School to be named after Newton Collins, emancipated slave

This spring, Del Valley Independent School District will break ground on a new elementary school to be named after Newton Isaac Collins Sr., a Central Texas carpenter who was twice held in slavery before his emancipation in 1865 after the Civil War. He built several churches and homes throughout the region and settled in the Austin area, donating land for a local cemetery, church and school in Pilot Knob. Del Valley ISD and the Austin History Center will be hosting a panel discussion with two of Collins’ descendants – Ada Collins Anderson and Ernest Collins – to talk about his legacy and commemorate the new Newton Collins Elementary School. The event will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m., at the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe St.