Crowell Schools

Local schools were organized in Crowell soon after the community was established in 1891, when Foard County was divided into nine school districts including one for Crowell. Early settler Benjamin R. Blankenship helped fund the first school, and residents built a building at Gibson and Marietta Streets. Crowell College became an important community and religious center, with its auditorium hosting church services and stage plays. After fire destroyed the building in 1897, residents erected a new one. By 1908, the State of Texas had accredited the school, and it held its first graduation exercises. Larger buildings replaced older ones in 1912 and again in 1928, and over the years the community added more facilities, including a grade school completed in 1938 with Public Works Administration and Civil Works Administration support. Residents also built a new African American school in 1934 and improved it in 1953. Among noted educators were band leader D.W. Curtis and brothers I.T. and C.G. Graves, who together served as superintendents from 1927 through 1964. Crowell High School graduate Dick Todd, a Thrall native, gained fame after scoring 318 points in one season and 664 in his football career, both then state records; he helped Crowell win district football and basketball championships, later played for Texas A&M, Iowa Pre-Flight, and the NFL's Washington Redskins from 1939 to 1942 and 1945 to 1948, and went on to coach at the collegiate and professional levels. As school districts merged over time, Crowell Independent School District came to cover all of Foard County and parts of King and Knox Counties and continued as a leader in education.

Crowell, Texas · United States