Cave Creek School, Gillespie County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Cave Creek School is located at 470 Cave Creek Road, in Gillespie County
, in the U.S. state
of Texas
. Built in 1881, it was consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District
in 1950. The building is now used as a community center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on December 29, 2004.
on FM 1631, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Fredericksburg
. Tombstones in the Cave Creek Cemetery indicate a population primarily of German ancestry, settling into the area in the late 19th Century. The area was named after the Pedernales River
tributary of Cave Creek, on which it is located. The creek was so named because of natural caves along its course.
picnic and entertainment, with an afternoon graduation ceremony, culminating in an evening play presented by Cave Creek School alumni.
Local legend has it that one of the caves in the area was man-made by a recluse named Berg who brewed and sold moonshine
, creating a cave to hide his activities and from the law enforcement. Known as Berg's Cave, the students often explored the site of the alleged moonshine business.
The school was consolidated with the Fredericksburg Independent School District in 1950. Cave Creek School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on December 29, 2004. The building is now used as a community center.
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Built in 1881, it was consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District
Fredericksburg Independent School District
Fredericksburg Independent School District is a public school district based in Fredericksburg, Texas .In addition to Fredericksburg, the district serves the unincorporated communities of Stonewall, Luckenbach, Willow City, and Albert...
in 1950. The building is now used as a community center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on December 29, 2004.
Community background
Cave Creek, Texas is an unincorporated farming and ranching communityUnincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on FM 1631, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
. Tombstones in the Cave Creek Cemetery indicate a population primarily of German ancestry, settling into the area in the late 19th Century. The area was named after the Pedernales River
Pedernales River
The Pedernales River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in central Texas in the United States. It drains an area of the Edwards Plateau, flowing west to east across the Texas Hill Country west of Austin...
tributary of Cave Creek, on which it is located. The creek was so named because of natural caves along its course.
School
In 1865, John Ebert donated 8 acre (0.03237488 km²; 0.0125000110521743 sq mi) of land to accommodate the need for a school for the community's children. James A. Larson was the first teacher in 1891 when the one-room schoolhouse opened for classes. A total of twenty teachers served students for sixty-eight years in the structure. Attendance peaked when Cora Hahn taught eighty-two students in 1917. A wood stove in the middle of the room heated the school in the winter, when the students brought in the wood to fuel it. The students were also responsible for cleaning the school. The end of school graduation ceremonies were an all-day community event that centered around a barbecueBarbecue in Texas
Barbecue is a traditional style of preparing beef in Texas and is one of the many different varieties of barbecue found around the world. Texas barbecue traditions can be divided into four general styles: East Texas, Central Texas, South Texas, and West Texas. The Central and East Texas varieties...
picnic and entertainment, with an afternoon graduation ceremony, culminating in an evening play presented by Cave Creek School alumni.
Local legend has it that one of the caves in the area was man-made by a recluse named Berg who brewed and sold moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
, creating a cave to hide his activities and from the law enforcement. Known as Berg's Cave, the students often explored the site of the alleged moonshine business.
The school was consolidated with the Fredericksburg Independent School District in 1950. Cave Creek School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on December 29, 2004. The building is now used as a community center.