History

WEST SANDY CREEK (Walker County). West Sandy Creek rises fifteen miles southwest of Huntsville in far southwestern Walker County (at 30°39' N, 95°50' W) and runs southeast fifteen miles to its mouth on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, near Lake Conroe (at 30°35' N, 95°39' W). It crosses gently rolling to gently sloping terrain, surfaced by sandy loam that supports loblolly pine-sweetgum, loblolly pine-shortleaf pine, water oak-elm, pecan-elm, post oak-black hickory, and willow oak-blackgum woods along the banks of the creek. The lower course of the creek traces the northwestern boundary of the Sam Houston National Forest.^qv Anglo-American settlement in the vicinity began in the early 1830s. The Farris community was established on the south bank of the middle creek in the early 1840s. In the early twentieth century the Wesley Grove School for blacks was located near the creek's headwaters.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: D'Anne McAdams Crews, ed., Huntsville and Walker County, Texas: A Bicentennial History (Huntsville, Texas: Sam Houston State University, 1976). Walker County Genealogical Society and Walker County Historical Commission, Walker County (Dallas, 1986).

WEST FORK OF THE SAN JACINTO RIVER. The West Fork of the San Jacinto River rises seventeen miles west of Huntsville in western Walker County (at 30°39' N, 95°51' W) and flows southeast ninety miles through Montgomery County to its confluence with the East Fork of the San Jacinto River on the northern rim of Lake Houston in northeastern Harris County (at 30°02' N, 95°09' W). The river was dammed in the early 1970s to form fifteen-mile-long Lake Conroe (Honea Reservoir) in Montgomery County. Gathering more than 400,000 acre-feet of runoff annually, the West Fork of the San Jacinto is more than twice as large as the East Fork; including the San Jacinto River proper and both branches, the entire system's drainage area comprises 4,000 square miles. Gently sloping to nearly level terrain is surfaced by loam and clay which support patches of loblolly pine-sweetgum, loblolly pine-shortleaf pine, water oak-elm, pecan-elm, and willow oak-blackgum woods on the banks of the river. The creek's middle course flows through western Sam Houston National Forest.^qv Principal tributaries include Neely Spring Branch, McGary Creek, West Sandy Creek, Robinson Creek, McDonald Creek, East Sandy Creek, Little Caney Creek, Lake Creek, Little Lake Creek, Spring Creek, and Cypress Creek. The narrowness of the channel and the limited volume of water in the upper course of the river restrict its recreational uses, despite its generally high water quality and the scenic character of the countryside it drains. Below Lake Conroe Dam, however, there is normally a sufficient flow to permit rafting and canoeing. Moreover, Lake Conroe itself, a 21,000-acre municipal reservoir only twenty-seven miles from Houston, has become one of the most important recreational areas in southeastern Texas.

In the mid-eighteenth century the Spanish governors of Texas competed with French adventurers for control of trade with the Orcoquisac Indians living on the lower reaches of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. Anglo-Americans began to settle on the lower course of the river in what became Montgomery County in the early 1820s, and in 1824 the San Jacinto was formally declared to be the eastern boundary of Stephen F. Austin's^qv colony. The agricultural community of Loma was founded on the west bank near the headwaters in the early 1880s. Wesley Grove has been located on the west bank of the upper river since the early 1900s. Galilee had the Houstonian Institute, a black industrial school, on the east bank of the upper river in the late nineteenth century. The Goshen community has been located on the west bank since the early 1840s. The town of San Jacinto was founded on the west bank in the 1850s. Farris was established on the west bank in the early 1840s. Union Hill was founded on the east bank in the early 1870s, and Bath has been there since the 1880s. The towns lining the river's lower course below Lake Conroe have increasingly grown into bedroom communities of Houston. Conroe was established as a lumber mill village on the east bank in the early 1880s. Leonidas was founded on the west bank of the lower river in the 1870s. Grangerland became an oil boom town on the east bank in the early 1930s. During the mid 1960s Oak Ridge North was established on the west bank of the lower river; Panorama Village and River Plantation were founded on the east bank. Moonshine Hill was established on the west bank near the river's mouth in the early twentieth century. Humble, founded on the west bank of the lower river in the 1880s, became an oil boom town in the early 1900s.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: An Analysis of Texas Waterways (Austin: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1974). D'Anne McAdams Crews, ed., Huntsville and Walker County, Texas: A Bicentennial History (Huntsville, Texas: Sam Houston State University, 1976). Montgomery County Genealogical Society, Montgomery County History (Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Hunter, 1981). Walker County Genealogical Society and Walker County Historical Commission, Walker County (Dallas, 1986). WPA Writers Program, Houston (Houston: Anson Jones, 1942).

