Educational opportunities during the days of the Republic of Texas were few.
Children were often taught at home by their mothers, or families in some communities joined together to hire a teacher for their children.
The local minister, usually the most educated person in the community, supplemented his religious duties with educational duties.
The settlement of the town of Matagorda began in the late 1820s after the arrival of the Little Zoe with new residents to join the few already living there.
The schooling of Matagorda children during the late 1830s through the Civil War was carried out by private academies.
In May, 1838, Henry M. Shaw posted a notice in the Matagorda Bulletin stating his intention of opening the Matagorda Academy in a building belonging to Colonel J.W.E. Wallace on Cedar Street.
Tuition for reading, spelling, and writing $15; higher branches of English $20; Latin and Greek $25.
