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History of Sanford Community Center
The Sanford Community Center is a historic building created in 1928 in Palacios during the time of racial segregation in Texas (1928-1965) and was known as The Palacios Colored School.
When segregation ended in 1965, the school closed down but re-opened in 1967 as the Rainbow Land Day Care, serving all of Palacios' children until 2011.
Then the school sat empty until 2014, when local resident Troy Lewis purchased the land and building from the Palacios School District.
In 2016, the Palacios Community Coalition (our 501c3) was created to raise funds for renovations of the then 88 year old building, which had suffered severe neglect.
The school building contains significant memories for the African American residents of Palacios, many who attended the school as youngsters.
Troy's grandfather helped build the school in 1928 for .07 cents an hour.
Troy's aunts and uncles attended, and Troy himself was a student for a short time.
The new name--The Sanford Community Center---was adopted in 2017
in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Sanford, a young Black couple who dedicated 30 years of their lives to teaching and running the school from 1935-1964.
Thank you for your support in preserving this sacred site and creating a community center for generations to come!
Gratefully,
Executive Director Robin Lewis