Red Oak Academy (site) (Burleson, Texas)

Although this site did not become involved quite so early as 1879 with the higher education movement, it “inherited” in later years a school that began that year. This school, the first operated in the vicinity of Burleson, was a 30 by 40-foot frame building erected at Brushy Mound. Its first teacher was J.T. Galloway. Succeeding teachers at Brushy Mound included a Mr. Heuskden, Fisher Rector, Berry Stout, Will Pearson (a graduate of Add-Ran College), a Miss Taylor and A.P. Thomas.
During the superintendency of Thomas, there was a movement to obtain a better school for the locality. Among civic leaders interested in this were J.H. Bills, J.W. Haskew, D.I. Murphy, T.N. Pierce, T.K. Stone, and J.A. Thompson. Rock Creek and other small communities were canvassed, and it was found that there were many citizens interested in better educational facilities.

At a meeting on April 17, 1885, in the Baptist Church in Burleson, it was suggested that the school should be in Burleson. But Brushy Mound people were putting up most of the money, and wanted it in their community, so it was situated there, only a few miles away from Burleson.

D.I. Murphy, a leading citizen, gave $7,000 to start the fund, and canvassed Fort Worth and surrounding towns for contributions. In a building completed in November, 1885, the new school opened under the name of Alta Vista College.

A.P. Thomas was president; the staff was composed of Thomas, a Mr. Miller, and Miss Sofia Shannon. For a while the school seemingly was going well. But as it had no funds other than the contributions of its patrons, finances had become a great problem.

Meantime, Burleson was growing; it needed a good school, and proposed to move Alta Vista College into town, but was met with the opposition of Brushy Mound people. In 1889 Burleson people decided to build their own school and withdrew patronage from Alta Vista. This further weakened the college, and Mr. Thomas resigned to accept a better position elsewhere.

In spite of its difficulties, Alta Vista College kept operating until 1893, when it was transferred to the ownership of Red Oak Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and became Red Oak Academy – about the equivalent of a junior collerge.

The Rev. L.C. Collier was named president. There were boarding houses for both girls and boys (the boys’ operating under the name of “The Hamontree House”). The oldest student on record was a man of 40; the youngest admitted, a girl of 15.

The great event of 1898 was the dropping out of three boys to enlist in the Spanish-American War.

In the fall of 1898, the Rev. D.C. Ellis succeeded Mr. Collier as president. In the spring of 1899, disaster struck in the form of a typhoid fever epidemic. Fatalities included several students and two of the teachers, Misses Sallie Gerard and Clyde Houston. There were three students who remained in school long enough to graduate that spring, but the school closed early and never again reopened. The property reverted to the ownership of the Brushy Mound Community.

In 1900, largely through the ownership of G.W. Bransom, the schoolhouse was moved from Brushy Mound to Burleson, on wagons. The two-story building was constructed of the heaviest timbers, and the low bid of $350 proved deficient when the work of moving began. This was cancelled, and a new contract made at $500.

In Burleson the structure was joined to an existent school building, to form the plant for Burleson High School, of which E.T. Genheimer was then principal. In 1909 this building burned and had to be replaced.

During its years of service as Alta Vista College and as Red Oak Academy, this pioneer educational center probably enrolled about 500 students. Many of these became teachers, and through their work extended the influence of the pioneer academy and college far beyond the primary circle of its contacts.

Alta Jack, for example, studied here and later in Waco and in Europe, and spent a long teaching career on the Baylor faculty. Floy Houston (later Mrs. Gordon) taught in Cleburne and in Kansas.

Amy Porter, after her days at Brushy Mound, continued in school until she received the degree of doctor of medicine.

George Murphy transferred from Alta Vista in 1889, and after further education became county auditor of Johnson County, an office in which he served for many years. Henry Bills, alumnus of the school at Brushy Mound, became a successful lawyer, his brother and schoolmate, Brent Bills, was the postmaster at Gotebo, Oklahoma.

The pioneers who established this school and maintained it as such sacrificed cost for 14 years deserve the gratitude of Texans, for they did a worthy work.