A Little More History
I'd always been told that the two story portion of Marvin Elementary, that our class attended, was the remains of the Old Marvin College after a third story was removed. I knew there'd once been a Marvin College located at Brown and Marvin, so it sounded reasonable to me. In later years, I finally got to see a photograph of Marvin College. It looked like this:
Marvin College
Now, I wasn't the brightest bulb in Jack Griffith's Mechanical Drawing Class, but I had a real hard time seeing where Marvin Elementary evolved from this structure. It was only while researching the info for the web site (stealing from articles from the Ellis County Musem) that I found the missing piece:
"The establishment of Marvin College in 1870-71 proved a great source of civic pride and distinction. Most students hailed from Waxahachie and nearby areas. The Northwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South provided funds for the construction of the college, which was named for E. M. Marvin, bishop of the district. The school stood at the northern edge of town. Bird's-eye maps of Waxahachie, drawn in 1876 and 1886, show that the campus was originally isolated from the town, but residential development eventually encroached on the school. Marvin College operated until 1884, when it closed for financial reasons. The facilities were purchased by the city of Waxahachie for use as a public school. The old building, which stood just north of present-day Marvin Elementary School (Survey Site No. 155), was eventually abandoned and razed in the 1920s."
So, if it was razed in 1920, what was used to build Marvin Elementary we knew? The answer.... another school was built to replace the old College. " In 1904 a three-story brick edifice (Survey Site No. 155), known as Park School, was erected in front of the old main building of Marvin College." The school was also known as Central Ward. And it looked like this:
Central Ward In The 1930's
Now THAT I can buy. I can even see the columns!.....
Now, for all you turkeys that have known this forever, remember it's taken me 59 years to get to this point.
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Marvin Elementary 1950's
Sorry, but this is the only photograph that I have of old Marvin Elementary and Janet Forest was kind enough to share this one with me. Like many of the old Waxahachie landmarks that have disappeared over he years, I've failed to get photos of them before they were destroyed. I think it should be mandatory for the contractor to photograph ALL structures before they tear them down.
Central Ward School - Built 1904
Marvin College 1880
Looking From College Street
SAME VIEW 2002!
Marvin Elementary 2002
Looking From College Street
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The New Marvin Elementary
Looks Like a Prep School For SMU
The "Front" of Marvin, Now On Brown Street
Anyone remember the school song for Marvin Elementary?
Remember all the words??
Stoff………….
Below is what I remember and how I remember the Marvin Elementary School song:
Dear Marvin we pledge thee these days of our youth
And we pray that each day we may learn
Thy lessons of hope and of faith and of truth
And our guidon we faithfully earn.
And the years fleeting by, with their hopes and their fears…………….
Ad infinitum, ad nauseum, etcetera….
The above should be pretty close but it is all that I remember. Also, seems like Ivy Cheatum may have written it.
Milkbone
(Steve Fincher)
A special THANK YOU to the Ellis County Museum and Staff for letting me use them as a source for this info. They, Billy Hancock, and the Junior Historians have done a super job of providing some great historical insights into Waxahachie and Ellis County
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