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ROXTON HISTORY
ROXTON BUSINESS HISTORY
On September 17, 1870 a deed was executed for a one acre tract of land to build a one room building to be used as a Methodist Church. This land was donated by John and Nancy Griffin and was about one quater mile north of Billy Klyce's store, which was now owened by A.H. Bywaters. It was here in this one room church that Roxton had its first school with students going a few months each year, as crops permitted.
By 1885 this building was too small and they moved to a large two story building. This was being built about where the county's storage lot now stands and had been built by A.H. Bywaters. This was first called the Grange building and later the Masonic building. With the coming of the railroad, soon a larger school was needed. The town fathers built a two room school a bit south of the Rufe Caldwell house, and north of where the Negro School was later built. Roxton School District was officially established by the Lamar County Commissioner's Court June 17,1887 as Roxton District No. 38. By the late 1890's, town fathers saw need for a much larger school therefore enlargeing the two room school to five rooms with a raised platform for concerts.
By the turn of the century a boomtown like Roxton had need of a much larger school, where their children could learn from the best teachers to be found. John Woodson Denton had built his first cabin on land he had purchased from Eli Barnett, his half-brother. He donated a plot of land located in the north west part of Roxton. So in 1904 a large building constructed of limestone and brick was built. The limestone came from near the origional Roxton on top of the hill. It was built at a cost of $10,000.00 dollars. It had four rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs.
The community was proud, indeed, of the new school but soon commenced to outgrow it. By 1914 plans were approved to add on and remodel the school. The belfry and steeple was removed from the front of the building and it was enlarged to approxiamately twice its original size. Two additional rooms were added downstairs and an auditorium was added upstairs. To the front of the building a mid-section jutting out ten to twelve feet and and extending to about fifteen feet wide was constructed This mid-section formed a sort of foyer or porte-cochere entrance to the main building. It towered above the building rooftop forming a turret like crown and was supported by four white ionic-styled columns. The cost of this remodeling was $10,000.00. It now housed about 225 pupils and had a grand total of six teachers.
