When it was constructed, the Rock Church featured a wooden railing up the outside staircase and along the second-floor landing (at left).  This was replaced by a metal railing, reportedly in the late 1930s or early 1940s.  Although difficult to tell, the railing in this photograph appears to be metal.  The overgrown weeds also may be a clue, as the Rock Church was all but abandoned when the school closed after the 1935-1936 term.  Earlier photos of the building, in its heyday as a church, school and Masonic lodge, suggest that the constant flurry of activity inhibited the growth of any vegetation at all.  Also missing here are the slatted shutters that once covered the second-floor windows.  It is not yet known when the shutters were removed, but this information should help to narrow the date of this photograph.


Sources:
Janet L. Saltsgiver (Fort Worth, Texas), e-mail message, 19 Oct 2005.
Janet L. Saltsgiver, e-mail message, 26 Dec 2005 [according to Charles Caraway, "the last year that Marvin's Chapel School was in session was the 1935-1936 school year.  The students from then forward were bused to Tolar"].






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This page last updated 26 Dec 2005.