Blanton School, Wolfe City, Texas
historic place
The Blanton School in Wolfe City, Hunt County, Texas, was built in 1923. Its construction resulted from a partnership initiated in 1912 by African American educator Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck & Company. Rosenwald matched funds raised by the local African American community and the Wolfe City school district to establish the school. Blanton School followed standard Rosenwald designs, which emphasized natural lighting and ventilation. Until the 1950s, the school was located outside city limits and lacked access to sewer or natural gas lines. The school's calendar was structured around the cotton season, allowing students to work in fields during fall harvests. It served students from first through eighth grade with three teachers for approximately 70 students. Blanton School continued to serve the African American community until Wolfe City schools integrated in 1965. The school was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, though it was later demolished. A historical marker was erected in 2015 by the Texas Historical Commission. This site is historically significant as one of the Rosenwald Schools, which provided educational opportunities for African American children in the South.