The school continued as a community school until around 1893 when it was moved to about one mile west of where the Hatton Elementary School currently stands. That made it more centrally located in the community. At that time only one teacher taught eight different grades.
The first school building was also used as a place of worship. It began as a Catholic church but had no resident pastor so the church changed denominations several times, according to the availability of a visiting preacher. Preachers came once or twice a month and were called "circuit riders." Sunday school was held each Sunday afternoon and P.B. Philly, a schoolteacher and Methodist preacher, assisted.
About 1899 the Catron School (listed as Catron School survey on a February 21, 1899 survey map, next to the G. Stevens Survey) was built one mile west of the present Hatton Elementary near East Susan Circle. About sixteen to eighteen students ages 6-18 years old attended. Miss Allie Bland, who later became the county school superintendent, was the first teacher. Miss Bland lived in the Cove Community and rode to school on a horse each morning no matter what the weather. She was one of the first graduates of Orange high school in 1891-1892. She was a strict disciplinarian but was patient with students who had a hard time with their subjects. Her mother, Martha Allen Bland, was said to be one of the first teachers to come to Orange County shortly after the Civil War. According to the minutes of the County School Board for the years 1929-1930 Miss Allie Bland, county school superintendent, reported that electric lights and electric ceiling fans had been installed in the Prairie View School. It was considered one of the most modern in the state.
In 1869 Martha and David Bland were married and made their home near Bessie Heights. Their children were taught in a private school in the community, one of the earliest in the county. In 1881-1882 they moved to Cove area. In 1917 Allie Bland was appointed by commissioners court as county school superintendent then in 1918 ran and won, a rarity in that day for women to be elected.
By 1906 another school was built near the old one and attendance increased to 30 students but still had one teacher.
Another school was built in 1918 called Prairie View School. It had three rooms, four teachers and an auditorium. When the black college at College Station was named Prairie View College, people in the community were annoyed. They felt the college had infringed upon their right to the name. The name was dropped and for years the school was simply referred to as the District School. An auditorium was added in 1925. By then the school had four teachers and continued operation until 1949. The Prairie View School had first through seventh grade. Eighth through eleventh graders either went to Orangefield or Orange to complete high school. At that time students did not attend twelve grades.
The school received water for the cafeteria from a tank car that was buried in the ground and made into a holding tank. Water was brought in by a horse drawn team pulling a wagon holding 55-gallon drums and emptied into the holding tank. The school consisted of three rooms and an auditorium. The number of teachers rose to four. The building was considered one of the most modern of its time in the state. By the 1929-30 school year the school had running water, modern plumbing, electric lights, an auditorium and ceiling fans. Electrical power was received from the power plant in Orange owned by the Stark family.
According to the Orange County School Superintendent’s minutes of August 30, 1920; Prairie View School was classified as a Third Class High School. All other schools in the county were classified as elementary schools of seven grades. In 1926 Winfree School was classified a Second Class High School but in 1928 was changed back to third class.
On August 7, 1941 the Prairie View County School District and the small adjacent Winfree School County District voted to consolidate. The organization of the new board took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George C. Harvey. J.F. Hammers, the Orange County school superintendent, acted as chair. The old Winfree School building was sold to Archie L. Grammer for $900.00.
In 1941 the new school district was re-named Bridge City Common School District after a name suggested by Mrs. Winnie Lormand and O. Eudale Granger, a school board member, who asked a group of women at a quilting bee to help with a new school district name. Granger was also the janitor and bus driver for the district. The quilting club was one of the few organized groups at the time. Some of the original members of the quilting group were Mrs. D.V. Werth, Lilly Lehman, Mrs. H.D. Howard and Mrs. L.B. Howard. Several other city names were suggested including Bridge Port, Blandale and Orange Port. The school district decided on the name Bridge City and thus the community became known as Bridge City due to the many bridges one had to cross to enter the town.
The first school principal was Grady Metteauer who was in charge of the whole district. The first school board president was James Burley Scales; Sr. The first board consisted of Mrs. George C. Harvey, secretary and J.W. Cherry as vice president. Members were J.R. Davis, L.R. Sarver, H.F. Johnston and O. Eudale Granger. The teachers at the time were Mrs. M.B. Croak, Mrs. J.W. Thigpen and Miss Lucille Womack. For several years after the two school districts merged the board was made up of three members from the Winfree Community and three members from the Bridge City community and one chosen at large. Even though the two districts consolidated for the 1941-1942 school year a new building was not built immediately due to the war effort. World War II postponed the building of the new campus until 1948.
In December 1941, Grady Metteauer enlisted in the Navy and called a friend, Grover Die, to tell him his job would be open. Die applied and was hired.
On October 24, 1946 the school district held an election to change from a common school district to an independent district. Grover Die was elected the first superintendent. O.Eudale Granger was elected president and J.W. Cherry was named secretary. Board members were J.B. Scales, Sr., Matoil Lormand, Walter Michell, John Dunn and L.R. Sarver. The purpose of the election was also to raise the property valuations above the existing county valuations to vote sufficient bonds for the construction of the proposed modern school plant. The first bond issue was for $140,000. The old Prairie View School was torn down and construction began in 1949 and another bond issue was voted in 1951 for $60,000 to enlarge the first structure that was then inadequate due to the increase in pupils.
In 1946 Grover Die was principal and announced the addition of ninth grade for the 1946-1947 school year. Teachers were Austin Floyd, Mrs. Allend Hubbard, Mrs. M. Medley, Marion Jackson, Mamie Lee Floyd, Mrs. Alex Giroir, Mrs. W.E. Wells, Dixie Joe Babbs, Olga Ashurst and Martha Callaway.
