Sam Houston Industrial and Training School
| Sam Houston Industrial and Training School | |
|---|---|
 Sam Houston Industrial and Training School (1916) construction of the Industrial Building | |
| Location | |
intersection of Texas State Highway 30 and Williams Road, Galilee, Walker County, Texas, U.S. | |
| Coordinates | 30°41′55″N 95°37′44″W / 30.698733°N 95.628917°W |
| Information | |
| Other name | Galilee Community School, Samuel Walker Houston School, Houstonian Normal and Industrial Institute, Samuel W. Houston Industrial and Training Institute, Walker County Training School |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Founder | Samuel Walker Houston |
| Closed | 1930 |
| Affiliation | Huntsville Independent School District (starting in 1930) |
| Followed by | Huntsville Colored School |
Sam Houston Industrial and Training School (1907 – 1930) was a private Rosenwald school for African American students located near Huntsville, Texas in rural Galilee, Walker County, Texas. Originally known as Galilee Community School, it was founded in 1903 with the help of both black and white leaders in Walker County, Texas.[1] It was named for founder Samuel Walker Houston.
A historical marker was erected in 2005 by Texas Historical Commission (no.13238) which commemorates its history.[2] It was also known as the Samuel Walker Houston School, the Houstonian Normal and Industrial Institute, the Samuel W. Houston Industrial and Training Institute, and the Walker County Training School.
History
The Sam Houston Industrial and Training School was preceded by the Bishop Ward Normal and Collegiate Institute, a black college founded in 1883 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church of Huntsville and by Joshua Houston, the father of Samuel Walker Houston.[3][4]
The Sam Houston Industrial and Training School was founded in 1907 by Samuel Walker Houston (1864–1945) as the Galilee Community School in Galillee, Walker County, Texas.[5][6] It was created for black students from 1st grade through 11th grade.[5]
It later became the Houstonian Normal and Industrial Institute. The school offered vocational and mechanical instruction with including cooking, sewing, woodwork, carpentry, and agriculture as well as classes in music, humanities, and science. Trustees of the school built the first campus building in 1914, and continued to add new facilities, including dormitories and workshops and included funding from the Rosenwald Fund.[2][7]
The school was consolidated in 1930 into the Huntsville Independent School District.[5][8] In 1930 the Sam Houston Industrial and Training School was merged into the Huntsville Colored School, which became Sam Houston High School.[2] Samuel Walker Houston served as the principal of the high school starting in 1930.
A monument The Dreamers (1995) commemorates the history of the secondary school.[9] Its history is also honored at the Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Black Education In Texas Had Limits In This Century". The Galveston Daily News. February 19, 1978. p. 9. Retrieved December 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Sam Houston Industrial and Training School Historical Marker". Historical Marker Database (HMDB). Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ "A Brief History of Early African American Schools in Walker County, Musings from Sam Houston's Stomping Grounds podcast series" (PDF). Newton Gresham Library at Sam Houston State University. February 15, 2010.
- ^ "A Long-Forgotten HBCU to Get a Historical Marker in Huntsville, Texas". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. February 5, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c Lucko, Paul M. (February 1, 1995). "Samuel Walker Houston: Pioneer of Black Education in Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ Littlejohn, Jeffrey L. "Samuel Walker Houston School". East Texas History. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ "Houston, born a slave, an educational pioneer". Navasota Examiner. January 17, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ Dwyer, Charles L.; Holder, Gerald L. "Huntsville, Texas: A Historical Overview". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ a b "Samuel Walker Houston Memorial Museum & Cultural Center". Huntsville, Texas. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
