Gregory, San Patricio County
The town of Gregory was founded in 1887 when the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company and the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway agreed to build a town at the site of Corpus Christi Junction, the location of a rail spur that led across Nueces Bay to the city. Formal education began in Gregory in 1891 with the opening of the first school. The land for the original one-room school was a one-acre site donated by the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company, and was located adjacent to the McKamey store, on the south side of the rail tracks. Mrs. Baxter was the first teacher. In 1912, the school’s location was changed to the current site of 308 N. Gregory Street, and a two-room structure was constructed. By 1922 the district had added three additional rooms on four acres of land also donated by Coleman-Fulton, and had changed from Common School District No. 4 to an Independent School District. The frame structure was demolished in 1927 and a new brick veneer building was constructed in its place to house grades one through twelve. Eventual additions to the property included a gymnasium, vocational building and agriculture building. As Gregory and the surrounding area grew, so did the school district. Gregory ISD and McCampbell Ranch School joined in 1947. Gregory ISD joined together with the Portland School District in 1950 to form the Gregory-Portland Consolidated School District. Additional facilities have been built throughout the district in order to accommodate the community’s growth. Through the continued support of the citizens of the district, Gregory-Portland ISD has grown to be an outstanding academic institution with high standards.