OATMAN CREEK SCHOOLHOUSE

his one room schoolhouse once stood alongside Hwy 16 near the community of Oxford Oatman Creek in Llano County.This is a classic piece of Texas architecture.  In relationship to this photo, the opposite wall faced north and was windowless as was the west facing end of the structure.  This plan, which protected the teacher and students from the harsh north wind, was standard, as was the wood burning stove. 
(Photography by Ira Kennedy)

If you have any information on this place please E-Mail me
with the permission to post your message on this page.
For an explaination of the correction from Oxford to Oatman Creek click HERE

hese photographs were taken in 1985 or thereabouts on one of my many excursions in the Hill Country to capture photographs of  "Things About to Disappear".  I was particularly interested in any old buildings along the roadside which seemed to be either near complete decay or threatened by progress.  This structure apparently fell victim to neither, but simply disappeared altogether.  Now, I wish I had taken more photos of the desk tops covered with names, initials and childlike symbols which, like Indian pictographs, told of a time and a people now long gone.  Only these photos remain.

Dear Ira, The Web-site is great. I have just begun to go thru it and find it very interesting. And since you mention the Oxford School and ask for further information about it I would like to tell you that I know some people who went to school in this building out on highway 16 about three miles south of Llano, and it was not the Oxford School, but the Oatman Creek School. They went to school there in the 30's, and they still live in Llano. One of the women had acquired the school house and moved it on to her property and restored it for a recreational lodge. She and I showed her the pictures on your "page". She recognized the building and said she would be glad to talk to you about it. I also talked with a distant relative of mine who did go to the Oxford school, and she says that the Oxford School was located just north of the little abandoned filling station at Oxford. I believe that the school building burned in the early 1900's. This lady is in her 90's and knows quite a bit of history about the Oxford Community since she grew up there. Keep up the good work.   --Lillian Fowler

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Nancy Watson
Dallas, Tx USA

My 3 sister in laws all went to school in the Oatman Creek School. The building now sits on Oatman Creek on our family home place on highway 16 in Llano County. There are several desks left, the original stepping stone, the outhouse and pictures that were saved of the structure when they were girls. The building sits on the creek bank under ancient oak trees with a tire swing and many Watson family grandchildren and great grandchildren now play there.

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