QUITMAN, Texas — A forgotten piece of a rural community has been renovated and restored thanks to a new owner.
"I’ve known the old Coke Schoolhouse my whole life. My family is from the area," said D'Ann Drennon, owner of the Coke Schoolhouse.
Although Drennon lives near Fort Worth, her family history takes her back to Coke, a small town in the middle of Quitman and Winnsboro in Wood County.
"My grandparents settled in the area (and) my dad was raised there. He went to the Coke schools before this building was built in 1945. So I’ve been in and out of the building my whole life," Drennon said.
In the 1850s, Coke was settled but it wasn't developed until coal was discovered in the area. The town was named after the byproduct used to make steel.
From 1945 to 1965, the Coke Schoolhouse served as an important part of the community. Students from first through eighth grade attended the two-room schoolhouse that also included an auditorium and a separate cafeteria building.
The school was later consolidated to be a part of the Quitman school district.
"I love old buildings and I love history, and this is the last public building left in the Coke community, and at one point this was a thriving community. And the school is really special," Drennon said.
Last weekend, she opened it back to the public with help from Coke native Jack Robinson. Robinson's family sold the land where this school was built many years ago.
"Well I really didn’t have anything to do with that, but they’ve done a marvelous job blending the old with the new, and I couldn’t be more pleased with it," Robinson said.
Robinson is 80 years old now and he remembers attending the schoolhouse. He's happy to see so much love and care go into his old stomping grounds.
"The main thing, I didn’t want it to turn into an eyesore. I was glad that they were able to get it, and turn it into something useful and beautiful. And it’s going to be a real asset to that little community up there," Robinson said.
The Texas Historical Commission recently approved the Coke Schoolhouse as a historic designation site.
“It’s such an important piece of history and I think that’s valuable for us to learn. Other schools could learn from that as well,” Drennan said.