The San Jacinto Schoolhouse, which stands at the intersection of FM 1791 and FM 3179 in southwestern Walker County, has been named by a state preservation organization as one of Texas' 13 most endangered properties. Preservation Texas lists the schoolhouse as representing other endangered historic Texas schoolhouses. This building was built in 1948. Photo by Richard Nira/The Huntsville Item.   A stage area stands among the dilapidation of the schoolhouse interior. Photo by Richard Nira/The Huntsville Item.

Saturday,February26,2005

Evelyn McDaniel is working to preserve a little piece of Walker County's history. With little more than some research and the assistance of Preservation Texas, McDaniel has launched an effort to help save one of the county's oldest remaining schoolhouses. The San Jacinto Schoolhouse was recently named by Preservation Texas as one of the 13 most endangered properties in the state of Texas. The schoolhouse, originally located off FM 1791 on Walker Loop in southwest Walker County, was established in 1900 for grades one through seven. The original structure was a large, one-room wooden structure. The building was expanded and relocated to its current location in 1912 to accommodate more students. In 1927 the school was classified as an intermediate and high school and began to include high school grades. The two-story building was then torn down in 1948, and then the three-room building that currently exists was constructed. In 1961, the San Jacinto School building was deeded to the West Sandy Community Center of Walker County and used by the community for dominoes, musical entertainment, voting and a variety of other activities. Now, since Preservation Texas nominated the building, McDaniel has started a grassroots campaign to raise funds in order to restore and maintain the schoolhouse. McDaniel hopes by doing so she can help to preserve a bit of the past and help people appreciate a part of Walker County's history. "It has a real significance in our historic heritage," she said. "It was the only means of education in that particular part of the county. I think people could benefit by using it in some way and preserving its history and giving it a useful purpose in this day and age. We are our history, and as a preservation advocate, I think it is important that we try and preserve as many of these as we can and put to use in today's world." Her campaign to help restore the schoolhouse has only just begun, though McDaniel said she hopes to focus on it more intensely as soon as a plan is established on what work needs to be done. "So far we've basically just began with research and talking with local citizens. Right now I am just beginning to try to find out some resources on how to get funds and all kinds of things," she said. According to Julianne Fletcher, Preservation Texas' executive director, there are many buildings just like the San Jacinto Schoolhouse all across Texas that require restoration and preservation. This one was picked for inclusion on the endangered properties list because it's a representation of other buildings across Texas. "We thought that this one was a good example of what is happening all over rural Texas," Fletcher said. "It represents a lot of other schools like it, and we want people to know about those other buildings out there that should be used as other things or preserved as a school." Fletcher encourages people to become involved in this effort because of what the schoolhouse means historically. "You have a choice. You can ultimately let this building go to a landfill, or you can choose to let people allow the past to be remembered by the built environment that is on a landscape," she said. "We would like to it see remain rather than rid ourselves of our past and a reminder of past. It provides a sense of place. "People need to remember and have identity with their community based on what they see around them. That's what makes this part of Texas special." Stewart Smith is a reporter at The Huntsville Item. He can be reached at (936) 295-5407, ext. 3052 or by e-mail at ssmith@itemonline.com