who owned the New Hope store, had a large storm cellar in front of his store. One spring day storm clouds appeared early in the morning, and, as the day advanced, the wind increased and the clouds grew blacker. At about 11 o’clock Mr. Taylor ran to the school to tell us that a cyclone was approaching and warned us to get to his cellar as fast as possible. All of the children ran to the cellar, but it was soon apparent that there was not room for all 50 of them. It was decided that the Taylors, the girls and the little children would occupy the cellar while the biggest boys and I awaited our fate outside. The cyclone really did roar overhead, at not too high an elevation. Even the cockiest boys were silenced. It touched ground between Farmersville and Greenville and did some damage.”
Rock Rest Road at FM 1827
New Hope, Texas
New Hope School was established about 1866 about four miles northeast of McKinney. The school was made of logs and was 16 feet square. Men in the community hauled the logs by oxen team and wagon to the school, and when they had enough logs, the men gathered in the school year to build the school. The floor was dirt and had a fireplace for heat. Professor Everett was one of the first teachers at the New Hope School. T. T. Webb taught in 1901, Professor W.L. Yarborough taught there the longest, and Professor Noyes taught in 1893. By 1890 there were 93 pupils in the school. In 1892 there were 69 students. J. J. Webb was the teacher in 1901 and Miss Jimmie Stiff in 1905.
Perhaps the favorite activities at the school were the end of the year Exhibitions led by Professor Yarborough. The programs were often opened with a grand march of school students, speeches, recitations, dialogues, and music. He successfully led a writing school for adults in the community. In 1890 George M. Wilson won the prize for the best penmanship, and Mrs. Addie Davis won for the greatest improvement.
In 1918 the County Superintendent described the New Hope School:
“This district has improved their house some but the arrangements are not what the school needs and is able to afford. They have some local tax but not the limit. They have a large attendance, really larger than most of the one teacher schools. The enrollment is 56 with a good regular attendance and the work is progressing as well as can be expected under the crowded conditions. Miss Gertrude Hollins is giving this district good work.”
In 1920 the patrons of the New Hope School District #101 voted on a bond issue of $2000 to be used for a new school building. The vote was 11 to 5 in favor of the bonds.
In May 1921 Mrs. Fred M. Ownbey closed her seven months school term at New Hope. It was her second year as teacher of that school. Also, in 1921 Prof. N. J. Wall stated that the district would erect a new two-teacher school by the opening of the coming fall term. Mrs. Margaret West Hughston was the teacher in 1924 and 25. Miss Carrie Mae Nelson taught the New Hope school in the fall of 1929. There were 60 students in 1925 and 33 in 1940.
Special Memories by Margaret West Hughston who taught at the school
“The 4 school trustees in 1924 were Charlie Tarvin, John Bates, W. W. Cooley and Ben Mallow. The building had been constructed about 1910. It was a white frame building, facing east, with a cloak room just inside the entrance. The one school room was large and square, accommodating about sixty desks. Windows filled the west wall and a blackboard covered the north one, with the teacher’s desk in front of it. One truly modern feature was an indoor rest room for girls, with a door in the south wall of the school room opening into it. There was no running water, The boy’s toilet was outside. There was a well, with a bucket and dipper. The school was heated in winter with a very large, coal-burning store. Ray Chapman was the janitor. The school grounds were bare, but the surrounding countryside was beautiful.
“I drove to the school [from McKinney] in a Model T Ford coupe. The road to New Hope was a winding, white rock one with a narrow strip of concrete known as the “sidewalk” across the East Fork Creek bottom, which was subject to frequent overflows. On more than one occasion I drove across the flooded sidewalk with men on horseback riding beside my car to keep me from getting off of the concrete.
“There was always a “dinner on the grounds” for the last day of school and an evening program celebrating the end of the school year at the Jacob Routh Baptist Church across the street.
“When baseball season arrived the boys and girls came down with the fever. During morning and afternoon recess period there was much activity with ball and bats. They played against the teams of 3 schools: Milligan, Woodlawn and Viney Grove.
“There was a cyclone. Mr. Taylor, who owned the New Hope store, had a large storm cellar in front of his store. One spring day storm clouds appeared early in the morning, and, as the day advanced, the wind increased and the clouds grew blacker. At about 11 o’clock Mr. Taylor ran to the school to tell us that a cyclone was approaching and warned us to get to his cellar as fast as possible. All of the children ran to the cellar, but it was soon apparent that there was not room for all 50 of them. It was decided that the Taylors, the girls and the little children would occupy the cellar while the biggest boys and I awaited our fate outside. The cyclone really did roar overhead, at not too high an elevation. Even the cockiest boys were silenced. It touched ground between Farmersville and Greenville and did some damage.”
