Little Rocky/Marlow

Milam County, TX

Status: Located

Year Established: 1865

Council of Governments: CTCOG

Public History: Early efforts to serve the educational needs of Cameron’s African American students centered on church instruction at a place called “Little Rocky” Church in the Marlow Community. In 1923, Oscar John Thomas (1894-1977) joined the district to serve as principal and teacher. Under his leadership, the district secured financing from the Julius Rosenwald fund and built a new facility in 1925. The school was renamed for Thomas in 1938. Thirty years later, during integration, the facility became Cameron Junior High. A 1974 petition changed the name back to O.J. Thomas. In 1995, the junior high closed, and in 1998, the building was sold to an alumni group for use as a community center.

Community History: “From “”Canady family traces history to slavery,”” Jeanne Williams, Temple Daily Telegram, October 9, 2009: “”Researching O.J. Thomas High School for a Texas Historical Marker, Mrs. Steward acquired information on the history of the Little Rocky community, where education for Milam County’s blacks began through developments made by the Freedmen’s Bureau in1865 … Little Rocky Cemetery is the only tangible evidence of a 19th-century black community that also included a church. Members of the Canady clan can easily point out where the church and the school once stood along the curvilinear County Road 244.””

Note: While this article refers to the community as “”Little Rocky,”” the Texas Historical Marker mentioned refers to the community as “”Marlow.”” Text of historical marker available through public history link below.”

Cemetery: Little Rocky Cemetery