Texas Historical commission - 2015 Undertold Marker Application

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TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 2015 UNDERTOLD MARKER APPLICATION Request for Consideration for Marker Application Funds In 2006, Texas Historical Commission implemented the Undertold Program to 1 address gaps in the marker program and underrepresented topics. This form constitutes a request for the Texas Historical Commission (THC) to consider approval of an Official Texas Historical Marker for the undertold topic in this ' application using Marker Application Funds. The THC will review the request and a t make its determination based on adopted rules, procedures and scoring criteria. = Filing of the application is for the purpose of providing basic information to be used J„ in the evaluation process. For selected topics, a fully documented historical narrative will also be required. The final determination of eligibility and therefore approval for a state marker will be made by the THC. Proposed marker title: La Porte Independent School District Historic Colored School County: Harris Proposed location (give street address of marker site, if applicable): 401 N. 5`1 Street,LaPorte,Harris County,Texas Will the marker be placed at the actual site of the topic being marked? ® Yes ❑ No If the answer is no, provide the distance and directions to the actual location from the marker (i.e. 100 yards east). Please explain the proposed subject in 250 words or less: If you have a longer narrative, please attach. The c. 1907 La Porte Independent School District(LPISD)Historic Colored School building is significant in the areas of Education and Ethnic Heritage.Located at 401 N. 5th Street in LaPorte,Harris County,Texas,the one-room wood frame building served as the first school for African Americans in La Porte housing grades one through eight. Prior to the arrival of the building, education for La Porte's black students was at a local church where students attended class during the week and religious services were held in the evenings and on the weekend. In c. 1909, a dedicated school building,the former Morgan's Point Methodist Church,was purchased and moved to its current location on the northwest corner of N. 5th and W.Tyler Streets.There,the one-room,wood frame building served as the only educational resource available to African American students in LaPorte.In 1943,a two-room building was moved directly north of the one-room building on an adjacent lot. Classes were then shifted to the two-room building and the one-room building was used for plays and musical productions.These two buildings served to educate La Porte's African American students until 1953 when a new school was built on the corner of N. 6th and Madison Streets. [For further information see the attached Draft National Register of Historic Places Nomination] Suggested sources (2 -3) for research on the subject: If a documented narrative is available, please reference or attach. [See attached Draft National Register of Historic Places Nomination] Texas Historical Commission P.O. Box 12276 Austin,TX 78711-2276 512.463.6100 TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION fax 512.475.4872 real plaees telling real stories thc@thc.state.tx.us www thc.state.mus