Source: The Highlander, Thursday July 26, 1962, 75th Anniversary Edition
Transcribed by Edna Cheatham, <ecrobinhood @ yahoo . com>, October 2009
Marble Falls College, Built in 1890, Served Educational Needs
The early educational needs of Marble Falls were met by the Marble
Falls College, built in 1890 at a cost of about $15,000. This building
today serves as the junior high school.
After 1900 the name of the school was changed to Marble Falls Academy.
Here is what the college’s seventh annual catalogue, issued in 1894,
has to say about the building and site:
“The handsome two-story building, 77x85 feet, is probably the only
solid granite building in the State. It is constructed of material from
the same quarry as that used on the exterior of the new State Capitol
of Texas. It was erected in 1890 at a cost of about $15,000. It has in
connection a two-and-a-half story frame building, well finished and
furnished for a boarding hall.
“These buildings are situated in a beautiful elm grove one mile from
the central portion of the town.
“The rainfall on the college roof is conveyed into a large cistern,
affording the school an abundance of pure water.
“The buildings are near the center of a 10-acre campus, level, shaded
and covered with granite sand, so that mud, even in rainy weather, is
unknown.
“All these features secure the comfort and contentment and hence the
application and advancement of the pupils.
“During the past few months the upper story of the college building has
been finished in elegant style, thereby giving us three
other handsome recitation rooms. The grounds have recently been
enclosed with a neat and substantial fence, by which the appearance of
the property has been much improved, so that Marble Falls can challenge
any town in West Texas to show a more beautiful school property than
that of her college.”
Bruce is Principal
In 1894, W. H. Bruce, PhD., became principal of the college. There were 10 grades and a junior collegiate course. The board of trustees was composed of W. E. Ford,G. E. Green, and H. T. Ellison.
The teaching staff that year included Bruce, R. W. Bruce, Mrs. Emma Haygood, Miss Leonora Burns, Miss StellaHallford, and Miss Maggie Forbes. Miss Nilla Phinney and Miss Minta Brown were in charge of the music department and Miss Mollie McDonald was art instructor.
That year there were 174 boys and 178
girls enrolled. There was no football, school buses or parties during
week days. Few holidays were observed.
In those days hogs and livestock ran at
large in town and saloons were wide open on main street. Michel’s store
and opera house, one of Marble Falls’ landmarks, was destroyed by fire
in 1927.
The college’s catalogue lists these
shipments from Marble Falls for the 12 months period ending June 1,
1894:
Hogs, 31 cars, 2900 head Horses and cattle, 33 cars Cedar wood and posts, 144 cars Pecans, 6 cars Miscellaneous freight, 40 cars Wool, 58,804 pounds Cotton, 1,210 bales
A statement from C. C. Pearson,
agent for Austin and Northwestern Railroad, stated that in the same
period there was shipped from Marble Falls station 4,600 cars of
granite.
There are many familiar names in the
1894 enrollment in Marble Falls College and their listing by The
Highlander will recall many poignant memories to its readers:
Allen, George
Male and Female Students were listed separately in 1894
Males
Allen, George
Allen, James
Andrews, George
Askew, William
Females
Alston, Amanda
Alston, Anna Lee
Andrews, Hattie
Andrews, Dollie
Andrews, Bertha
Andrews, Lottie
Askew, Maggie
Askew, Pearle
Aten, Ettie
Males
Ball, Wesley
Badger, Stillman
Ball,, Foy
Ball, James
Ball, Ellis
Barnett, Harvey
Bates, Willie
Bell, Wesley
Bible, Willie
Bible, John
Birmingham, Joe
Birmingham, George
Bishop, Ellis
Black, Oscar
Blessing, Wiley
Boltinghouse, Willie
Branham, Peyton
Broline, Eric
Bridges, Don
Brooks, Albert
Brooks, Henry
Brown, Henry
Brown, Arthur
Bruce, Ralph
Bruce Byron
Burris, Sedlie E.
