Jones County Texas Archives - Tuxedo School - 1927 *********************************************************** Submitted by: Dorman Holub Date: 19 January 2020 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/jones/jonestoc.htm *********************************************************** The Stamford AmericanThursday, June 9, 1927Tuxedo School District No. 5 has an outstanding bonded indebtedness $8,700.00.Valuation of $253,956.00. The local rate of tax 60c, for bonds 40c. The area of thedistrict is 17 square miles. The trustees are W.C. Carlton, J.B. McAlister, and W.P.Apperson. The teachers are W.B. Griffith, Pauline Hudnall and Annie Marie Cooper.Tuxedo is located 14 miles west of north of Anson, 10 miles west of Stamford and 11miles east of Hamlin on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway. It is 1728 feet abovesea level and by recent survey said to be the highest point in Jones County, itselevation exceeding that of Flat Top Mountain.Tuxedo is one of the oldest settlements in Jones County. In 1905 a small one-roomschool building was erected about half mile south of the present school site. MissPolly McDougle was the first teacher. She taught five months at $50.00 per month.About this time Tuxedo was known as Bonita, but the school was called Fairview. Whenthe railroad came to Tuxedo about 1907, and a Post Office was established it wasfound that there was another Bonita in Texas and as the two were often confused therailroad officials changed the name to Tuxedo. The origin of this name is not knownbut one of the stockholders of the company who lived in Waco was either named Tuxedoor had a wholesale house stocked with Tuxedo clothing and to him is given the reasonfor the name.lIn 1911 there were 17 or 18 business houses located in Tuxedo. There was one hotel of40 rooms, two lumber yards, two gins, one bank, telephone exchange and a WesternUnion office.In 1912 a fire destroyed everything with the exception of the gins, lumber yards andhotel. The hotel was later moved away.Early settlers who still reside near Tuxedo are Messrs. Gene Appling, Dick Williams,D.J. Meads, and John Ashburn.In 1909 a two-story brick school building was erected on the present site; the upperstory being used for an auditorium. In 1923 the building was torn down and thepresent one-story three-room brick building erected. A teacherage was also built atthis place.Tuxedo is an agricultural district. Cotton is the chief crop, however maize, wheat,oats, and vegetables are raised. County Agent Tanner reports that Tuxedo has moreterraced land than any other Jones County school district. The amount of terracedland being about 25 percent of the land in the district. Some of the farmers who haveterraced their farms are Messrs. A.J. French, B.F. Ashburn, E.E. Link, M.H. Cook,M.B. Apperson, F.H. Butler. Tuxedo farmers practice and have found profitablediversification. In the fall of 1926, the gin at Tuxedo ginned 2010 bales of cotton.This however cannot be accepted as the yield of Tuxedo school district because manyfarmers at this district took cotton to Hamlin and Stamford brought cotton to theTuxedo gin.Tuxedo now has only one store. The store and post office is operated by Mr. DickWilliams,The population of Tuxedo, according to the last census, was given as 75 or 100 people.By Pauline Hudnall, teacher Tuxedo School.