Lockhart Vocational High School
Also known as: Carver High School
Why it's listed
Built in 1923 on East Market Street in Lockhart, this two-story stucco-covered brick school served the town's African American community and is locally remembered as Carver High School. It follows the six-teacher plan promoted by the Rosenwald school building program and is the last of two such schools built in Texas that year. Construction cost $22,000, with most funds coming from the school district, $2,500 from the Black community and $1,500 from the Rosenwald Fund. Elementary grades met on the first floor and high school grades upstairs, and the school reached Third Class high school status in 1926. Its requests for a janitor, lights and a flagpole were often deferred or denied by the school board. Alterations include a removed pediment, boarded windows, a 1945 brick restroom addition and a walkway added when Head Start used the building. The school closed in 1964 and now stands vacant, with its original basketball poles and flagpole still on site.
Significance in brief: It is the last remaining of two six-teacher Rosenwald schools built in Texas in 1923, and one of 32 documented masonry-type Rosenwald schools in the state. It is nominated under Criterion A for its role in education and African American ethnic heritage at the local level. It reflects the Rosenwald Fund's self-help approach and the unequal conditions faced by the town's Black schools.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98001416, listed November 19, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1104 E. Market St., Lockhart |
|---|---|
| County | Caldwell County |
| Listed | November 19, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001416 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1923-1948 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | OTHER: six-teacher type |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant/not in use; the school closed in 1964 and many windows are covered with plywood. |
| Acreage | 2.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.88600, -97.66314 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98001416.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001741
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.