Samuel Walker Houston Research Paper

Samuel Walker Houston
Modernizer of Huntsville African American Education

Many people are completely unaware of how African Americans were educated prior to desegregation. Samuel Walker Houston was one distinguished figure who took charge at the roots of this issue. Amongst other decorated achievements, he founded the Galilee Community School, which was most likely the first school for African American children in not only Huntsville, but all of Texas during this time. This research paper is a focus on how Samuel Walker Houston went about accomplishing such a feat, some of the hardships he faced in his efforts, and how he led the small school at Galilee with a single teacher when it began in 1907, to become consolidated with the Huntsville Independent School District in 1930.
Before looking at the Galilee Community School, it’s important to take a look back at Samuel Walker Houston’s earlier years to get an idea of how he became such the pioneer in education. He was very different from his African American peers, and was also undoubtedly a lucky child because he never had to be a slave to anyone. Furthermore, unlike many other African American children he had parents that could support him financially to pursue future endeavors. He could learn to read and write from the direct teachings of and the examples set by both parents. Samuel had additional help in his education most likely from the church or community schools around the area 1 which prepared him to attend Atlanta University, and even attending any sort of college was something that was quite uncommon to most African Americans during this day and age. After attending college Samuel had quite a resume, having worked in Washington D.C. and running the Huntsville Times, a local newspaper aimed at the black community. After that, he taught at Grimes County in the Red Hill Community School, which may have been his first real inspiration to be an educator. 2 After his time there, he made his way to Galilee in 1906 and began teaching in the small community. The building at Galilee was a twelve-by-fourteen foot wooden box with one door and two windows. It was so dilapidated that Samuel refused to teach there, and even used $4 out of his $35 a month salary to rent the local Galilee Methodist Church to teach out of. He and one other teacher, Miss Mamie Arnold taught grades one through six there. 3
With Samuel Walker Houston teaching in the church, the foundation for the Galilee Community School was finally set. Houston and a board of trustees very soon thereafter bought one acre of land to build a school rather than continue renting out the church. The new school was built, consisting of a four-room building and a separate vocational shop in the first year; it also took on a new name, Sam Houston Industrial Training School. The school was a large success, and by the second year four and a half extra acres were purchased in addition to three new teachers hired to support a student body of eighty young African American students. 4 Since the school was growing at an exponential rate, the Sam Houston Industrial Training School needed supplementary funds to pay for expenses. Samuel Walker Houston was dedicated in his efforts to making the school a major success, so he found ways to raise money for the school. Some of those resources were raised by the state government, private citizens, and such philanthropic organizations as John D. Rockefeller’s General Education Board, the Rosenwald Fund, and the Slater Fund.5 Another fundraiser for the school was the Jeanes Fund, which was the subject of a bit of controversy for a moment in the school’s history.
The Jeanes Fund was set up by Anna Thomas Jeanes, a Quaker of Philadelphia, who survived all other members of her family and inherited the family's wealth. She was a remarkable woman with a vision for Christian peace which she used her fortune to promote. Anna felt that others had given to the larger schools, so if she could, she wanted to help "the little country schools." Therefore, in 1907, Jeanes set aside one million dollars to fund a program for the fostering of rudimentary education in small, African-American rural schools. The fund was formally named the Negro Rural School Fund, Anna T. Jeanes Foundation. James Dillard was appointed the fund’s president. 6 The importance of this fund became apparent in 1912, when one of the teachers for Sam Houston Industrial Training School failed to make sure certain reports were filed, so Samuel Walker Houston had to step in to assure that the funds were not lost. In a lengthy letter to President Harry Estill of Sam Houston Normal Institute, (now Sam Houston State University) Samuel Walker Houston said the domestic science teacher had been so negligent in this particular that Dr. Dillard threatened to discontinue the appropriation another year and perhaps some. He then said that he would even go as far as to getting rid of the teacher in order to make sure that the reports were sent in a timely fashion.7 This truly showed the lengths that Samuel Walker Houston was willing to go to in order to keep his school alive, and if anyone that was part of the school did not handle their affairs correctly, then he would find somebody that would. However, the matter never got out of hand, because President Estill contacted Dr. Dillard, in which Dr. Dillard replied that it was not intended that the teacher working under the Jeanes Fund give so much of her time to his (Houston’s) school. 7 This is just one example of Samuel Walker Houston’s commitment to his school, which is one important philosophy he learned from his parents, as well as other great leaders that he came in contact with and learned about. He carried this mentality throughout his school, and incorporated these values into the curriculum of the classrooms.
Samuel Walker Houston ran his school based off of the principles of General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, founder of Hampton Institute. The curriculum at the school consisted of not only a basic education, but also self sufficiency of all students that attended. 8 The education was also directed toward the time period, and since women’s role in society at that time focused primarily on the home, they were taught sewing, cooking, and basic science among other things. Boys were taught woodworks, manual training, carpentry, mathematics, and general problem solving tactics. 9
The Sam Houston Industrial Training School would set the precedent for African American students in the Huntsville area and later on a larger scale in Texas. Samuel Walker Houston’s relentless efforts to spread knowledge to young minds proved very successful to many students who without him, may not have come to be such flourishing minds in their respective studies.

Footnotes:

1. Prather, Patricia and Monday, Jane. Joshua Houston: From Slave to Statesman. (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 1993).p.1

2. Lede, Samuel Walker Houston, p. 26; Hazel Price Interview, 1992

3. Prather, Patricia and Monday, Jane. Joshua Houston: From Slave to Statesman. (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 1993).p.2

4. Lede, Samuel Walker Houston p. 29, 35

5. Handbook of Texas Online, s.v.”,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/fhobs.html (accessed September 14, 2009).

6. Louisa County Historical Society, "The Jeanes Fund." http://louisaheritage.org/enlg/JeanesFund.htm (accessed October 18, 2009).

7. Estill, Harry F. "President's Papers." Newton Gresham Library Archives (1912-1913): Aug 1912-Mar 1913.

8.Lede, Samuel Walker Houston, p. 31

9. Prather, Patricia and Monday, Jane. Joshua Houston: From Slave to Statesman. (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 1993).p. 3

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