After a population increase caused by the discovery of oil in 1908, local residents created the Goose Creek Independent School District in 1919 to serve Goose Creek, Pelly, Baytown, and the Wooster community and recognized the need for permanent school facilities. Prominent Houston architect Harry D. Payne designed a new school that opened in Fall 1928. The Art Deco-style building with Classical elements was concrete-framed with a stucco veneer on a concrete foundation and featured glazed terra cotta roof tiles, brick-trimmed niches with urns, and Classical finials. Named for Robert E. Lee because of the Confederate general's popularity in the area, the school served as the senior high school for the entire district. Located between Goose Creek-Baytown Highway, now Market Street, and the Dayton-Goose Creek Railroad, now Union Pacific, it stood at the center of the tri-cities, helping unite them and becoming the heart of the area. It was intended as a center for community activities, and its facilities were used by various organizations and churches while its auditorium became a popular civic venue. It also served adult education, with Lee Junior College holding night classes on the campus from 1934 to 1951. On April 29, 1987, a fire later determined to be arson engulfed the main building, but alumni and citizens pressed for restoration to its original appearance. From its beginning, students won numerous honors in academics and athletics, and the school expanded and modernized over the years to remain a first-class high school.