Sunbeam School
Sunbeam School
CR 138 and CR 132
Celina, Texas
The Sunbeam community and school were located in far northwest Collin County. It was about 1 mile east of Preston Road (SH 289) and almost on the Grayson County line. The school district straddled the Collin/Grayson County line. The community of Marilee was about a mile west of Sunbeam on the west side of Preston Road (SH 289). Students on the west side of Preston Road went to the Skaggs School. The students on the east side went to Sunbeam School.
In 1916 the teachers at Sunbeam School were Misses Jones and McWilliams. An article written in March 13, 1930 stated that the Sunbeam School would go on through April. The teachers were Misses Kinsey and Goodman, who were said to be teaching one of the best schools ever taught there. The PTA was meeting at the school house the next week. Miss Kinsey was said to be the principal.
Dr. Harold Murphy and Miss Lorene Goodman were the teachers at the school in 1932. The school year was starting on October 24th. It was typical in farming communities in the area to wait until the cotton picking was over to start the school year.
The Sunbeam School district was closed in 1942. The Collin County students were sent to Alla School. The Grayson County students went to Gunter in that county.
The Alla School District got possession of the Sunbeam School building.
The Sunbeam community had a weekly social column in the Celina Record. It was also mentioned in the society columns for Marilee and Alla.
In 1930 a large fossil reptile/fish was found in an embankment about 1¼ mile east of Sunbeam. An article in the Celina Record on October 23, 1930 states: “The skeleton of a monster fish was unearthed in a tank in the Sunbeam community, 5 miles southeast of Gunter and 9 miles northeast of Celina.
“The skeleton was in the white rock about 7 feet below the surface of the earth. It was about 18 feet long with eye sockets almost as large as saucers. The mouth is set with teeth, graduating from half the length of one’s finger to much shorter.
“The skeleton is 1 ¼ miles east of Sunbeam School house.
“[The landowner, Mr. Roy Williams] contacted SMU [Southern Methodist University]. M. C. Kelsey, M. L. Coker, and W. A. Bramlette, geology students of SMU, arrived here in a large truck.
“They stated that the skeleton was that of a marine reptile known as a Mosasaur of the upper Cretaceous period of the US and Europe.
“The bones of this fish or reptile have probably lain where they were for something like a million years.
“These SMU men dug the skeleton up and took it to SMU to add to the specimens on display there.”
A Mosasaur was an air-breathing marine reptile/fish that gave birth to live young, similar to a dolphin. Other fossils of this fish have been found in Dallas County and there is a Dallas subspecies for this reptile, Dallasaurus. A Mosasaur can be from 1 foot long to over 50 feet long. (Wikipedia)
A fossil fish was found a couple of miles south of this one on the bank of Haw Branch. It was a fish, not a reptile, and was about 12 feet long. It is in the possession of the University of Texas in Austin. The site is marked with a county historical marker.
The Collin County students of Sunbeam consolidated with the Alla District. The Grayson County students went to the Gunter District.
CR 138 and CR 132
Celina, Texas
The Sunbeam community and school were located in far northwest Collin County. It was about 1 mile east of Preston Road (SH 289) and almost on the Grayson County line. The school district straddled the Collin/Grayson County line. The community of Marilee was about a mile west of Sunbeam on the west side of Preston Road (SH 289). Students on the west side of Preston Road went to the Skaggs School. The students on the east side went to Sunbeam School.
In 1916 the teachers at Sunbeam School were Misses Jones and McWilliams. An article written in March 13, 1930 stated that the Sunbeam School would go on through April. The teachers were Misses Kinsey and Goodman, who were said to be teaching one of the best schools ever taught there. The PTA was meeting at the school house the next week. Miss Kinsey was said to be the principal.
Dr. Harold Murphy and Miss Lorene Goodman were the teachers at the school in 1932. The school year was starting on October 24th. It was typical in farming communities in the area to wait until the cotton picking was over to start the school year.
The Sunbeam School district was closed in 1942. The Collin County students were sent to Alla School. The Grayson County students went to Gunter in that county.
The Alla School District got possession of the Sunbeam School building.
The Sunbeam community had a weekly social column in the Celina Record. It was also mentioned in the society columns for Marilee and Alla.
In 1930 a large fossil reptile/fish was found in an embankment about 1¼ mile east of Sunbeam. An article in the Celina Record on October 23, 1930 states: “The skeleton of a monster fish was unearthed in a tank in the Sunbeam community, 5 miles southeast of Gunter and 9 miles northeast of Celina.
“The skeleton was in the white rock about 7 feet below the surface of the earth. It was about 18 feet long with eye sockets almost as large as saucers. The mouth is set with teeth, graduating from half the length of one’s finger to much shorter.
“The skeleton is 1 ¼ miles east of Sunbeam School house.
“[The landowner, Mr. Roy Williams] contacted SMU [Southern Methodist University]. M. C. Kelsey, M. L. Coker, and W. A. Bramlette, geology students of SMU, arrived here in a large truck.
“They stated that the skeleton was that of a marine reptile known as a Mosasaur of the upper Cretaceous period of the US and Europe.
“The bones of this fish or reptile have probably lain where they were for something like a million years.
“These SMU men dug the skeleton up and took it to SMU to add to the specimens on display there.”
A Mosasaur was an air-breathing marine reptile/fish that gave birth to live young, similar to a dolphin. Other fossils of this fish have been found in Dallas County and there is a Dallas subspecies for this reptile, Dallasaurus. A Mosasaur can be from 1 foot long to over 50 feet long. (Wikipedia)
A fossil fish was found a couple of miles south of this one on the bank of Haw Branch. It was a fish, not a reptile, and was about 12 feet long. It is in the possession of the University of Texas in Austin. The site is marked with a county historical marker.
The Collin County students of Sunbeam consolidated with the Alla District. The Grayson County students went to the Gunter District.
