Peacock School for Boys in San Antonio, Texas also known as Peacock Military Academy

My husband’s grandfather; Wilson Lamar Wilkinson was the fourth child of Nancy Mires and William Jackson Montgomery Wilkinson; born 17 September 1882 in Menard County, Texas.  As a young boy, Lamar attended Peacock School for Boys.  It was also known as Peacock Military Academy in San Antonio, Texas. It is believed to have been about 1898 when he was 16 years old.

Here is the “PSB” baseball team and Lamar is sitting on the second row and is the second from the left.

Lamar told the story that one time before going on the field he heard two young girls in the stands say,  “What does PSB stand for?  and the other girl said, “Poor Sonsofbitches”.  He just laughed!

Lamar is on the top row fifth from the left. Photo is believed to have been taken about 1898.

1894 Peacock School for Boys later renamed Peacock Military Academy

You can read about the Battle of Flowers Parade in San Antonio where Lamar participated in a float while attending Peacock School for Boys.

Lamar Wilkinson is riding on the second wagon, middle row on the outside. In front of the Menger Hotel, San Antonio, Texas c1898

PEACOCK MILITARY ACADEMY. Peacock Military Academy, in San Antonio, also known as Peacock School for Boys, Peacock Military School, and Peacock Military College, was established in 1894 by Wesley Peacock. The institution was one of the first private preparatory boarding and day schools in Texas for boys between twelve and eighteen years of age. In 1900 two blocks of land adjoining the school were purchased, and a 2-½-story building for dormitories and classrooms was erected. The school was chartered by the state of Texas in 1904 and was recognized by the United States government as a military institute, junior ROTC unit. It was designated an honor school in 1908 by the Department of the Army. From 1920 to 1926 the United States Veterans Bureau leased the school plant, where 5,000 former servicemen were rehabilitated and given vocational training under government supervision. In 1933 the school was rechartered as a nonprofit educational corporation, a change that had been a longtime ambition of the founder. During World War II a training and research unit of the Texas State Guard was maintained at the facility. The school was fully accredited by the Texas Education Agency and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and was a member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Military Schools, and the Texas Preparatory League.

Peacock Academy grew from nine boarding students and seventeen day students until enrollment had to be limited to 200 students. Weekly dress parades were held by the battalion of cadets on Sunday afternoons during the spring semester; high ranking officers from the local military bases were guests as reviewing officers. After the parade ceremonies, several distinctive drill teams-the Zouaves, the McKinnon Rifles, and the mounted “Monkey” Drill Team-performed. Wesley Peacock, Sr., was president until 1926, when he gave active management to his sons. Col. Wesley Peacock, Jr., became superintendent, and Col. Donald W. Peacock became commandant of cadets. The academy ceased operation in June 1973, and the entire school plant, over fifteen acres and fifteen buildings with their furnishings, was conveyed to the Salvation Army.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Citation

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.

Sharon R. Crutchfield, “PEACOCK MILITARY ACADEMY,” Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kbp09), accessed January 09, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.