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Submitted: 8/6/22 • Approved: 8/9/22 • Last Updated: 8/12/22 • R529964-G0-S3
Fairview Cemetery and School
Texas Historical Markers
Wills Point, Texas
R. H. Reeves donated one acre of land in 1875 to the Fairview community for church and school purposes. A one-room log schoolhouse was erected on the site, and part of the land was set aside for a cemetery. The oldest documented burial in the cemetery is that of Susanna Carter in 1876. Most of the graves were dug by family members and friends. In 1945 the last burial occurred at the Fairview Cemetery. After the log school burned down, another wooden school building was constructed on the site. When the student population increased, another room was added, making the schoolhouse an L-shaped structure. Pupils and their teachers either walked to school or rode horses or mules. Many teachers boarded with local residents. In the early 1920s, the two-room school was torn down, and the lumber was used in part to erect a larger three-room school. J. F. Liston donated land to the school in 1924 for a teacherage and playground. The economy of the area was dependent on cotton farming. Cotton production declined in the 1930s-40s, and many families moved away. The school closed in 1945, but was used as a community center for many years until it was destroyed by fire in 1995.
(1996)
*Photo courtesy of Ted Deen
Contributed on 8/6/22 by MryAl8
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Record #: 529964