Public education for African American students in Texas City began in 1915. The Texas City Independent School District hired Mrs. J.R. McKellar to teach all students; classes were held in churches and lodge halls until 1937, when the I.S.D. purchased this property and moved a one-story wooden building to the site.

For many years, Booker T. Washington School offered instruction only through grade 7, so students traveled to Galveston to complete their education. A brick schoolhouse constructed here in 1946-47 housed grades 1-10. In 1953, a high school building was added to the campus, and African Americans could at least complete their high school education in Texas City. Extra-curricular activities, including athletic and music programs, were important parts of student life.

With the full integration of Texas City public schools in 1969, Booker T. Washington closed. It remains, however, a significant part of Texas City's 20th-century social and educational history. The campus has continued in use for a variety of community purposes, including facilities for College of the Mainland in its initial years (1967-71), for Project Head Start (1974-89) and for the Calvin Vincent Learning Center (1996).

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