DUSTER

DUSTER SCHOOL

On May 14, 1965 Sam Frazier submitted the “History of the Duster School” paper to Al Strasner as part of his Texas history class.  That paper forms the basis for the information contained below. 

   The first Duster school was a single room building located in “Old Duster” on the lot where the Duster Baptist Church stood in 1965.  When the railroad bypassed the community in 1910 and the village moved a couple of miles north, the school also relocated.  The frame, two room, two story building was completed in time for school in October 1911.  There was a single class room on ground level which housed the first four grades.  Upstairs the second classroom housed grades five through seven.  Around 1915 a lone student made up the eighth grade.  There were about thirty or forty students enrolled during those years. 

   Water for the school was supplied from a lone well north of the building.  Most children had a folding, paper drinking cup which the teachers discouraged sharing with others.  But like children of today, some would forget their cup and others did not have one and thus, when the teacher was not monitoring the well, the cups were often loaned to a friend.  Seats in the school were handmade and generally large enough for two children to sit together.  Talking would quickly get seat mates separated.  Boxwood heaters were used for heating the building.  Children brought their lunches in pails, bags, paper sacks, or in a lunch box if they could buy one.  Books were purchased by the students and carried in satchels usually made by their mothers.  Some had carrying straps which resulted in the books pounding the backs of the students as they walked.  Others had handles.  Most were made of ducking but former students remembered that some were of gingham or other strong cloth.

     The first year of the new Duster school, there were two teachers.  The principal was Earl Lightfoot who taught the upper grades and the primary teacher was Alice Robertson. 

      About 1916, the building was replaced with a new three room building with all the classrooms on ground level.  An auditorium was added later to the north side of the “L” shaped structure.  While the new school was also a frame structure, it had amenities such as cloakrooms and single desks.  The new desk had ink wells located in the upper right hand corner as is familiar to any student who attended school in the De Leon area prior to the mid 1960s.  However, no student had a fountain pen until one was given as a prize by the superintendent in 1919.  A pipe with holes was installed on the water well and if a child pumped fast enough, the other students had a working water fountain.  Jacket stoves which burned coal replaced the wood burning stoves.  The faculty consisted of three teachers.

     In the early 1920s, Rock Bluff school and Live Oak consolidated into Duster increasing the enrollment to around 100.  Two additional teachers were added and ten grades were offered.  For the first time the school purchased three buses to transport the students.

     Around 1924 Indian Mountain and Ninevah consolidated into Duster and two more teachers hired and two additional buses were purchased.  The building was enlarged with three new classrooms and an auditorium/study hall.  The enrollment was estimated to be about 150 students.

     In the spring of 1926, Duster held its first graduation exercises with six Seniors receiving diplomas.  Mrs. Lilly Pearl Chamberlain of John Tarleton College was the speaker for the occasion.

      The 1916 school burned about 1939 forcing classes to be held in churches and tabernacles.  A new stone building costing $114,000 was erected during the summer at the same location.  The building provided a lunch room with hot meals, running water and restrooms.   A teacherage was then constructed which served as the home of the superintendent. 

      In 1946 the school published its first annual, The Falcon.  In 1948, 1949 and for part of 1950, Duster contracted with Gorman to accept the high school school students due to a lack of money.  In 1950, Duster consolidated into the De Leon and Gorman school districts.  The old school was dismantled and the stone used for other structures.    

    

   

DUSTER STUDENTS ca: 1930

Top row (L-R):  Cleo Jenkins, unknown, Roy Goates, Bill Huddleston, Elmer Cleere and Ernest Brewer.  Middle row:  Pearl Files, Frisky Carnes, Cleo ______, Molly ______, Cleo Skaggs, and ______ Duke.  Bottom row:  Golden Carter, Clara Johnson, Lois Winkles, Joe Foote (Teacher) Lucille Solomon, and Lorene Hurst.  Photo provided to De Leon’s Messenger by Vera West.

The school building shown behind the students and below was the third Duster school building.  It burned about 1939 and was replaced with a new masonry structure.

Duster consolidated into De Leon in 1950.

KNOWN DUSTER TEACHERS

1908 Mrs. L.L. Dukes

After Moving to New Duster 1911

Earl Lightfoot -Superintendent

Alice Robertson-Teacher

1916 through the mid 1920s

Mr. Mc Carey

Mr. Haney

Miss Ruby Heath,

Miss Hattie Nabors

Miss Nina Mullins

Mrs Bess Myrick

Mr. and Mrs Will Evans

Miss Myrlee Foreman

Mr. and Mrs. Claiborne Eldridge

Miss Maudie Pittman

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Harper

Teachers following consolidation with

Rock Bluff, Ninevah, Live Oak and Indian Mountain

Mr. Jeeter (Principal 1932-1934)

Mr. Ernest Curb (Principal 1934-?)

Mr. and Mrs. Sparks,

Miss Joe Foote (Mrs. Lawrence Eison)

Mr. Matt Hanes

Fay Hattox

Dora Faye Mc Phail

Mr. Boling,

Dewey Mulloy

Myrle Gregory

Mrs. Burdett

Hope Dukes

Architect’s Rendition of the 1940 Duster School

Photo provided to De Leon’s Monitor by Cled Heathington

Student body at Duster probably in the 1930s.