One of the most tragic days in Texas preservation history (let alone the Red River Valley) occurred when the old high school in Denison, Texas was razed.

While Europe has its cathedrals, Africa its mosques, and Asia its temples, the United States has its own community denominator: its public schools. Although racially segregated until 1956 or so (and for some districts, even ten years later!), school buildings created real senses of pride and identity for the places they served.

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Some of these schools are still around in more modern forms. Others, however, are just ruins or memories -- some good, some bad. But they all tell stories, so here's some of them.