Dorchester School

The community of Dorchester was founded on the railroad during the early years of the twentieth century. Two one-room country schools were established to provide for the education of the children of the families who moved to the area. The Dorchester School came into being about 1907 with the consolidation of these schools. Between 1913 and 1915, a two-story brick schoolhouse was constructed at this site. Its auditorium also served as a location for community gatherings. Under U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's WPA program, a new school building was constructed in 1940. Its gymnasium served as athletic facility, auditorium, and social center, with the Halloween carnival as an annual highlight. The high school was closed in 1949, but the Dorchester School continued to provide classes for elementary grade students until consolidation with the Howe School District in 1959. For more than 50 years, the Dorchester School played a central and vital role in the town. Some of its graduates returned to the school to become educators, and many have remained in Dorchester to become community leaders.

Dorchester School is a historical marker in Dorchester, Grayson County, dedicated in 1985. It is one of 144 historical markers documented in Grayson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 208 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.5316, -96.6909 near Dorchester. The nearest cataloged historic site is Mormon Grove (cemetery), about 2.8 miles away. Others within a short drive include William Whitley Wheat, Haning, Jabez and Harriet, and Hall Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5181007356. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.