Jacksonville celebrates Tomato Bowl being named No. 1 high school football stadium in Texas
STORY BY MICHELLE DILLON AND JAY NEAL Cherokee County Living
The Tomato Bowl has managed to transcend other high school football palaces in Texas by being a historical beacon for Jacksonville, as well as serving as a link to the past for many families while remaining the hub of the community and for the Jacksonville Independent School, owners of the jewel.
After the school district received approval in August 1939 for the Tomato Bowl to be built under the Federal Works Progress Administration, construction began in early 1940 after bonds valued at $ 20,000 were issued in December 1939.
The stadium was constructed on the site of the original East Side School.
Bleachers were built into the hillside on the west( home) side of the facility, concession stands, observation decks and a couple of large rooms for the working media were constructed at the top, on the foundation of the old school.
A competition track encircled the football field and the track hosted the annual Tomato Bowl Relays for decades. What had previously been the school’ s basement area was converted into dressing rooms and equipment storage areas.
The red iron ore rocks, that are still in place today, have an important role in the building’ s history.
Not only were the stones cemented together to form the walls, arches and support columns, but
28 Jacksonville Progress | Fall 2025