Historical Marker
Site of Dallas Area - First Schoolhouse
Carrollton & Farmers Branch
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SITE OF DALLAS AREAS
FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE

BUILT IN 1845
DURING IN 1845
DURING THE TIME OF THE
REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
for
MARY ANN RYLAND WEST
- TEACHER -
by her husband
ROBERT JENTRY WEST
DALLAS PHILOLOGICAL SOCIETY
1958

Submitted by Edward L. Williams
 

Located at 2900 Valley View Lane
just west of Webb Chapel Rd

 

First In County

Pioneers' School Site To Be Scene of Rites

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - The Dallas Philogical Society will dedicate a marker of Texas granite Sunday at 3 p.m. at the site of the first school house in Dallas County. Site of the ceremony is on Valley View Road west of Webb Chapel Road.
School children of Farmers Branch will sing and provide a color guard. Taking part on the program will be: Lourania Miller, Society President; the Rev. Richart T. Perry, Webb Chapel Methodist Church; Frances E. Thomas, secretary, and Robert T. Gill, vice-president of the Society; Farmers Branch Mayor Lawson Lewis; Mrs. John Donaho, who will speak for the West family, and Due and Vicki West, youngest descendants of the West family pioneers.
The pioneer school house was built by Robert Jentry West in 1845 for his wife, the former Mary Ann Ryland, who had been a teacher in Tennessee. The Wests had come to the Peters Colony in a carriage, Conestoga wagons following with their household goods and servants. They brought with them an excellent library of classics and the best magazines of the day, all of which circulated among their new neighbors.
The school house, a one-room log building with split logs for seats, housed all grades.
Robert Jentry West laid out the street plan for the town of Dallas and was county treasurer from 1854 to 1858.
A son, John, was a surveyor, and a grandson, John R., was the County Surveyor. Another son, Robert H., was the first county judge, 1876-1878. Bob West, present Dallas County surveyor, is one of the descendants.
A daughter of the pioneers, Ann West, married William Winn and many of their descendants will be present.

The Dallas Morning News - October 16, 1958
Submitted by Barbara Judkins

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