History of TISD
Tarkington Independent School District encompasses 238 square miles in north Liberty County. The district is located seven miles east of Cleveland and fifty miles north of Houston.
The Tarkington area was settled by Burton B. Tarkington, a former Indiana resident, in 1822 (see article below). The area proved profitable for farmers and ranchers, and several small farming and ranching communities developed. The first school in the vicinity was a product of these communities, and often, the building where school was held was also used as a church and a community meeting center. Such was the case with the first known high school building in the area, one set aside in the early part of the 20th century by Rural Shade Church (ca.1907). It became known as Oakdale High School.
In 1931, more than a hundred years after those first ranchers settled in Tarkington, five small area schools decided to join together in order to (among other reasons) meet the demands of the state regarding minimum enrollment. This joint venture, the Tarkington Consolidated School District, included Dolen, Hightower, East Tarkington, North Tarkington, and West Tarkington schools. In a nod to Texas' two flagship universities, the longhorn was chosen as the mascot and the school colors were predominantly maroon. A new high school building (state-of-the-art in its day) was built to accommodate the consolidation effort, but, as irony would have it, efforts to bring the schools together served instead to split the community asunder. The new school, which opened in 1933, was burned down a scant four years later, the cause attributed to arson. Tradition has it that a faction of area residents who were dissatisfied with the location of the consolidated school building were responsible for the burning, though no charges were ever filed.
In 1938, following a brief stint in some temporary buildings, 6th through 12th grade students eventually moved into another new high school building that was built on land adjacent to the location of today's Tarkington Intermediate School. This building served the community well into the 1960s, after which it was abandoned and subsequently lost to fire.
The year 1958 brought another new high school building, which served the Tarkington high school population for nearly two decades, after which it became the Tarkington Middle School, and then again say a shift in student population as it became the new home of the Tarkington Intermediate School students in the 2006-2007 school year.
A fifth high school building arose on the Prairie in 1974, its arrival hailed by the local newspaper in a 6-page special section. Like its fabled 1933 predecessor, it was an architectural feat of its day, with massive public spaces, a top-notch auditorium, and a sizable gymnasium and shop area. For over thirty years this building saw Tarkington high school students come and go, and now continues to do so with a younger group of students; since the fall of 2006, it was reopened as Tarkington Middle School.
The latest and greatest of buildings, in a long legacy of Tarkington High School , was opened for business in January of 2006. We continue to prepare THS students for their roles as citizens and productive members of society, which helps preserve the heritage and foster the growth of the community that is Tarkington Prairie.
Tarkington History Quick Facts
The first Rural Shade Baptist Church building, built 1878. When the church built a new building in 1917, this building became the first high school on Tarkington Prairie, Oakdale High School.
Hightower School, circa 1911. Located near the Santa Fe Railroad on a direct line from FM 2518 about 1/2 mile north of FM 787. Consolidation of the common school districts in 1931 left the building available for use as a church.
The Dolen school bus was built, owned, and operated by Bill Neal. He built it in 1934. Until that time, the children either walked to school or rode horses. There were three routes - the Kirkham farm, the Smith farm, and Big Creek.
East Tarkington School. The building had four large classrooms, a large auditorium with a stage, and two cloakrooms. It also served as a polling place for local and national elections. Sunday school, church services, and weddings also took place there. In the summer, singing schools were held.
Tarkington's first consolidated school, 1931. The building was one of the most modern of its kind with ten classrooms, a library, a science lab, and a 500 seat auditorium. The building burned in 1937 and arson was suspected.