Our Pawnee History
January 15, 2009
The history of Pawnee school goes back to the late nineteenth century. Thanks go to Fred Hoff, who had settled with his family in this area in 1890, for helping establish the first school for Pawnee area children. Mr. Hoff, along with other families in the community, contributed the money to build a one-room school house on two acres of land in 1907. The school was named the Pleasant Grove School, and was located about 5 miles southwest of here near Sulphur Creek. The first teacher was Miss Grace Wales. The Pleasant Grove School was quickly outgrown, and on January 12, 1914, the Pawnee School District was created. A four-room school house was built in 1915 right in front of the existing Pawnee School. Miss Wales only taught one year in the new school before she was married. Ruth Edwards Pogue and Mrs. Mattison were the new teachers.
Pawnee was a big cotton farming center and had three cotton gins at one time. In 1916, the first cotton gin for this area was built by J. Parker three miles northeast of here. The first cotton gin which was actually in Pawnee was built in 1921 by J.J. Pogue Sr, the grandfather of Lacy and Gary Pogue. This gin was called the Pawnee Gin Co. The second gin built in town was the Carnes & Booth Gin. The third gin was built on the south side of Pawnee. Cotton was picked by migrant workers and children of the Pawnee families and put in a wagon. Cotton gins ran day and night. During World War II, German prisoners from the POW camp in Kenedy came out to Pawnee to pick cotton. None of the cotton gins within the Pawnee town site are still standing.
Flax was another important cash crop that was once grown in the Pawnee area. It grew to a height of two feet and was used for making linseed oil. After combining, the flax was taken to an elevator in Kenedy. Flax is no longer grown here because latex paint took the place of linseed oil paint. In 1948-1949 land sold for $125 per acre. At the same time flax would make a profit of $125 an acre per year. Many farms in those years were purchased and paid for using the revenue from flax. Nowadays cattle grace on coastal bermuda and Kline grass in the same fields that used to grow flax.
Broomcorn was another important crop in those days. There were four major centers in the United States for growing broomcorn, and this part of Texas was one of them. Broomcorn was introduced to the United States by Benjamin Franklin and was widely used in the manufacture of brooms. It grew up to seven feet high in this area. It is not really corn, but is related to the sorghum family of plants. The brush or seed head of the plant is used for making brooms. These types of brooms were made at the Beck Broom factory in Beeville. The work of harvesting the broomcorn was grueling work and the whole family would go out to work in the fields. The larger fields were harvested by contract labor by the acre long. Brooms were useful for cleaning around the home, but in a child’s eyes, a broom could be a stick horse or even a dancing partner.
In 1936, during the Great Depression, the existing school was completed with manpower from the WPA. It was a modern brick school building with eight classrooms and an auditorium using the Art Deco style architectural details which were popular at the time. The stage and seats are all original to the building. The Art Deco light fixtures were replaced with ceiling fans in the late 90’s. There was a wooden gym, built in 1937, which was blown down during a 1942 hurricane.
In 1940, just before WWII began, the twelfth grade was added. Pawnee school had a football team and a band. Mr. Jess Phillips, one of the memorable coaches, coached the Pawnee six man football team for many years. One of his running backs, Alden Lickman, played on the Army football team and made the All Europe Team during WWII. In 1948 the gymnasium, with its unique barrel ceiling was erected. That gym has been the site of thrilling basketball and volleyball games. Many cherished memories were played out in that gym.
The oil and gas industry was and continues to be vital for the Pawnee area. Oil was discovered nearby in 1930, and by 1940 the population had swelled to 300. At one time the town had four grocery stores, a doctor’s office, drilling businesses, a drug store, a café and meat market, a garage and a blacksmith shop. The population eventually dwindled as a result of the drought of the 1950’s and inflation. A family could not make a living farming anymore. Many children ventured off to college and found work in the city.
Cattle was also a vital industry to Pawnee. The Sullivan family became owners of the land way back in 1849. That was before Bee County was created. John E. Wilson bought the ranch in 1877 from the Sullivan family for only 25 cents an acre. The Old Wilson Ranch was located about three miles north of here. Part of the ranch was purchased in 1881 by W.A. Pettus. In 1889, W.J. Lott became a partner of Mr. Pettus. They then sold 1,000 acres to Fred Hoff – the same person who helped start the first Pawnee School.
The Pawnee School District consolidated with the Cadillac School District in Karnes County on 1952, enlarging the district to 150,295 square miles. In 1953, the elementary school and cafeteria were completed. The class of 1985 was the last class to graduate from Pawnee High School. Now students that graduate from the eighth grade at Pawnee attend high schools in Kenedy, Karnes City, Pettus, Three Rivers and Beeville.
The past century has seen change and modernization for the Pawnee School. The new school building has started construction and we can expect many cherished memories will be made for Pawnee children within its walls. Pawnee School continues to change as it strives to prepare its students to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Schools are known for having school bells, and Pawnee has a large bell out in the front of the main building entrance. That bell is rung when Pawnee athletic teams are victorious. The new school will house the old bell in a beautiful new bell tower.
Pawnee has held the distinction of having more churches per capita than any town its size in Bee County. It had seven churches at one time with a population of only around 225. The churches were: Church of Christ, Methodist, Swedish Lutheran, Baptist, German Lutheran, Catholic and Pentecostal.
Pawnee got its name when among the Kansas immigrants to this area was a lonesome, homesick young boy from Pawnee County, Kansas. In camp one night around the outdoor fire, he amused himself by heating a piece of wire in the coals of the fire. Hardly knowing what he was doing, he picked up a piece of pine from an apple box. He began burning letters in the soft wood, and within the course of the evening he had burned the name “Pawnee” into the pine. He then nailed the board bearing the name Pawnee on a nearby mesquite tree. This tree was on the east side of the present school cafeteria. The sign was gone long ago, but the name stuck for the community. Unfortunately, the old mesquite tree met its fate when it was knocked down by a cafeteria delivery truck in 2004. Because we share the name Pawnee, we have a sister city in Pawnee, Oklahoma. There was even an article that included pictures of our town in their newspaper. The Skidi Pawnees left arrowheads in Sulphur Creek near the site of present Pawnee. Pawnee Indians seemed like the perfect mascot for our school. The boys’ athletic teams are called the Indians, and the girls’ teams are called Redwings. Our school colors are red and blue.
