Palacios Colored School

Originally only two rooms, this building was the grade school for Black children in Palacios in 1933. In 1939 the school building was moved to its current location and enlarged to accommodate additional students. It served as the city’s only Black school until integration in 1963, at which time the building was closed and decades of deferred maintenance led to deterioration. The Palacios Community Coalition purchased the endangered building in 2011, and has been rehabilitating it as funds become available. The building now houses the Sanford Community Center.

This project has been awarded a $35,000 grant through Preservation Texas’s Rural African-American Heritage Grants Program which will make it possible to undertake foundation work, replace corrugated wall panels with historically appropriate wood siding, fix broken windows, and replace two exterior doors.

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"The teaching staff at the Palacios Colored School brought a standard of educational excellence to the community. The building now houses a community center that honors their work. In a place built for segregation due to bias and prejudice, we herald the accomplishments of today’s Palacios as we move toward the all-inclusive community that is our vision and goal.”

- Robin Lewis, Director of the Sanford Community Center