Site of First Public School in Bryan

At the polls on Oct. 29, 1877, the City of Bryan voted to establish a free public graded school--a very progressive step in an era of private schools. Interested citizens immediately bought and donated this block for the site. Financial help came from the George Peabody Foundation, a philanthropic agency devoted to education in the post-Civil War South. Cornerstone was laid in 1879. The first session opened in the fall of 1880 with noted East Texas educator Percy V. Pennybacker (1860-99) as principal. There were five other teachers and seven grades. Top floor of the 3-story brick building was the auditorium, used for chapel, calisthenics, and other programs. Dormer windows were set into the roof. Classrooms were on first and second floors; heating was by wood-burning stoves throughout the building. The schoolyard had a boys' and a girls' side. On each side there was an arbor with benches and tables where pupils ate lunches brought from home. A cistern with tin cups chained to its rim provided water. Outmoded by 1919, the old "Graded" (or "East Side") School became an adjunct to a new structure built that year, and housed gymnasium, cafeteria, and shop department. It was razed in 1949. (1973)

Site of First Public School in Bryan is a historical marker in Bryan, Brazos County, dedicated in 1973. It is one of 54 historical markers documented in Brazos County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 172 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.6709, -96.3693 near Bryan. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Methodist Church of Bryan (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Wipprecht House, Edge, Eugene, and Astin-Porter Home.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5041008682. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.