Palo Alto College

San Antonio, Texas

Grape Creek, Texas

Audrey Camarillo & Ashley Bivins Fall 2002

History 1302 Hines

Interviews and Bibliography
Click on map to see larger view.

Grape Creek is a small community located in Tom Green County, about 10 miles northwest of San Angelo. The surrounding communities include Water Valley, Miles, Veribest, and Wall. Grape Creek is a growing community that offers a small town atmosphere with the conveniences of being situated near a city. The picturesque Concho River flows through the community of Grape Creek at the San Angelo State Park, situated for the most part, within the Grape Creek Independent School District. The park offers miles of equestrian, bicycle and hiking trails and the O.C. Fisher Reservoir with its water sports. Grape Creek is a community that includes a public school (elementary through high school), nearby church and a couple of new yet prosperous businesses. Businesses include The Burger Shop, Grape Creek Burritos, Granny's Kitchen, Holiday Cleaners, Dry Creek Pizza, The Hair Salon, The Burrito Shop, Fisher's Food Mart and Concho Butane. Although businesses have boomed, Grape Creek's prosperity is solely based upon their drive to successfully educate its community through Grape Creek Schools.


During the 1880's Grape Creek was known mainly for its land. Grape Creek was solely a farming and ranching community. A great number of families moved to Grape Creek in search of large amounts of land in order to raise their livestock. In a short time Grape Creek's population expanded. In 1861 there was a notice put in the San Angelo Standard Times Newspaper requesting a teacher for the first ever school in Grape Creek. The first school was located at the base of Mt. Nebo and was called Mt. Nebo School. In 1875, the school district was first formed and the County Judge F.C. Taylor served as the County School Superintendent. Mt. Nebo was one of the schools over which Taylor had jurisdiction. This school, Mt. Nebo, was the building block of Grape Creek. Because of this school and it's small yet successful start, Grape Creek had nowhere else to go but upwards.
In 1889, a small amount of cemetery land was deeded to the school. In 1891 additional land was deeded to the school. In 1898, the second school was built near the cemetery on Grape Creek Road. Near the newly built school was a small stream of water known as Grape Creek and this is where Grape Creek School derived it's name. Some time between the late 1898's and early 1908, the newly built school was relocated to the "Barber Place". Not much more was known during this period, other then that the county school superintendent position was separated from the county judge position. The school was relocated once again in 1910 to the corner of what is now called Wren Road and Grape Creek Road.
In 1922 or 1923, the building burned and school was then held in the Grape Creek Baptist Church, which was next to where the old school had stood. The school was held at the church until funds for the new school were raised. In 1925 a new building was erected. Students moved from the church into their new facility, a red brick building, which consisted of an auditorium and four other classrooms. For the next 25 years school would be held in this building. However, at a later date this building would be torn down. Mr. S. T. Allen was principal during this time and the county superintendent was Milton Mays.
Between 1935 and 1937, WPA built the rock building that still stands between the elementary/middle school campus and the Grape Creek Baptist church. The school used the building for a cafeteria and community meeting place. During this time, Grape Creek had a high school from which students graduated at the end of the 10th grade. Later the school was returned back into an elementary school.

