The western portion of the county was developed slowly. There
were few early settlements and these were found near the water
holes or springs. There were a few settlements also along Little
River of the creeks flowing into it. The first schools, with the
exception of Cameron and Davilla, remained small until a very
late date because of the scarcity of pupils. Later, when the
Santa Fe and I.&C.N. railroads came through, the settlements
began to grow and new settlements were established. These
settlements grew rapidly. the towns of Rockdale, Thorndale and
Buckholts were established because of the railroads. the
building of the railroads throughout other parts of the country
was the cause of the decline of Davilla, an inland town.
Davilla, which at one time had the largest school in this
section of the county, declined into only a very small village.
Immediately after the Civil War, in 1866, the carpet-baggers
undertook to establish public schools for blacks and whites on
equal terms. Dr. T. A. Pope was the firs