Welcome to Metz Elementary School in 1916 - the 1920s! 

2101 Willow St - Est. 1916

Metz Elementary School first opened its doors for the fall term of 1916. The first unit was erected with 1.24 acres of land, which were purchased for $2,800. As explained by the document on the left below, additional acreage was purchased in 1922, 1935, and 1947, bringing the total cost of land for Metz campus to $14,500. This document also explains that the school was named for former School Board member and early Austin settler Mr. Hamilton M. Metz. The first principal was Clare Stubbs, who held this role for eighteen years. The principal at the time this document was created was Mr. M.S. Norton. The middle document shows a drawing of Metz School and its location on Willow Street in the 1920s. On the right, the Austin Public Schools Daily Program of Elementary Grades shows handwritten grade reports from Metz two years after the school opened.

The PTA at Metz in the 1920s

Metz Elementary School's Parent-Teacher Association was organized in October of 1916. The constitution and bylaws were written by Clara Stubbs, Metz’s first principal, and were accepted by the organization's initial 40 members. The first article below describes the beginnings and early successes of the Metz PTA. Mrs. Mae Weatherford served as the first president for four years. Under her leadership, a finance committee was established, and membership grew to roughly 100 members. The PTA's current president at the time of this article (1926) was Mrs. Joe Callan, who is pictured in the article below. It also notes that some of the PTA's presidents over the years did not even have children attending Metz.

The first piano at Metz was loaned, and the PTA later bought the school its own piano. They also added first aid supplies and other accommodations for teachers around the school. Metz principal Clara Stubbs kept the PTA "in touch with the needs of the children in the school, and those unable to buy books and provide themselves with lunches, were looked after by the PTA." The PTA also had a "friendship committee" which sent flowers and visited community members during instances of illness and grief. The handwritten, cursive notes from PTA meetings in 1923 and 1925 (pictured in middle and on right below) detail some of the PTA’s work in the 1920s. The 1923 minutes reference Clara Stubbs and Miss Barrow sharing a plan for serving children soup on rainy days.

Another exhibit in this archive, "Para Nuestros Padres: Honoring the Legacy of Metz Parents," expands on the role of parents in the Metz community.

Grandma Camacho

Lorraine Castro Camacho, pictured below, was born in Austin in 1917. A pillar of the Metz community, Lorraine was known to most as “Grandma Camacho” for her grandmother-like nature. As teacher Lupe Ramos explained, “She was just a grandma -- everybody's grandma. We always just respected her. We respected what she said.” Grandma Camacho will always be remembered as a beloved figure in the Metz community, celebrated for the love, wisdom, and dedication she brought to Metz.

Pictured below, three of Grandma Camacho’s siblings attended Metz in the 1920s. Lucille Castro is pictured on the left, and the 1919 excerpt from the Austin American features her on the Metz honor roll. Grandma Camacho’s brothers, Paul and Toby Castro, are pictured on the right.

To learn more about Grandma Camacho, her family, and their involvement with Metz, view the Lorraine Castro Camacho Family Scrapbook