“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Written by Ben Cox – On the north side of Brownwood, a stone’s throw from Underwood’s Cafeteria, is a piece of local history in danger of fading into distant memory. The Rufus Hardin School sits on a small lot across from Cecil Holman park, and serves as a reminder of moments in time that are both challenging and encouraging.
The current structure was built in 1917, the same year as the original Brownwood High School building that now houses the Family Services Center, to replace the local school for black students. The original two-building campus burned down in 1916, a year after another fire had destroyed The Coggin School. The stones from the burned-out Coggin building were repurposed into what would become the Rufus Hardin School.
Originally named “Brownwood Colored High School,” the school honored its first five graduates with the Class of 1918. When Principal Rufus Hardin had a stroke in 1934 and was unable to continue teaching, the school was renamed in his honor.
The school had 12 grades taught in only three rooms, plus an auditorium which doubled as a science room and make-shift library. Named for the first principal and educator of the original school, Rufus F. Hardin, the school would continue educating children through most of the 1960’s.
Rufus F. Hardin came to Brownwood at the request of former Buffalo Soldier George E. Smith, who founded the school. The first classes were taught in homes and churches in the area until two wooden buildings were placed on the lot around 1910 by the school board. According to historian Carl Bodiford, until the 1940’s, teachers were “paid two-thirds what teachers in the rest of Brownwood were making.”
Improvements were made off and on through the early 50’s, until the Board of Education ruled that all schools were to be desegregated. According to Bodiford, Brownwood was among the first school districts in the nation to begin desegregation. May of 1954 saw the passing of the landmark United States Supreme Court decision in the Brown vs Board of Education case, declaring state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional.
Local historian Carl Bodiford explained “the budget for the next school year had already been set,” for the Brownwood school district, which meant no changes could be made at that time. When it came time to make the budget for the next year, BISD became “one of 28 districts nationwide that desegregated in fall of 1955.”
Hank Hunter (left) speaks with historian Carl Bodiford (right) inside the Rufus F. Hardin school
Integration of the 9th through 12th grade students began in that year, and the Junior high students integrated a few years later.
“It’s a story of resilience, because, in a time of racism and Jim Crow, this community supported this school,” Bodiford said.
At a time noted for racial unrest and social upheaval, Brownwood ISD began integrating its schools with little fanfare, no riots or local officials in the school house door blocking the way for students who wanted to attend as other school districts across the country faced.
However, the process wasn’t without difficulty. Often, Rufus Hardin students who had been moved to Brownwood High returned to their former teachers in the evening for additional lessons, because they felt largely ignored in the classrooms by many white educators of the time.
Closing in 1966, Rufus F. Hardin Elementary, as it was then known, became the home of a Project Head Start program that only lasted for a little over three years before it was shut down. It was used off and on by the community for various uses until it was unsafe to continue and the doors were closed for good.
Today, the structure has been shored up, and made safe for use, but there is still much needed in the way of restoration. Hank Hunter is head of the Rufus Hardin Museum Board, and says “when this project started back in ’97 the (expected cost) was a million dollars.” Hunter believes the structure can be made savable for far less than originally planned, “under half the original estimate.”
Inside the school sits a stack of boards, reclaimed from the original construction, each carefully numbered for future use and preservation
Over $100 thousand dollars has been spent already in restorations, which have primarily kept the building from falling down, including repairing a badly sagging roof and the back wall that had pulled completely away from the rest of the building.
Currently the museum has enough funds saved to pay its insurance bill for a few more years, but will need more funds to achieve the dream of an established museum. Hunter attributes the work that has been done so far to a small group of volunteers who work out of a desire to save the structure, but he says more help is needed.
“There’s only so much a little handful of people can do, we need a community of folks to step up.”
A small stage for presentations, restrooms, and exhibits in the old classrooms are planned for the complete restoration. The building will be divided into two parts: the old auditorium will be available to rent for parties, gatherings, and other social events; and the exhibit side, which will be able to be closed off during rentals of the facility.
If you would like to donate time or money to help save the Rufus F. Hardin Museum Project, call: 325-642-2779, or email: hank@texas-clean.com
