Freeport, Brazoria County
In 1947, the various African American communities of the recently organized Brazosport Independent School District were consolidated. At Velasco, children from Freeport, Jones Creek, Clute and Evergreen gathered together in one building. For additional space, an army barrack was brought to the site. The school was named after Dr. Raphael O’Hara Lanier, first President of Texas State University for Negroes and United States Minister to Liberia. Formed under Principal N.N. Tarver, the school accommodated grades one through twelve and had eight instructors who taught around 200 students. By 1950, the school boasted programs such as choir, band, homemaking, industrial arts, P.E., basketball, football and track. Typing was added to the curriculum in 1956. In 1948, a veterans’ training program was set up in the school which provided employment training for African American veterans returning to the community after WWII. In 1951, the school became a center for adult education. The Community Achievement Club for Adult Education was organized under instructor Minnie F. Hall, which taught adults reading, writing and homemaking. The school hosted various youth associations and clubs such as the Boys and Girls Scouting Programs, and 4-H Club. In 1958, a new high school facility was dedicated which included a kitchen, cafeteria, auditorium, woodshop and gymnasium. In 1960, the Lanier Wildcats won the state 1-A football championship, a testament to the school’s strong sports program. Although still operating efficiently, the school was closed at the end of the 1964-65 school year when the district integrated. (2016)