The Gothic Revival style Eagle Ford School was completed in 1924. It is located in West Dallas in what was known as both as the Eagle Ford community, near the former town of Cement City. The land itself is steeped in early Dallas history. It was first owned by Peters Colonists in the 1840s, most notably Sarah and Alexander Cockrell, and became the site of a French colony called La Reunion (1855-57). After that colony failed, French immigrant Emile Remond acquired property on the tract and began a brick-making business.
Remond soon discovered that the area was rich in limestone, caliche, and shale from the Trinity River and that the raw materials were perfect for the manufacture of cement and lime. He started the short-lived Iola Cement Plant, attracting the attention of Galveston investors. They bought his plant and established the Texas Portland Cement and Lime Company in 1900.
In 1908, the company began an expansion of the plant and established the privately-owned town, Cement City, for its employees. The town had two separate housing villages, one for African and Mexican Americans and one for Anglos. Several other cement companies were also established in the area. The plants were pivotal in the growth and development of the Eagle Ford community, which had around 500 residents and its own post office.
The first Eagle Ford School was established in the 1870s and was a log and frame building. The existing school served elementary and middle school Anglo and Mexican American children from the southern areas of Eagle Ford, Trinity Portland Cement Company residential villages, Arcadia Park, and surrounding rural areas. Eagle Ford and Cement City School Districts were annexed into the Dallas Public School system in 1928. West Dallas resident Bonnie Parker was believed to have attended the school, although no records exist to confirm her attendance. By the late 1940s, the community was outgrowing the Eagle Ford School. Students were sent to other schools to reduce crowding and, in 1956, the town of Eagle Ford was annexed into the City of Dallas.
Eagle Ford School was constructed of the same cement and lime manufactured in the neighborhood. The school closed in 1965, and is the only remaining structure associated with the Eagle Ford community. The old school was used as a storage facility after it was closed, then was used as office space before being shuttered in the mid-2000s. The building was purchased in 2017 by the current owner who has meticulously restored the structure.
Click here to view our photo set, including a few before and after photos.
City of Dallas Office of Historic Preservation 