National Register Listing

Leesville Schoolhouse

E of Leesville off TX 80, Leesville, TX

The red brick Leesville School House provides an excellent example of the one-room vernacular schoolhouse of the Texas frontier. Located on the east Bank of Oneal Creek, the schoolhouse was constructed about 1870 and remains one of the few existing structures from the original town site of Leesville. For this reason, the structure symbolizes much more than a small rural schoolhouse; it represents a vital link to Leesville's early history.

In September 1841 President Mirabeau B. Lamar issued land grants on the banks of the Oneal Creek in the southwestern part of Gonzales County and, after a few years, a small settlement developed along the creek. Just after the Civil War ended, a new wave of settlers migrated to the area. Because of their religious fervor, the new settlers were nicknamed Pilgrims by the local people. The newcomers constructed a temporary building that served both as a church on Sunday and as a house for several families for the remainder of the week. In 1888 they built a permanent church which still stands today.


The small community's needs began to grow as demonstrated by the establishment of the first general store and brick kiln in 1868. Two years later, the settlers decided to name the community Leesburg in honor of Lee Guinn, the first white child born in the immediate vicinity. At about this time, Leesburg opened its first school. Built of red brick which was manufactured from red clay at the local brick kiln, the school was named the Leesburg Male and Female Institute and played a crucial role in the education of young people in Leesburg and the surrounding area.

When Leesburg sought to establish its own Post Office in 1878, the request was rejected because a Post Office by that name already existed in the state. As a result, the name was changed to Leesville. The town grew slowly but was an important ranch and farm supply center in the immediate area.

The schoolhouse was used continuously until 1918 when a new school building was completed, leaving the old school vacant. A disastrous flood struck Leesville in 1936 and wiped out most of the small town. However, the schoolhouse was one of the few buildings that survived the flood. The town relocated a few miles away, abandoning the original townsite for higher ground. The school building remained empty until World War II. At that time, it was used for storage and also housed a small kitchen for the W.P.A. Except for temporarily housing a family for three months, the schoolhouse has been vacant since then.

Because of the structure's significance in Leesville's past, the schoolhouse has received much attention from the surrounding community. A local organization, "Save the Little Red School House", has been raising money for the restoration of the building and plans to convert it into a museum and community meeting place.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.