The information provided here was put together by E. Ray Smyth for the Lueders-Avoca Alumni Web Site and afterwards thought it should be made accessible for the TxGen Web Project.
The information was provide by the alumni members who formerly lived in the area or attended the Berryhill school.
As the car and a modern means of transportation i.e. the school bus developed, the necessity of providing public education in close vicinity to the students diminished and the small country schools such as Berryhill were consolidated into the larger existing schools in towns and cities.
AND, thus it was in the mid forties that Berryhill in Shackelford County merged into the school system at Albany, Texas. However, several Berryhill families moved into Lueders, Texas in Jones County so their children could attend the Lueders School which was only 3 miles from Berryhill whereas Albany in Shackelford County was 20+ mile distant.
Additional info and memories is provided as follows:......
The Berryhill School House is still standing.
There is a storm cellar, although the roof has caved in it and has never been completely filled in and has been that way ever since I can remember.
I only live about 2 miles from there and I went by this morning (4-19-07) and snapped a couple of photos.
The building was kept in usable shape until about 10 to 15 years ago. A school reunion, family reunions, and other functions were held there.
Submitted by:... Bobby Reves, Lueders High School - Class of 63 - April 19, 2007
Yes, DeWitt, I can provide more history about the schools north of Lueders than most people might care to know.
In the fall of 1935, the one-teacher Cobb School and the two-teacher Rockdale School "transferred" to Lueders.
There were many financial considerations that caused this to be more acceptable to those schools and consolidation was not required at that time.
Patrons of the Berryhill school (between the above schools and Lueders) chose to continue its school for its elementary students there.
Former school administrators could provide more authentic details on the following information than I can.
As I recall, in later years the Gilmer-Akin Law required school districts to consolidate but, it must be with a contiguous district.
Since Berryhill continued to maintain its school, Cobb & Rockdale Schools were not permitted to consolidate with Lueders but, were required to do so with the newly developed Paint Creek School.
Another item of interest currently -- I do not think there are any school age children now residing in the land area that composed the former Cobb or Rockdale school districts and very few people of any age living there.
On the lighter side, some may remember the school bus we rode into Lueders. It had an unusual design and we called it the "chicken coop" because of its appearance. Also, that was before the roads in our area were "all weather" roads and became almost impassable when it rained.
Consequently, students riding that bus spent nearly as much time pushing it as riding.
Submitted by Clifton Cobb, Lueders High School - Class of 37 - April 24, 2007
To View Photos of Berryhill, Click:..
HERE
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Ray Smyth Web Site ]