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Four years after Uvalde became a railroad shipping point, the people of the city built their first school building. Completed in 1885, the facility served all grade levels. The picketed structure was constructed of cedar logs and erected on this site, which was donated by the town's founder, Reading W. Black. The demand for space quickly required a new four-room two-story structure. Four more rooms were added in 1891, the year of the first graduating class. Graduation ceremonies, which took place after completion of the tenth grade, were sometimes held in the Uvalde Opera House. The school building burned to the ground in 1898. Determined to continue to meet the educational needs of their children, Uvalde citizens erected a new building on this site in 1900. The two-story edifice cost $10,000 to build, and there was some controversy over its size. By 1907, Uvalde had become an independent school district, and even the modern 1900 structure was no longer adequate for the rapidly growing area. Plans for a larger Uvalde High School on West Main Street were carried out in 1908. The educational investments of the early citizens of Uvalde have been multiplied in the graduates of Uvalde High School. For more than a century, Uvalde students have become valuable community members. (1998) Incise on base: Gretchen Catron, Jane Knapik, Donna McDonough |
