In February, 1882, the Council was again appealed to. This time to have a special census taken to ascertain if the requisite number of people lived in Fort Worth to authorize an independent district. The Council objected to this on account of funds. The writer of these lines agreed to do the work of supervision and Col. Smith and Maj. VanZandt furnished the money to pay the enumerators. The work was done efficiently for the sum of $300.00 and there were found in Fort Worth 11,136 people. A. E. Want was one of the enumerators who took this census. An election was then ordered to levy a special tax to supplement the school fund. Dr. Peak was on the streets, in season and out of season, urging the tax and it was approved by a very handsome majority. There were only 35 votes cast against the proposition, but from the noise made by the opponents, many more were anticipated.
The first School Trustees were J. J. Jarvis, John Hanna and W. H. Baldridge. The school opened in October with about 650 pupils.
An advertisement was inserted in the local papers and those in Saint Louis for a superintendent. There were thirty-two applications filed and some of the applicants came in person to interview the trustees. After much deliberation and discussion Prof. Alexander Hogg, of Marshall, was elected at a salary of $1200 per annum. He entered upon his duties at the Fall opening of the schools. The following teachers were selected:
Principals: Mrs. Clara Walden, Miss Sue Huffman and Thos. Lacey.
First Grade: Miss Jennie Oliver, Emma Hildebrand, Pinka Jones, Ida Rich and Mrs. M. L. Pearcy.
Second Grade: Miss Bessie Foute, Jennie Howard, R. Madden, Eva Haywood, Clara Burnham, Maud P. Johnson, Lula Dial and J. N. Lacey.
There was in the Available School Fund $3,906 and the Board announced that with the special tax levy a school could be conducted ten months in the year.
CHURCHES.
When the writer came to Fort Worth in October, 1872, the only church edifice in the town was that of the Christian church which occupied the center of the block bounded by Main and Houston, Fourth and Fifth streets. It was a small brick structure but of ample proportions to accommodate the small congregation that worshipped there. Elder J. A. Clark filled the pulpit.
The Presbyterians had no organization at that time, but one was perfected early in the year 1873 and there were services once a month by an evangelist who lived at Waxahachie. Very soon Rev. W. M. Kilpatrick, who was traveling through North Texas with his family, in a covered wagon, was called by this denomination and thereafter it had regular services in a room over Knight’s livery stable, which stood about the corner of Calhoun and Third streets.