Poteet, Texas

   Atascosa County, Texas has been home to many early settlers of the state. It remains a place of small towns and countryside.
    Poteet was founded in 1910 and incorporated in 1926, according to the "Atascosa County History". Some early residents of Poteet had been in the county for some time, such as the Hurley family. Felix Grundy Hurley brought his family from Covington, Tennessee, about 1876. He had a store at Ditto and is believed to have been the first postmaster there. [Follow the Hurley link to read the story of the naming of Ditto.]As Poteet began to grow, Hurley moved his store to Poteet. His son, Charles Clement Hurley, known as "C. C." Hurley continued to run it as the Hurley Mercantile until 1926.
       A school district was established in 1913. The first superintendant was John McDonald (1913-1915), followed by Jesse Weir (1916-1922). The school board was seeking a new superintendant in 1922. One member of the board was Dr. C. C. Schotts. Schotts was from Mississippi. In Mississippi, he had known a young man named S. V. Burks, known as "Bill" Burks. Bill Burks left Mississippi in 1922, seeking a healthier climate for himself, his wife and young daughter. They stopped at a health camp in Kerrville, where Dr. Shotts happened to see them. Shotts and Burks discussed Poteet's need for a superintendant and Burks' need of a job. The job was offered and accepted and the Burks family did not make it to Arizona.
   Bill Burks was superintendant of Poteet schools from 1922 until the summer of 1939, when he moved to Kingsville, Texas, to teach agricultural education at Texas A&I.
   A school picture from about 1921 or so shows 22 students of Poteet High School and a teacher.

   The school at Poteet was a rural school in 1922. In 1924 it was granted classification as a four year high school. By 1928 it was fully accredited, meaning that any graduate of Poteet High School could enter college without further examination.
   All through the Great Depression, many small school districts could only pay their teachers in 'script', but Poteet teachers received regular salaries. That was one of Bill Burks' many accomplishments.
   When S. V. Burks took the job of school superintendant in Poteet, the finances were not in good shape. The first year Burks was in charge of the Poteet schools, there was no more money to pay the teachers after seven months of school, so he closed the schools for the year. His experience as a county agent in Mississippi gave him knowledge that he shared with Atascosa farmers. They soon learned to go to him for advice on crops, pests, etc. He willingly helped all who asked. The farmers who had previously refused to pay their school taxes began to comply as they learned to trust and respect S. V. Burks. He could and did go throughout the county, taking the school census, where some farmers would not allow anyone else from the schools on their land but Mr. Burks. As taxes were collected, money was available for teachers� salaries, and the schools never had to close early again. Tom Dean was the banker in Poteet. He and Bill Burks worked together to get the financial situation of the schools on a solid footing.

The Poteet Aggie football team of 1926 was undefeated. The team picture includes the team mascot, little Billy Burks, son of the superintendent.

Another football team picture shows team members with Mr. Hallmark, the coach.

1928 First Grade Poteet, Texas

   Young Billy Burks started school at Poteet in the fall of 1927. He is on the second row from the bottom, sixth from the left-the only one wearing a necktie. This class picture was made in the spring of 1928.
   Bottom row, L to R: Barney Anderson, ?, Bill Lawson, Charles "Benner" Tuttle, ?, maybe John Orta
   Second row L to R: first four unidentified, then Ted Wells, Billy Burks, two others
   Third row L to R: Clementine Foseler, ?, maybe Margret Brooks, Mildred Long (now Mildred Marks), ?, Miss Mary Sojourner, 6 others not identified
Top row unidentified. Second from right may be John Hanley Burris
   Miss Mary Sojourner was the teacher. Send me an email if you can identify others in this picture.

About 1938, the school had a King and Queen of the County Fair. The King was Billy Burks and the Queen was Strelsa Hearn. It rained heavily the night of the big event, keeping the attendance to a minimum. The event was not held the next year.

You are invited to visit my pages on the Long family who has lived in Atascosa County over 100 years.

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