The History of Rice School Submitted by the Wilma Camp Thedford 4 November 2004 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ***************************************************************** The History of Rice School Community schools were the first type of school systems in Smith County. Classes were held in small oneroom cabins or in community churches. Usually, only one teacher taught all grades from first to eleventh. The school terms usually consisted of five months. Some children were not able to attend the full length of the school term. These children were expected to stay home and help their families plant crops. This was a way of life for most families who lived in rural areas. In February of 1900 J. S. McGee was elected as the first county school superintendent and community schools became rural school districts. These rural school districts were located outside of the city districts of Tyler, Lindale, and Troup. Although the vote was in, the change did not take place until 1909. That year teachers received a pay raise from $210 per year in 1900 to $320 in 1909. W. A. Woldert was awarded $150 to draw the boundary lines of the rural school districts. After the district lines were drawn, school continued at the same location along with other oneroom schools also in the district. Drawings of the boundary locations can be found in the Smith County Commissioners court minutes [book 6, page 234]. These records include the location of the existing Liberty Schoolhouse that was here as early as 1880. Deed records for August 2 1, 1880 [book 42, pages 40-41] state that for one dollar, the Liberty Schoolhouse and one acre was sold to the trustees J. H. Payne, H. F. Rice, and F. Y. Smith. This purchase was made for the use and benefit schoolhouse in the Hugh Curry survey adjoining on the south side of the "Lanes Chappel" land deeded earlier. This was the location of the Liberty Community School that later became Liberty District #30. Red Barn Square is now located about where the old school stood. Before rural school districts were established in 1909, Liberty School was the only school in this area. Miss Mary Elizabeth Trayer, commonly known as May, was Liberty School's only teacher. Miss Trayer had the responsibility of teaching fifty-five students in grades one through ten. In 1907 she married her former student Clen Rice. Mr. Rice was only a few years younger than Miss Trayer. In 1918 Porter District #49 merged with Liberty District #30 and became Rice Consolidated School. Porter District was originally located north of the Liberty District, extending to the Tyler school system, which was about where Rose Hill Cemetery is today. After the merging of these two school districts land for a new location had to be selected by both trustees of the consolidated school districts. Records for December 1918 [book 136, page 221] state Rice Consolidated School District # 13 purchased seven acres of land, four miles south of Tyler and about one mile north of the old Liberty Schoolhouse in the Mary M. Long survey from William Oscar and Eva M. Williams for $525. This is the same location of the present school today. They named the new district in honor of Hezekiah F. Rice, a trustee on the school board and Sallie (Moore) Rice. The Rice's enthusiastically supported the whole community as wells as churches, welfare movements, and their fellow man in any way possible. They raised five children who also became prominent in the community. The little community schools dotted around the area were no longer needed after districts merged and some were torn down. This movement sealed the fate of the once thriving community of Hickory Grove. At one time Hickory Grove consisted of a Masonic Lodge, post office, and the school next to Kendrick Cemetery, which is located north of present day Grande Blvd. The new Rice School was a two room, white clapboard building built on top of the hill near the present Rice School. Later through the years three more classrooms were added. The school had two teachers, Principal Robert S. Boulter and his assistant, Mrs. May Rice. Mr. Boulter taught at many of the rural schools in Smith County prior to 1920. The school had pumped water and a well with a communal dipper. Restroom facilities were outdoor privies. Lunches were carried in a sack, syrup bucket, or by any means possible. Most lunches consisted of biscuits and syrup, baked sweet potatoes, or fried salt pork. Billy Joe Everett, a former student, recalls at times, Mrs. Vera Booth would bring hamburgers in a pressure cooker and sell them for a nickel. After teaching for seven years, Mr. Boulter ran for County School Superintendent in 1920, but he made sure in the event of his loss that his job as Rice School Principal was secure. Mr. Boulter succeeded and served as superintendent for forty years. During the early years he instituted many good changes in county schools. An important development of the rural high school took place in 1930 and students in grades ten through eleven went to Tyler High School. In 1939 the Midway School District merged with Rice School District. The old Rice School building was replaced by a new brick building down the hill. The old building was torn down and a bus shed was built in its place. The new school had indoor restroorn facilities and water fountains. Lunches were twenty-five cents and served outdoors from a building in the back. The children received their lunches through a small window in the building. They would eat their lunches in the classroom and return the trays after they had eaten. This was practiced until the early 1950's. As student attendance grew larger more classrooms were needed. For a few years students in the ninth grade were transferred to Hogg School, leaving only eight grades at Rice School. After the junior high building was built in 1949-1950 the students in the ninth grade returned to Rice School. The new junior high building was built on the north side of the elementary school built in 1939. A cafeteria was built in the old building that once was the auditorium and gymnasium. In 1956 Tyler and the remaining rural school districts consolidated into one. With this new consolidation of the rural school districts emerged Tyler Independent School District. Soon after the consolidation there was no longer a need for a county superintendent. At Rice School a new wing was built to the east of the old school to house grades fifth and sixth. Law abolished the office of county superintendent in 1978. That same year a new school was built to take the place of all the former school buildings. All of the old buildings were reduced to rubble. All that is left of the old Rice School are the vivid memories of its former students. Today, more students attend Rice Elementary School than any other elementary school in Tyler.