A Brief History of the Original Hopewell School
"Education makes a people easy to lead, but
difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave." Lord
Brougham: in a speech to the House of Commons, 1828.
Hopewell Middle School is named in honor of the first black school in
Round Rock, Texas. Unfortunately, there are no permanent records of the
original Hopewell. What is known has been shared from generation to
generation among those who attended the original Hopewell, many of whom
still live and work in the Austin area.
It is believed that black children in the 1800's probably received what
little education that they were given at a Black church located along
the Chisholm Trail. Round Rock Independent School Board minutes indicate
that in 1916 the original Hopewell School was still in temporary
quarters paying $1.15 per month in rent, but in 1922 Hopewell was moved
to a new building for its six month term. One principal and one teacher
divided the teaching duties for students who represented nine different
grades. As attendance grew, grades one through ten were clustered into
four groups for instruction: first through third, fourth through sixth,
and two classes for grades seven through ten which made up the high
school at that time. In 1928, the school year was lengthened to seven
months, and this remained the school term for many years.
A training school to provide vocational skills for adults as well as
young people was established in 1926, but was discontinued in 1928
because of lack of funds. During the time the school was operating, many
awards were given to Hopewell community members who participated in
competitions demonstrating the skills they had learned in this program.
Throughout its life, the school, along with the local church, served as
a center for community events. Benefit dinners, musicals, and
commencement ceremonies brought families together to raise money, enjoy
entertainment, and to celebrate success.
During the Great Depression, Hopewell suffered along with the rest of
the nation. From 1932-33, teachers were asked to teach without pay for
one to two weeks because of lack of funds. Indeed these were difficult
times, but the late thirties brought positive changes. In 1936, an
additional 2.4 acres of land were purchased to accommodate growth in the
student population. The next three decades saw many improvements for the
original Hopewell. The old tenant house on the school grounds was
repaired and leased to the school principal, a new wing with additional
class space and a cafeteria was added, and an annex was built southeast
of the building. Moreover, a decision was made to hire only certified
teachers who monitored student performance closely to ensure continuing
academic progress.
In 1965, after the passage of Civil Rights legislation, the district
adopted a free choice enrollment plan. Segregation had ended. In
1966-67, the name of the former Hopewell building was changed to
Southside Elementary School for one year. It then became the
transportation facility for the Round Rock Independent School District
until it was finally abandoned for a larger place.
In 1966 when the first Hopewell closed, it had eight teachers, a
principal, and a business, a home economics, and a band department. The
new Hopewell has over 800 students, a staff of approximately 75, and a
full range of academic and elective offerings. Images from the original
Hopewell grace the halls of this state of the art facility. As for the
old Hopewell building, it took an hour for the structure to be moved
from its original site at Interstate 35 and McNeil Road to its new home
on the grounds of the Round Rock Independent School District
administrative offices. The building was renovated and is currently used as
a staff development and community center. The people of Round
Rock understand that we do owe a debt to our past. There was no pride in
slavery or segregation, but we do not wallow in our apology. We move
forward. We forgive. We do not forget.
"Learning from the past -- preparing for the future" appears on the
front of Hopewell Middle School, 1996.