On February 2, 1950 a new eastern sandstone and glass brick school was built on Highway 87 that housed students from first grade to eight. Brick and tile were also used in its construction. There were thirteen classrooms, a community room, and cafeteria and book room. Twenty teachers and a school nurse served the 529 pupils. Five classrooms were in temporary frame buildings. High school students completed their education either at Stark High School in Orange or Orangefield High School. In 1955-1956 a new wing was built onto the school building to house grades 9th to 12th. By 1957 the campus housed all students first through twelfth. The first senior graduating class of the Bridge City Independent School District was in 1957 with 21 graduates. In 2001 that campus is a junior high school. In the summer of 2002 the jr. high building will be torn down and a new senior high school built in the same location. The senior high school (on Bower Drive) will become the junior high campus.
In 1949 the old Prairie View School was torn down but the property was retained by the school district. In 1959 the Hatton Elementary School was built on the site of the old Prairie View School. A prize of $500 sponsored by Nick’s Pharmacy was awarded to Bill Townes following a contest to name the new school. The school board unanimously chose entry #190. The new elementary school was named after Roy Moses Hatton, one of the original settlers of the community. Hatton was a long time county school district board member.
In 1953 Cecil Bryant coached the basketball team known as the Cobras. He allowed the team vote on a new name and became known as the Cardinals for the first time. The team consisted of students first ??????????? through eight grade. The first football team was coached by Casey Bryant in 1955 with grades through ninth on the team. Tenth to twelfth graders went to Stark High School. The football team played other "B" teams in the county. Cecil Bryant bought their first uniforms since the school could not afford to purchase them.
The high school Cardinal football went to the first state finals in 1965 losing to Brownwood 0-14 with Steve Worster as the infamous running back. The next year, 1966, the team won the state championship for the first time against McKinney, 30-6. The team reached state play offs in 1969, 2000, and 2001 having gone the further in the play offs since 1965 in the 2001 season.
A new senior high school was complete in January 1964 on Bower Drive on property owned by the district. It replaced the building that was on Texas Avenue, which became Bridge City Junior High School. The high school was the first completely air-conditioned high school in the area. As a result of being air-conditioned, it was built as a windowless building. The concept was designed by Goleman & Rolfe architects and engineers in Houston in a study sponsored by Carrier Corp. The building was designed to offer compactness and symmetry to speed traffic flow and to ease administrative control. A constant temperature, proper illumination and good acoustical conditions were blended and completely controlled throughout the building. The non-load bearing walls made it possible to add classrooms.
An addition of ten classrooms and a new vocation facility were added in 1967 along with a new gym, named after superintended Dr. E.E. Sims. The growth experienced at that time has sometimes been attributed to the success of the athletic programs, especially football. Bridge City was a state finalist in football in the 1965 season and state champions at the end of the 1966 season. A new library and band hall were built for the 1995-1996 school year. Additional land was purchased in 1967 to build a new baseball field. A new softball field was built in 1994. A new Bridge City High School should be complete by the 2003-2004 school year. It will be located at the old junior high site on Texas Avenue. The current high school on Bower Drive will become the Bridge City Junior High School.
By 1966 the community needed another elementary school so Sims Elementary was built on Robert Street on property donated by Walter Billeaud. The school was named after Dr. E.E. Sims who was superintendent at the time.
In 1995 voters approved a $6.5 million dollar referendum to build a new intermediate school. It houses fourth, fifth and sixth graders. The Bridge City Intermediate School is located directly behind Hatton Elementary off West Roundbunch Road.
The Board of Trustees of the Bridge City Independent School District called for a bond election on Monday, July 16, 2001. The election was set for Saturday, September 29, 2001. A $19,675,000.00 school bond election passed on September 29, 2001 to build a new high school and the following renovations.
New high school $11,900,000 Renovate jr. high cafeteria for vocational dept. $580,000 Renovate jr. high band/choir for theater arts/drama $350,000 Renovate jr. high girls gym for high school PE gym $450,000 Renovate high school athletic stadium $380,000 Renovate old vocational building for high school athletic facility $690,000 Renovate band hall $80,000 Renovate existing high school for new jr. high $3,300,000 Renovate jr. high P.E. gym $650,000 Renovations at BC Intermediate School $240,000 (fencing, driveways) Renovate operation dept/Maint, Transp/Food Serv $400,000
With the passing of the bond election, funding for the renovations at Hatton and Sims Elementary Schools will be taken from the current budget at no additional tax increase to the community.
Renovate Hatton Elem. (all central office staff will be relocated at this campus) $2,600,000
Renovate Sims Elementary $1,800,000
Bridge City Independent School District superintendents have included Grover Die, 1941 (six months); Austin Floyd, 1941 (served as interim for six months while Die worked in the shipyard in Orange, Texas during W.W.II. The war effort needed all able-bodied persons to help build ships. Grover Die, 1942- 1961; Dr. Wallace C. Hill, 1961-1962; (Hill served from August 1961 through February 1962 and was appointed by the state while the school board searched for a permanent replacement for Die); Dr. E.E. Sims, 1962-1967; Glenn Pearson, 1967-1990; Dr. Harold Ramm, 1990-1997; Joe Chenella, interim, 1997. Bill Ortego was interim 1997-1998 and Sam Lucia became superintendent in April 1998 to present (2002).
Shirley Cullum and Elaine Stone
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