Wise County, North Texas
Schools Between Alvord and Chico
West Academy & Prairie Point Schools
Email - Sue@WiseCountyTexas.info
 We have a few pictures and yearbooks from the following other schools. Contributions to these pages are greatly appreciated.
Up Alvord Alvord-Chico Audubon Boyd Bridgeport Chico Cottondale Cuba Decatur Draco East Mound Garvin Grub Hill Hickory Plains Lisle Nickelville North of Chico Paradise Park Springs Pecan Rhome Wilson Prairie Union Grove Other Schools

West Academy School
This school was close to Pleasant Grove Cemetery #3 (East of Chico)
(Identified by the Wise County Heritage Museum Staff)

Alvord-Chico School 1.jpg (592365 bytes)

(click on these 3 school pictures to make them larger)

    I am attaching three school photos that were taken in the early 1900s. I don't know the name of the school or the exact dates, but I know that my grandfather, Wiley Blanton Smith, is in them. He was born 4 Dec 1906 and the family lived between Alvord and Chico. His parents were Joseph T. "Doc" and Mary Smith. I know that he passed Pleasant Grove Cemetery #3 when he walked to school. I don't know if that will help in identifying the school or not. In each picture, there is an arrow pointing to my grandfather and in one, he is labeled as Blanton. I hope you can use these. Let me know if you have any questions.
Shirley Smith sesmith54@gmail.com

 

Alvord-Chico School 2.jpg (976525 bytes)

Alvord-Chico School 3.jpg (541584 bytes)

Below is part of a 1930 map of the Wise County School Districts (The Schools shown above and below were in this area)

Prairie Point School
(Identified by the Wise County Heritage Museum Staff)

Below is a picture sent in by Cathy Seifert c.c.seifert@sbcglobal.net

    She writes, "I'm going to attach a picture but don't really know where it is. What I will tell you is what is written on the back, "C.A Champion, Allen Champion, Route 1 Alvord, Tx". Allen, born in 1900, is the youngest son of C.A. I've asked my Aunt (daughter of Allen) to see if she recognizes anyone in the photo and she is struggling with anyone for sure, has some suggestions but nothing for sure. If it is in the era of C.A. there is no one I know of that could speak to that, but it looks later than the 1870's which would be the time frame he should have been schooled. C.A. (Charlie Augustus Champion) is buried in Alvord Cemetery, raised his family outside of Alvord between Chico and Alvord and most of the children attended either Prairie Point school or Chico school. Please note: while I've named this T. Allen Champion School is doesn't mean that is correct!!
    What I can tell you is that C.A. Champion moved to Denton Co TX in 1871 with parents Charles D. and Sarah Champion (he was born in 1867 in TN, the youngest of 7), two years later moved to Wise Co. (Catlett Creek), a few years later moved to Alvord. I know the John C. Champion family farm was east of the town and was past Sandy Creek (one of his daughters, Bobbie died as a teenager in WWI flu epidemic, buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery #3 off of 1655 because Sandy Creek was overflowing at the time and could not get her to the Alvord Cemetery where the rest of the family was buried)."

Identification of school by Wise County Heritage Museum:

    We believe the school pictures you sent are of West Academy and Prairie Point Schools. Your pictures match the roof line, windows and doors of our pictures of this school. Also it's location between Chico and Alvord, plus the nearness of Pleasant Grove Cemetery #3.
    We went by the building, and exterior of the walls. Then the general area, plus the placement of the school signs by Mr. Charles Wilhite.
Hope this helps.

Janice McKenzie & Carla Womack
Wise County Heritage Museum