Before there was a town of Manor, there was Parsons' Seminary. Established in 1858, it was sometimes also known as Parsons' Female Seminary and/or Parsons' Academy. It was the second school started in the area of Travis County where Manor, TX. would later be mapped out.
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| Parsons Female Seminary building - photo provided by Cindy Koplin |
Due to the fact that it was one of the major establishments in the area at the time, and since there was no actual town, the area became widely know as Parsons' Seminary. The Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas says;
"Parson's Seminary was about twelve miles east of Austin in Travis County. It was one of the principal towns in the county in 1859 and was noted for its school for females; the school was named for Silas Parsons. A post office was established at the community in July 1870, with Herrman Mosson as postmaster; it was discontinued in August 1871, and mail for area residents was sent to Austin."
The Texas Almanac for 1936 contained an article titled "Texas Towns of Historic Interest That Have Been Abandoned or Remain Small Towns Today". It listed Parsons' Seminary as one of those "towns".
Historical records titled "Appointment of U.S. Postmasters, 1832-1971" list Parsons' Seminary as a Post Office in Travis County with Herman Mosson appointed as Postmaster in July, 1870. The appointment was discontinued in August, 1871 after a Post Office was established nearby at Gregg. This was also discontinued when a Post Office was established in the newly-formed town of Manor in July, 1872.
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| POSTAL RECORD LISTING PARSONS' SEMINARY |
It was a combination of the acts of several people, and several land purchases near where Manor would later be, that led to the building of Parsons' Seminary on land that would later be advantageous to the city and residents of Manor.
Calvin Barker was born in Missouri. While still a teenager, by 1832 he was now living in Texas. Beginning in February, 1837 he served a term of twelve months in the Army of Texas; this entitling him to a land grant of one-third league (1476 acres) of land. Survey No. 38 was made for him on October 16, 1838 in what, at that time, was Bastrop County (now Travis County). This survey joined James Manor’s survey’s numbers 39 and 40 on their east side.
Silas Parsons was born March 9, 1799 in Kentucky. By about 1819 he was living on a farm in Jackson County, Alabama. In 1822 he was elected sheriff and served in that capacity for three years while he studied law and became admitted to the bar. He practiced law in Bellefonte, Alabama until 1831 when he moved to Huntsville where he continued his law practice. In 1849 he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Alabama Supreme Court. He resigned this position in June, 1851 and, on November 3, 1852 he purchased 1534 acres of land in the Greenbury Gates survey in Travis County from John A. Cunningham. This land joined Calvin Barker’s survey on its north side. The purchase price was $1 per acre. Soon thereafter, he moved to Texas.
Isaac Wildbahn was born June 25, 1815 in Ohio. Later moving to Jackson County, Alabama he served as postmaster at Bellefonte, Alabama from January 22, 1844 to May 20, 1845. He married Ann Drucilla Lancaster in 1850. He owned much land in Jackson County, but in the early 1850’s they sold their land and moved to Travis County, TX .
Having already sold the southeastern half of his one-third league (738 acres) to Samuel Parks on June 12, 1851, for a total of $738 dollars, Calvin Barker (deed records says Baker), now living in Williamson County, sold the northwestern half of his land to Isaac Wildbahn on November 3, 1852. The purchase price this time was $1476 ($2 per acre). This gave Isaac Wildbahn title to 738 acres of land adjoining James Manor's 1280 acres of land on its eastern border, very near where the town of Manor would later be built.
On January 1, 1855 Isaac Wildbahn sold 175 acres of this same land to Silas Parsons. The land purchased by Parsons began at the northern end of of the Calvin Barker one-third league and followed the timber line along Wilbarger's Creek until it reached the eastern border of Isaac Wildbahn's land, where it then turned north until it once again reached the northern border of Barker's land. The sale price was $1000.
The result of these transactions was that Isaac Wildbahn, Silas Parsons and James Manor all lived in the same area of Travis County, with only a short distance separating the three of them.
Since a school for children (sources indicate it was for boys only) in this area had already been constructed by Silas Parsons and four other trustees in 1854, it would seem that this need had already been fulfilled. However, there was one other factor that would come into play that made this building insufficient to meet the needs of the local residents.
In order for Freemasonry members who lived in this area of Travis County to attend a Masonic Lodge, they had to travel either eleven miles to Webberville or 12 miles to Austin. In 1857 efforts were begun to establish a Masonic Lodge in the Wilbarger's Creek area. According to a written history, in 1858 a new lodge was constructed on land given by Isaac Wildbahn with funds given primarily by Silas Parsons. The ground floor of the building housed the Parsons Seminary while the upper floor served as Parsons' Masonic Lodge #222.
Isaac Wildbahn, who donated the land for Parsons' Seminary, died on August 25, 1866. His widow, Ann D. Wildbahn, lived until 1892. She never remarried, but because she had been left financially secure, it appears she was able to manage their estate quite well.
On August 1, 1872, Ann Wildbahn officially deeded the three and seven-tenths acres of land on which Parsons' Seminary was located to Thompson M. Rector, Sr, Joseph T. Barnhart, James Manor, G. W. Malone, Thompson M. Rector, Jr., J. T. Gregg, John S. Barnhart, and Ed Crockett, who were the trustees of Parsons' Seminary. The deed states that "buildings and improvements have heretofore been erected and placed upon the parcel of land". It also states that if these buildings should ever cease to be used as Parsons' Seminary, then ownership of the land would revert to Ann Wildbahn.
On December 14, 1863 the Legislature of the State of Texas approved an act incorporating the Parsons' Female Seminary, naming the board of trustees as the corporate body. They were given powers to act in ways that would be of benefit to the Seminary.
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| SECTION 1 OF 6 SECTIONS |
While the Manor Historic Resources Survey conducted by the Travis County Historical Commission in 2007 states that "The school remained open until 1882, nearly two decades", other sources indicate it was much longer. A story published in the Austin Daily Statesman newspaper on May 9, 1893 stated that the closing exercises of the school were held on May 4th and 5th in the Fireman's hall in Manor. It described the school as "flourishing" at that time.
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| FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE MAY 9TH ARTICLE |
In July, 1906 an election was held at which time Manor area residents voted to establish a new Manor Independent School District.
In early April, 1907 bids were received for the construction of a new, $13,000 school building for Manor's students.
Although several historical accounts state that it happened in 1890, Travis County deed records show that it was on April 27, 1907 that the Trustees of Parsons' Seminary deeded their land to the Trustees of the Manor School District. This was published in The Austin Statesman newspaper on May 17, 1907. No purchase price was indicated. The sale included lots 6 & 7 in block 37 of the town of Manor along with three and seven-tenths acres of the Calvin Barker Survey. Also included was a small amount of land originally owned by the Wildbahns.
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| Travis County Deed Record 216, pages 350-356 |
By June 1, 1907 construction was already underway on a new school building on this same land. The new school held its first classes in January, 1908.
All this would indicate that the Parsons' Female Seminary was located somewhere on the land where Manor Excel Academy is today. Information on the back side of the photo of the Parsons Seminary building at the beginning of this article gives a more specific location.
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| Back side of photo provided by Cindy Koplin |
The "frame building" mentioned here appears to refer to the two-story structure built in 1907 and first opened for classes in January, 1908 which remained in constant use until about 1954. The "brick building" would most likely have been the high school which was constructed in 1936.
Current Travis County Appraisal District maps show the Manor Excel Academy buildings located on part of the original Calvin Barker Survey.
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| PARSONS' SEMINARY STUDENTS (YEAR UNKNOWN) |
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