Built in 1915 to replace the log school house which served the community from 1896 until it was destroyed by fire in 1914, the Little Red School has not always been red. It was white when the Red River Women’s Club decided it should be painted red in 1962. Red was a traditional color for school houses and barns in the United States dating back to the 1860s. Samples of the tin siding are on display and indicate that the building has also been gray – see photo on page 12 – and a cream color at some point.
The building served not only as a school, but was a community center for celebrations, weddings, funerals, dances, and recitals. Speeches on the steps of the building were a 4th of July tradition.
Classes were conducted until 1942. Mrs. Creasy was the last teacher to conduct classes in the building. Following World War II, the structure was used by the locals for a variety of things, including BBQ dinners with campfire entertainment for tourists and an autumn art show in the early 1970s which featured the work of local and regional artists.
The Little Red School was originally located on High Street, the site of the current Red River Valley Charter School. In 1999, it was moved to the present location and became a museum housing photographs and artifacts highlighting the colorful history of Red River City which was founded in 1895.
The interior is dominated by a re-creation of a one-room school typical of the first half of the 20th century in the United States, including some of the original student desks. The blackboards are made of a special cardboard and are also original.
It is appropriate that Jamie Greene is the Museum Docent for the summer of 2021. As an Educational Diagnostician and school teacher in West Texas for many years, she is at home in the classroom setting.
She will be giving guided tours and answering questions about the collection recalling Red River’s early days. Born and raised in the Lone Star State town of Pampa, she has a lifelong love for the Red River Valley and the town named for the chilly river that runs through the heart of the community.
“I am the 3rd generation vacationer from Pampa, Texas,” she says while standing by the teacher’s desk. Her son is the 4th generation and his son – who is due in December – will be the 5th generation of Greenes.
“My Grandparents, Bill and Ruth Greene, brought my dad, Jim. They came over on the Old Pass, on dirt. Then my dad came as an adult, on dirt, then I came over the brand new Bobcat Pass as a child – I was born in ‘64. We’ve vacationed here the whole time.”
She remembers that the family camped in Cimarron Canyon at the Gravel Pit lakes.
“When my grandparents came, they would stay in Eagle Nest, at Eagle Nest Lodge. My dad would just camp. We would beg: ‘Can we go to Red River, can we go to Red River?’ Finally we would get to come over to Red River!
“One summer, my dad said ‘We’re going to the mountains.’ Mom said to start packing and dad said ‘Nope, I’m having a vacation this year!’ We stayed in Lifts West, we were high on the hog, poor farmers!
“From that day on we stayed somewhere: Rio Colorado, River Ranch, Lifts West, a condo, townhouse. We never stayed at Tall Pine – don’t know why.”
Jamie and her mother arrived in Red River on June 13 and will leave around the end of July.
“Mom is 80 and she’s staying at 4-K River Ranch. We’ve stayed there before.
Her mother, Juanita Dodds used to stay at River Ranch.”
Jamie is looking forward to the summer in the museum and to visiting with people.
The Little Red School House & Museum Complex
Where: Jayhawk Trail by the Red River Public Library
Hours: 1-5pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
Admission: Free – Donations to the Red River Historical Society gladly accepted.