Spring Garden School. The concern of area settlers to provide a school for their children resulted in the opening of the Spring Garden School in the fall of 1865. Samuel Witten, Levin Moody, Milton Moore, and Caleb Smith joined forces to build a schoolhouse on land (1/2 mi. N) donated by Witten. Named Spring Garden after Witten's home in Missouri, the School was noted for its excellent teachers. The growth of Bedford and an 1872 fire that destroyed the schoolhouse contributed to the closing of Spring Garden School about 1878. Its history is a reminder of the importance of Texas' pioneer schools. #5017