Renner School: 1888

Original Location: Renner, Texas

Built in a small rural community north of Dallas, this school held grades one through seven. The first through fifth grades met in the classroom downstairs, while grades six and seven met upstairs, in the "high school." The original gray paint of the walls, windows, and door trim remains.

Schools were among the earliest institutions on the frontier, but education could be uncertain. Farm children were often needed at home to help with chores, so school terms were sandwiched between fall harvest and spring planting.

Teachers were generally dedicated but nearly always overworked and poorly paid. They usually had to board with the families of their students, and they might need to arrive early at school to light the stove and stay late to sweep out the building.

Fun Fact: Notice that the original "blackboards" in this school are still visible. Blackboards in this and other early schools were quite literally boards painted black.