Masonic Home Independent School District | |
---|---|
Address | |
3600 Wichita Street United States | |
Coordinates | 32°42′32″N97°16′46″W / 32.70889°N 97.27944°W |
District information | |
Grades | K-12 |
Established | 1913 |
Closed | 2005 (dissolved) |
Other information | |
Merged into | Fort Worth ISD |
Notes | School district for orphans, of notable historical interest |
Website | Masonic Home and School of Texas - History |
Masonic Widows and Orphans Home Historic District | |
Location | Roughly bounded by E. Berry St., Mitchell Blvd., Vaughn St., Wichita St. and Glen Garden Dr., Fort Worth, Texas |
Area | 206 acres (83 ha) |
Built | 1910 |
Architect | Wiley G. Clarkson, Herbert M. Greene |
Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 91002022 [1] |
Added to NRHP | January 28, 1992 |
The Masonic Home and School of Texas was a home for widows and orphans in what is now Fort Worth, Texas from 1889 to 2005. The first superintendent was Dr. Frank Rainey of Austin, Texas. [2] Starting in 1913, it had its own school system, the Masonic Home Independent School District. [3] [4] Orphan Blake R. Van Leer was the only boy in 1909, went on to become president of Georgia Tech and civil rights advocate. [5]
The campus included buildings designed by architects Wiley G. Clarkson of Fort Worth and Herbert M. Greene of Dallas, and it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1992. [2] [6]
In 1899, the Masons opened a home for widows and orphans of Masons. Later, widows moved to a location in nearby Arlington (closed nearly a century later during the construction of Cowboys Stadium) and the home was opened to non-Masonic orphans. On January 10, 1913, under laws passed in 1905 allowing orphanages to organize their own schools, the Texas State Board of Education created the Masonic Home Independent School District. [3] [4]
The Texas Historical Commission recognizes the fraternal organization foundation as a historic district geographically in the southeast quadrant of Tarrant County, Texas lineate to U.S. Route 287 in Texas. [7]
Its 1930s football teams are the subject of a 2007 book by Jim Dent, Twelve Mighty Orphans. [8] In 1995, the Masonic Home won the TAPPS Class 1A State Football Championship in Groesbeck, Texas. under the coaches Tom Hines and Arthur (Buster) Bone, also an ex-student.
The book would later be adapted into a film, 12 Mighty Orphans , in 2021.
The school closed in 2005 due to lack of funding because of a 6.9 million dollar sexual abuse settlement. [9] The school district merged with the Fort Worth Independent School District and the buildings and grounds were sold to a private developer. [4] The school's chapel is now a private facility known as the Bell Tower Chapel, a popular wedding location. [10]
Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 U.S. census population of 2,110,640, making it the third-most populous county in Texas and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its seat of government is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 26 counties created out of the Peters Colony, was established in 1849 and organized the next year. It is named after Edward H. Tarrant, a lawyer, politician, and militia leader.
Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 179,927. Its county seat is Cleburne. Johnson County is named for Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson Sr., a Texas Ranger, politician and soldier in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. Johnson County is included in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area.
Ellis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, its population was estimated to be 192,455. The county seat is Waxahachie. The county was founded in 1849 and organized the next year. It is named for Richard Ellis, president of the convention that produced the Texas Declaration of Independence. Ellis County is included in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area.
Denton County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 906,422, making it the seventh-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton. The county, which was named for John B. Denton, was established in 1846. Denton County constitutes part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. In 2007, it was one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.
Hurst is a city in the U.S. state of Texas located in the densely populated portion of northeastern Tarrant County and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. It is considered a Dallas and Fort Worth suburb and is part of the Mid-Cities region. It is 13 miles from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 40,413.
The Fort Worth Stockyards is a historic district that is located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, north of the central business district. A 98-acre (40 ha) portion encompassing much of the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District in 1976. It holds a former livestock market which operated under various owners from 1866.
Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District is a K-12 public school district based in Bedford, Texas (USA). The district serves the city of Bedford, most of the cities of Euless and Hurst, and small parts of North Richland Hills, Colleyville, Fort Worth, and Arlington. The district operates twenty-one elementary schools, five junior high schools, two traditional high schools, and additional specialized facilities.
Fort Worth Independent School District is a school district based in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Based on a 2017-18 enrollment of 86,234 students, it is the fifth largest school district in Texas.
White Settlement Independent School District is a public school district based in White Settlement, Texas. The district serves students in White Settlement and a portion of Fort Worth in west central Tarrant County.
Northwest Independent School District is a North Texas public school district with its headquarters in the city of Fort Worth, Texas (USA). with a Justin postal address. The school district is named for its location in the northwestern area of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. The school district lies in three North Texas counties: Denton County, Tarrant County and Wise County.
Harvey Nual "Rusty" Russell was an American football coach at the high school, junior college, and college level in the state of Texas. He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 1950 to 1952 and Howard Payne University from 1962 to 1963, compiling career college football coaching record of 17–30–3. Russell was also head football coach at an orphanage in Fort Worth, Texas, the Masonic Home and School, from 1929 to 1941. He co-authored the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Code of Ethics in 1952 along with fellow coaches William D. Murray, Lloyd Jordan, and Bud Wilkinson. He is known for developing the spread offense.
Harry James Dent is an American author and sportswriter.
The Masonic Widows and Orphans Home, located in Louisville near St. Matthews, Kentucky, is a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky to support the widows and orphans of Master Masons, but now is open to all senior citizens.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Tarrant County, Texas.
The F.W. Woolworth Building is a historic department store building located in Sundance Square section of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The building served as a retail location for the F. W. Woolworth Company from 1926 to 1990. It now houses other tenants including a JoS. A. Bank Clothiers store.
The Eldon B. Mahon United States Courthouse is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit located in Fort Worth, Texas. Built in 1933, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and was renamed in honor of district court judge Eldon Brooks Mahon in 2003.
The Southside Masonic Lodge No. 1114 is a Masonic Lodge located in Fort Worth, Texas. The lodge was chartered on December 6, 1915, by the Grand Lodge of Texas, Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons. It was the fifth Masonic lodge in the city of Fort Worth chartered by the Grand Lodge of Texas, and its success in following decades was due to the growth of the south side of the city.
The Fairmount–Southside Historic District is a 340-acre (140 ha) historic district that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990. The district is roughly rectangular in shape.
The Fort Worth Masonic Temple is a Masonic Temple located at 1100 Henderson Street, Fort Worth, Texas. Designed by Wiley G. Clarkson, the Neoclassical/early PWA Art Moderne structure was completed in 1931 and has largely remained unchanged. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 as Masonic Temple.
12 Mighty Orphans is a 2021 American sports film which was directed by Ty Roberts from a screenplay by Roberts, Lane Garrison and Kevin Meyer. It is based upon the non-fiction book Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football by Jim Dent. The book is based on the Masonic School for Orphans in Fort Worth, Texas.