Preservation Lampasas Inc. acquires piece of Colored School's history
By LISA CARNLEY Staff Writer

This piano will be moved to the Colored School after preservation is complete.

Another piece of the Lampasas Colored School's history will be restored to its rightful place with the return of a piano used for a number of years in the old stone structure.

This update was provided by Preservation Lampasas Inc. members at a recent public hearing to accept comments on the direction and scope of efforts to restore the Colored School.

Though no one is sure of the piano's age, an inside stamp shows it was manufactured by Hobart M. Cable Co. of La Porte, Ind., which opened its doors in 1900.

The company operated independently until the 1960s, although at some point it stopped building its own pianos and bought branded instruments from other manufacturers. Hobart M. Cable exists today, but only as a brand for Asian-made products, such as Yamaha.

The antique piano, which brought many a school function and dance to life inside the 1920sera stone walls of the Colored School, was removed from the facility when its doors closed in 1963 due to school integration.

At that time, Rual Smith, a maintenance employee for the Lampasas Independent School District, assisted with clearing out the Colored School campus. He asked then-Superintendent Harvey Ballew what was to be done with the piano, and Ballew told Smith to take it home.

The instrument remained in the home of the late Rual and Helen Smith, and after Mrs. Smith's death, her daughter, Gypsy Doggett, donated it back to the Colored School.

Committee members said they look forward to having the piano in working order and in place when work is completed on the building.

Preservation Lampasas is the group spearheading efforts to revive the historic school.

Work is to begin soon, bolstered by a $30,000 Texas Preservation Trust Fund matching grant through the Texas Historical Commission.

Plans call for the old school to be restored to its 1928 roots, which includes removal of the south wall of the structure, not original to that time period.

Phase I also will include roof repairs, foundation work, repointing of the walls, mortar work and placement of windows.

Pieces of the wood floor removed from the Lampasas High School gym after recent flooding will be used in renovation of the Colored School, tying the project to existing school facilities.

Work will be undertaken by local contractors Rex Keele, Mike Hail and Ron Ischy.

"The contractors know what they are doing, and they are taking a lot of pride in this project," said Mayor Judith Hetherly, Preservation Lampasas chairman.

Work associated with the grant must be completed within 18 months.

Additional grants are being sought, and all donations are gratefully accepted, said Robert Oliver, a liaison between Preservation Lampasas and the contractors.

Cash and in-kind contributions may be sent to the group at P.O. Box 1632 in Lampasas. Donations are tax-deductible.

Oliver also asked that anyone with information on the building or student life (to include photos and stories) contact him or Ms. Hetherly.

Preservation Lampasas also plans to sponsor several fundraising events to bolster its coffers and that can assist in providing matching funds for grants.