In 1940-1941, Brazos County Superintendent of Schools Amy (Barron) Neeley (1887-1979) and a group of teachers, including Pauline Watkins (1902-1980), discussed plans to enhance educational opportunities for African American children in the area by consolidating five existing schools. In 1941, the teachers, Tabor School District Trustee William P. Presnal, and educator and County Commissioner John M. Moore purchased four acres adjoining one of the five existing schools, located on Dilly Shaw Tap Road, to accommodate the consolidated school. The new site’s main building consisted of five rooms for academic subjects, including math, English, social studies and homemaking instruction. An equipped farm shop and vegetable garden served agricultural classes. A large athletic field completed the site. 134 students transferred for the first year, rising to 166 in 1944. The site also became a gathering place for the community. The school’s main building burned in 1950, and the students were temporarily transferred to an elementary school in Bryan along with several teachers and the principal, Fred B. Batts. A new brick building was completed in 1952. That same year, Kurten District #10 assumed management of the school. The school educated students through eighth grade and resumed community events. In the 1950s, officials consolidated Brazos County’s schools further. In 1960, the John Moore School opened as a junior high serving grades seven to nine. Two years later, the school closed, and the teachers and students transferred to Neal Junior High School in Bryan. The community continued to use the site for events, but in 1965, it was permanently closed. The buildings were later demolished. (2023)