Between 1948 and 1950, Pulliam School, which was located in the area where the O.C. Fisher reservoir would be, consolidated with Grape Creek to form the Grape Creek-Pulliam School District due to the dam being built. The class of 1949 was the last class from Grape Creek to attend San Angelo High School, after graduation from Grape Creek's eighth grade. Once graduating from Grape Creek's eighth grade, students were split between San Angelo Lake View High School and Water Valley High School. In 1952, the enrollment stood at just 26 students taught by three teachers. In 1962 the enrollment was up to 71 students.
Over the years there were a lot of additions. In 1971 the cafeteria and kitchen were remodeled and in 1972 the elementary/middle school gymnasium was built. In 1973 a portable building was placed behind the gymnasium and in 1974, the first elementary wing was built. By 1975, the enrollment had reached 305 students and by 1980, that number had almost doubled. The new enrollment was now 551. In 1981, a second elementary wing was built and in 1984, the last two classrooms were built on the wings. In 1985, four portable buildings were added and in 1988, three additional portable buildings were added on the school grounds. In 1990, Grape Creek-Pulliam ISD had a total enrollment of 678 students. During Dan Ground's tenure as superintendent, the school's accreditation rating fell to "Accredited-Advised". The district was assigned a monitor, Elmer Grounds, who assisted the district as they began making corrections to the areas of governance, management and organization for which the district was cited during the TEA accreditation visit. Grounds resigned on October 1, 1991, when the district was in the midst of an accreditation crisis. An interim superintendent, David Clegg, was assigned to the district at this time until 1992. Clegg had a very good background. He was a former elementary and high school principal in Alpine, and a former superintendent at New Summerfield. Under Clegg's leadership as interim superintendent, the district attempted a bond election in May 1992, calling for the approval of the sale of $5,250,000 in bonds for the construction of an intermediate school and a high school. Unfortunately the bond attempt was voted down by 61 percent of the population. The dream of Grape Creek having its own high school was put on hold.
In 1992, a new district superintendent was hired, Billy Howell. Corrections were completed to the citations assessed by TEA and the monitor was removed during his tenure. The district's accreditation was restored in September 1992. Another bond election to build a new intermediate and high school was attempted in October, but failed once again, however this time by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent. Superintendent Howell resigned in 1994 to take a job as superintendent in Shallow Water and Dr. David Goodman was hired as his replacement in June of 1994.
In 1994, the district was the largest kindergarten through eighth grade district in the state of Texas with an enrollment of 700 students. The year before, San Angelo ISD raised the tuition for Grape Creek students to attend Lake View from $1,750 to $1,950 per student. A controversy began between Grape Creek and San Angelo ISD over the tuition, when officials felt the tuition was too high, especially since San Angelo ISD was receiving full Average Daily Attendance benefits from the state for each Grape Creek student that attended their school. Some people of the Grape Creek ISD communities began thinking they would like to try for their own high school again and keep the state money in-house, using it in part, to help pay for a new high school facility. A facilities committee was formed and approval was granted from the Attorney General's office for the district to use the tuition money for financing. Under the leadership of Dr. Goodman, the district began procedures to erect a new high school using the lease-purchase bonds under a new program being offered by the state. On August 11, 1997, the first day of school was held in the new high school building, located on Grape Creek Road. This day is marked in the hearts of all Grape Creek residents. When the new high school was built, it began as a freshman-only school and an additional grade level was phased each year. The Class of 2000 marked the first graduation ceremony and it was quite a celebration for the district. The high school is an award winning, state-of-the-arts facility and boasts a complete distance-learning laboratory. In its short history, it has developed young people that have competed at the state level in band choir and power lifting and at regional level in academics. The high school was awarded exemplary status for the 2000-2001 Academic Excellence Indicator Systems report card.
Interviews: In talking to the residents of Grape Creek, we found out that most people really enjoy living in small towns. The majority of people in Grape Creek believe it is a good place to start a family. Grape Creek has spent a number of years building up their school systems. Although Grape Creek has only had a high school for only short amount of time, the schools are successful. This small community is expanding every day. In one of our interviews, we talked to a woman named Mrs. Katy Franklin. Franklin is the librarian at Grape Creek High school. Franklin explained to us that the economy in Grape Creek was mainly known for it's "horse people". In other words, Grape Creek is known for it's ranching business. Farming and ranching was the only source of income for most of the families in Grape Creek. A great number of people flocked to Grape Creek seeking land and a new opportunity. It wasn't until the community started expanding, that there was the opportunity for neighboring families to find other work within the community. Grape Creek also has the advantage of a nearby city, San Angelo. Most families were able to move to Grape Creek to farm and ranch while also working in a nearby city. As the town grows even more, residents of Grape Creek hopes that more and more businesses move there.