Females
Badger, Maggie
Ball, Ila
Banta, Lula
Bell, Birdie
Bingham, Currie
Bingham, Lula
Bingham, Mabel
Bishop, Little
Blessing, May
Blew, Etta
Bowdain, Annie
Bowdain, Lizzie
Branham, Dora
Branham, Flora
Bridges, mattie
Britt, Minnie
Britt, Jodie
Broline, Angla
Brooks, Edna
Bruce, Maud
Burris, Johnnie
Burris, Willie
Bussay, Ervie
Males
Chalk, Charles
Chalk, Arthur
Chapman, Jay
Clark, Frank
Clark, Ben
Clark, Willie
Colbath, Henry
Cotton, James
Cotton, Clevie
Courtner, Gaines
Cox, Crawford
Crisp, Edward
Crisp, Wayne
Faubion, Herbort
Faubion, Edwin
Faubion, Carl John
Faubion, Oscar
Fitzpatrick, Eddie
Fluitt, Eddie
Forbes, Don
Forbes, Joe
Ford, Willie P.
Friedsam, Leopold
Friedsam, Isaac
Females
Fields, Mary
Fields, Suzie
Fitzpatrick, Nannie
Flanagan, Nina
Flanagan, Ada
Ford, Effie
Ford, Emma
Ford, Mattie
Fox, Maud
Males
Gooch, Frank
Graham, Anthony
Green, Guy
Grizzard, Virgil
Grizzard, John
Grizzard, Willie
Hammond, Am
Hammond, Forrest
Hammond, Dock
Hammond, Oliver
Haynie, Albert
Hicks, Henry R.
Houston, Clyde
Houston, Harrie
Houston, Kirk
Hubbard, Claud
Hubbard, Roy
Janner, Willie
Johnson, T
Johnson, Alfred
Jones, Herbert
Kinser, John
Kirk, Edward
Females
Janner, Belle
Jay, Carrie
Kenady, Allie
Kirk, Emma
Kuhnel, Ottie
Kuhnel, Jennie
Males
Lacy, John H.
Lacy, Christian
Lacy, Norton
Lacy, John F.
Lacy, Virgil
Lacy, Rufus
LaForge, James
Locke, Columbus
Longley, Robert
Loose, Charlie
Lowe, Bertie
Luckie, Mack
Females
Lacy, Nora
Lacy, Nettie
Lacy, Lillian
La Forge, Geneva
Latham, Rinna
Lindsey, Florence
Lowe, Lena
Males
Mar, David
Marshall, Alonzo
Maynard Earle
McFarlane, Samuel
McKamey, John
McKamey, Tunnell
Milam, Kenny
Miller, Moses
Miller, Willie
Mills, Willie
Mills, Richie
Morrow, Joseph
Morrow, Guy
Moursund, Anton N.
Murcheson, Clyde
Murphy, John
Murphy, Ben
Females
Marks, Ella
Maxey, Mattie
Maxey, Minnie
Maxey, Margaret
Maxey, Fannie
Maynard, Blanche
McClish, Viola
McClish, Maud
McFarlane, Mackie
McKamey, Myrtle
McKamey, Ivy
McKee, Lena
Miller, May
Miller, Bessie
Mills, Mary
Moore, Lora
Moore, Ethel
Morrow, Georgia
Murphy, Hannah
Murphy, Polly
Males
Nanney, Edgar
Nelson, Nelson
Orle, Edward
Ogle, Noah
Perry, Willie
Perry, Mack
Pharr, Callahan
Phillips, Lee
Phillips, Leslie
Phillips,, Howard
Phinney, Charles D.
Phinney, Alex
Females
Nanney, Dovie
Nanney, Vicie
Ottinger, Lucy
Perry, Ella
Peters, Kate
Peters, Maggie
Peters, Sophie
Peters, Mattie
Peters, Charlie
Peters, Jennie
Peters, Susie
Phelan, Attie
Philipe, Claudie
Phillips, Myrtle
Phinney, Annie
Phinney, Beulah
Price, Myrtle
Males
Randalls, Hiram
Roper, Edgar
Roper, James
Roper, Arthur
Roper, Leslie
Russell, James
Females
Randalls, Nora
Richards, Fay
Richards, Hattie
Richards, Ina
Robinson, Ora
Roper, Allie
Roper, Myrtle
Roper, Liska
Roper, Ada
Russell, Annie
Males
Salters, Carl
Saunders, Samuel
Saunders, Lindsey
Saunders, Oscar
Savage, John
Scott, Thomas
Scott, Ben
Shelley, Pleas
Shuugart, Thomas
Simmons, james
Simpson, D.
Simpson, Staunton
Skaggs, George
Skaggs, Calvin
Smith, Titus
Smith, Ernest
Sparlin, Willie
Spitler, Martin
Spitler, Marion
Steen, Walter E.