Marsh Public School Building, Tyler TX

From a post card in my personal collection:

The post card has "Marsh Public School Building, Tyler TX" printed on it.

From the book "The Proud Century Tyler Public Schools 1882 - 1982" compiled by Zella Lewis, from the appendix I-I:

Marsh Elementary School is Tyler's oldest elementary school. It was constructed in 1889 as a simple eight room building. This building was closed in 1970 and sold to a religious group for a seminary.

The school was named for Bryan Marsh who was born in Alabama in 1832. Mr. Marsh was a soldier, planter, merchant, Texas Ranger and sheriff of Smith County for twenty years. Young Bryan assumed the difficult responsibility of moving his family to Texas in 1854, shortly after the death of his father, thus fulfilling his father's plan.

Although he followed several occupations, his work as sheriff of Smith County for a period of twenty years merited the praise of many people in Smith County and vicinity who were personally acquainted with him. These people seemed to fave a universal affection for the fair-minded, cheerful, optimistic sferiff who never failed to "get his man," although he had lost one arm in the Civil War and never carried a gun. At times his friends expressed concern that he did not carry a gun but he would laughingly remark, "What would a one-armed man do with a gun anyway?" The sheriff would often yell out his name to some desperate law violator and ask him to come out of his place of hiding, and the violater never failed to obey him.

He died in 1901, and a tombstone marks his grave in Oakwood Cemetery in Tyler.

From page 30:

Although on June 7, 1886 the City Council authorized the construction of an eight room frame building for white children in north Tyler, it was not until July, 1889 that the City Council ordered the purchase of a lot for a school in north Tyler and issued a $22,000 bond to build it. On August 15 Architect L. Johnston submitted plans for a building and his plans were accepted. In September sealed bids for building and furnishing the new school were opened. The winning bid was $4,900 for excavation and brick, $5,375 for carpenter work, $325 for painting etc., with a total of $10,590. By April 11, 1890 the building for Northside School was finished and accepted by the board. This school was called Northside for years but later named Marsh School.

When this building was opened on North Bois d'Arc it relieved crowded conditions and housed grades 1-7 in North Tyler. The Hubbard Building then had only the high school students and the elementary ones from South Tyler.

In the words of a former principal in this first school built for white children, "There was no water in the building and none on the school yard.The water was drawn from an open surface well and the children drank from a bucket. Sanitation was most primitive. There were no offices. The principal taught seventh grade and his classroom and the school yard as his office."

On page 165:

When the school doors closed in May, 1970 at Emmett Scott, Marsh and Roberts, they were closed permanently, by order of Judge William Wayne Justice as a means of achieving integration. However, these schools were also chosen because the recent construction of Gentry Parkway caused the enrollment to decline drastically. These students were transferred to Lee, John Tyler and Douglas.

From Texas County Sheriffs by Sammy Tise on page 468 there are several mentions of Bryan Marsh:

• BREANS MARSH was elected on June 25, 1866 and served until November 1, 1867 when he was removed by General J. Reynolds' Special Order # 195. The first name was hard to read and may be spelled wrong. I think it is probably Bryan Marsh.
• BRYAN MARSH was elected a second time on February 15, 1876 and served unil November 5, 1878.
• BRYAN MARSH was elected a third time on November 2, 1886; re-elected November 6, 1888, November 4, 1890 and served until November 8, 1892.

From the Oakwood Cemetery photos at http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/smith/cemph/oakwood/oakwood_plot2-6/tt01-2-6c430.jpg

Col. Bryan Marsh 17th Tex. Reg. C.S.A. born in Clark Co. Ala. Feb. 9, 1833, died in Tyler Tex. Mar 25, 1901

From http://www.etgs.org/txsmith/histmark/homes.html:

Marsh School/Col.Bryan Marsh/Texas Civil War Manufacturing - 800 North Bois D'arc - Granite Marker - 1965

School Named For Texas Confederate Colonel Bryan Marsh - 1833-1901

Alabama Native, Came To Tyler 1854-1861 Was Captain Co. C. 17th Texas Calvary. In 1863 Confederate Campaigns To Prevent Split Of South Along Mississippi River. He Was One Of The 4,500 C. S. A. Men Attacked By 30,000 Federals At Arkansas Post In Jan. 1863. Taken Prisoner There, He Was Exchanged In May. Put Into Bragg's Army In Tennessee. Later, In Atlanta Fighting Lost Right Arm. Returned To Fight Until Lee Surrendered. In 1880's Was Captain Of Co. B, Frontier Bttn., Texas Rangers. Quelled Riot Between Town And Soldiers At Fort Concho. Ended Gunplay In Railroad Construction Towns. Fought Indians. Was Smith County Sheriff For 20 Years.