Through the interviews we were also able to find out some of the most unforgettable events in the lives of the residents of Grape Creek. Many of the residents favorite memories were of when ground was broken for the high school. This was an exciting time for Grape Creek. What seemed to take years to accomplish was finally here. Some of the other exciting moments were when the new bridge was built. There had been a number of accidents caused on the road. Due to the death of a young man in one of the many accidents on this road, his mother put together a petition, stating that something must be done. Because of her and so many other people fighting for what they believed was right, an overpass was built. To this day there has never been an overpass in the state of Texas that the trim has been painted in the colors of the school. One of the other unforgettable moments was when the football players and the cheerleaders were caught at a party drinking. Most of the families in Grape Creek were upset with what had happened. Because Grape Creek is such a small community, word spread quickly. Once the school board had found out, the time to act was upon them. Things would not have been so bad if justice had been served. What was unfair about the issue was that the football players who attended the party were unpunished. However the cheerleaders that were there were kicked off the squad. A huge fight broke out between the parents of the students who had attended the party and the school board. The fight only lasted a couple of days when the football players were suspended for one game. Although many parents still saw this as an unjust sentencing nothing more was done. For Kris Martin, one resident of Grape Creek, who was a junior in Grape Creek High School, this is one moment is something he will never forget. In his opinion, for a community to be successful it must be fair and just in all aspects of punishment. What is not acceptable for one class of students should not be acceptable for another class of students.
One negative aspect of living in a small town is that word gets around quickly. When something bad happens to somebody in a small town everyone is sure to find out. There have been a number of times that Grape Creek has been said to be a bad community because of a few incidents. The people of Grape Creek wish to improve the image seen by other communities and cities as a more positive one. Mrs. Winchester, wife to the Pastor of Grape Creek Baptist Church, stated in her interview that although there are many positive aspects to Grape Creek and its development the media still wishes to slander Grape Creek for it's past mistakes. Mrs. Winchester's hope is for the people in the surrounding cities to see Grape Creek in a new light.
In all the interviews, everyone stated their enjoyment for living in Grape Creek. Each and every one of them have high expectations for Grape Creek. Their wishes are that Grape Creek continues to grow and flourish in a positive way. They also hope that Grape Creek becomes known for their effort and its passion for its students.

WEBSITES:
Texas Handbook site for Grape Creek
Grape Creek Independent School District

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY/INTERVIEWS:
The Handbook of Texas:
Grape Creek located in Tom Green County. Located north of San Angelo, Texas off of U.S. Highway 87. Grape Creek was founded during the 1800's. Surrounding locations include Water Valley, Miles, Veribest, and Wall. (Not a good source).
www.GrapeCreek.org
                            The website gave a lot of information in to how the town and the school came to be. It also talks about how the city and school came to grow. It mentions the date when the deed for the land in which the school was placed upon was sold. It also mentions the growth of the students from year to year.               (Good source)
Katy Franklin
                            Franklin is currently the librarian at Grape Creek High School. While speaking to Franklin we were able to find out about the economy in Grape Creek. Franklin told us that Grape Creek was known, only for a short while for it's, so called, "horse people". What Franklin meant by this was that a lot of people moved to Grape Creek because of the abundance of land. At one point or another, the majority of people living in Grape Creek had ranches or farms. With this in mind a great number of families owned horses as well. Franklin also mentioned how the town has a lot of "economically disadvantaged", residents in Grape Creek something which few if any of the other people we spoke with had mentioned. There are a number of programs that have been designed to help with this problem. (Good Source)
Teri Deweber
                            Mrs. Deweber, who also works at Grape Creek High School, was able to email us with a number of helpful ideas. Deweber emailed us with a number of great facts concerning the history of the school and of other people in the community that would be able to help us. Deweber had stated that as far as the future of Grape Creek, she sees it as bright. In her own words alone "Now they have a dry cleaners and a nice restaurant!" This new increase in businesses has strengthened the economy and given hope to all of the community members. Deweber also hopes that in the near future that Grape Creek will have a large community/recreation facility where community members can gather and enjoy fellowship. (Good Source)

            Raymond Camarillo
                            Camarillo was able to show us around Grape Creek. Raymond took us to what is the oldest cemetery in Grape Creek.

