Westphalia Little School
Lott, Falls County, Texas
From Lott, take SH 320 SW about 8 miles to Westphalia community then take county road NW about .25 miles
Year Erected: 1982
Plans for the establishment of a school to serve the German Catholic community
of Westphalia began soon after the earliest settlers arrived here in 1879. Under
the direction of the first trustees, Anton Jansing, Joseph Hoelscher,and
Stanislaus Rollewitz, the school was set up to provide parochial and public
instruction. The Westphalia Little School opened in 1884. Early teachers were J.
H. Pels; Professor A. Kechoff; Brother Stefan Geiser, CPPS; George
Laloumoudiere; G. Horst Daniel; Joseph Henke; and Tim Sullivan. The building was
originally constructed as the Church of Visitation. After being heavily damaged
by storms, it was remodeled in 1893 for use as the community schoolhouse. In
1899 the Sisters of Divine Providence from Our Lady of the Lake Covent in San
Antonio began teaching in the school. Although the parochial program ended in
1935, the Sisters have continued to serve in the public school. Since 1884
Westphalia Little School has continued to offer area residents a quality
educational program based on a cooperative effort between public and parochial
instruction.