                        He also showed us, Mt. Nebo and approximately where the first school was built.
            Another thing we were able to do was to drive around Grape Creek and see a variety of old historical houses. Camarillo, president of the Booster Club a couple of years ago, was also the one who found and dedicated the victory bell for the Grape Creek Eagles. This bell will forever ring and remind all the people who hear it of Grape Creek's victories! Camarillo wished for us to mention his son, Ramiro Camarillo Jr., who was part of the first graduating class of Grape Creek High School in 2000! (Great Source)
Amy Hochreiter
                        Amy Hochreiter, graduate of 2001, was generous as to share some insight about Grape Creek. Hochreiter has lived in Grape Creek most of her live. She moved from Grape Creek to pursue her education else where. She spoke of what it was like to live in a small town. Hochreiter stated that living in a small town could have its negative sides. She able to let us in on some of the negative aspects of living in such a small town that people often develop stereotypes of one another. Sometimes those stereotypes stay with you long after you've left. (Good Source)
Mr. and Mrs. Winchester
                        Mr. and Mrs. Winchester moved to Texas about 10 years ago and have been leaders in the community ever since. Mr. Winchester is the pastor at the Grape Creek Baptist Church. The Church is located across the street of the Grape Creek Elementary/Middle School. The Winchesters shared with us their joys of living in Grape Creek. They said that one of the biggest joys about living in such a small town is the freedom. Some of their fondest memories were of when the land was broken for the new high school. Another one for their fondest memories was the first ever Grape Creek High School football game. Their son, Jonathon was on the field that day. They hope that one-day Grape Creek will turn into a bigger community, but also that it won't lose that small town appeal. (Good Source)
Janett Salazar
                               Janett Salazar, Lake View graduate of 2001, shared a different view of Grape Creek. Salazar moved to Grape Creek from Eagle Pass. She was not used to living in a small community and found it somewhat different. With Grape Creek not having a High School, Salazar's parents decided that it would be in their best interest to move to San Angelo. Once moving to San Angelo, Salazar was enrolled in Lave View High School. Although she was only living in Grape Creek for a short time she had a great amount of useful information for us. Salazar shared with us the different types of work that people do in the city. She stated that a lot of people in the city have professions, where as the only profession in Grape Creek is farming and ranching. Farming and ranching is the only sort of income for most of them. She also stated that one reason a lot of the people move to Grape Creek is because of the new school district. (Good Source)
Sheree Yates
                    Sheree Yates, former student at Grape Creek High, says that she enjoys living in Grape Creek because of the fact that everybody knows everybody in the town. The only downfall to that is everybody knows everyone's business all the time. One of her most exciting moments was the day when the new bridge was put up. Yates hopes for the future of Grape Creek is that it will develop in to a stronger community, economically.
Kris Martin
                    Kris Martin has lived in Grape Creek for about 20 years. In his opinion Martin believes that the true growth of Grape Creek is due to the development of the high school. "Parents want their children to have a better education." Martin's most unforgettable memory was when the football players and the cheerleaders were caught at a party drinking. What was unfair about this situation was the fact that the football players were allowed to play but the cheerleaders who were at the party were kicked off the squad completely. Martin believes that for a community to prosper it must be fair and just in all aspects of punishment. He also believes that for Grape Creek's Independent School District to advance that the joining of teachers, superintendents, board members and other unacknowledged school employees must combine in their efforts for the sake of the students.

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