The first classes at what is now the University of North Texas were held in 1890, on the second floor of the B. J. Wilson hardware store. The store was located on the northwest corner of the Denton county courthouse square in Denton, Texas. Over the intervening century and a quarter, the school has grown … Read more
The University of Houston began as Houston Junior College. On March 7, 1927, trustees of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution that authorized the founding and operating of a junior college. The junior college was operated and controlled by HISD. Originally HJC was located in San Jacinto High … Read more
An act of the 27th Legislature in 1901 founded the Girls Industrial College as a public institution. Classes first started in 1903. The school’s name was changed to the College of Industrial Arts (CIA) in 1905. It became the Texas State College for Women in 1934, then Texas Woman’s University in 1957. Pictured above, “Old … Read more
Authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1899, Southwest Texas State Normal School opened its doors in 1903. Over the years, the Legislature broadened the institution’s scope and changed its name several times, then in 2003 to Texas State University-San Marcos. Built in 1903, Old Main was TSU’s first building, and continues as a central landmark … Read more
The call to open a college in West Texas began shortly after the arrival of settlers in the area in the 1880s. In 1917, the Texas legislature passed a bill creating a branch of Texas A&M to be located in Abilene. However, the bill was repealed two years later during the next session after it … Read more
Texas Christian University was founded by East Texas brothers Addison & Randolph Clark, together with the support of their father Joseph A. Clark. The Clarks were preachers and educators associated with the American Restoration Movement–the spiritual ancestor of the modern Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Following their return from service in the Civil War, brothers … Read more
Planning for a public institution for higher education in Texas can be traced back to the early days of the Republic of Texas and, more directly, to the Morrill Act, approved by the United States Congress on July 2, 1862. This act provided for donation of public land to the states to fund higher education, … Read more
Although officially chartered as Southwestern University in 1875, the school’s roots extend back to 1840, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in Texas. Located in Georgetown, a community just north of Austin, the school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its curriculum, however, is nonsectarian. In 1870 the school was chartered as … Read more
Southern Methodist University was chartered on April 17, 1911 by the United Methodist Church. Classes were planned to officially begin in 1913, but construction delays on the university’s first building prevented classes from starting until 1915. In the interim, the only functioning academic department at SMU was the medical college it had acquired from Southwestern … Read more
Originally chartered as the Sam Houston Normal Institute, Sam Houston State University was established in 1879 by the 16th Texas Legislature. It is located at Huntsville in Walker County at a site formerly occupied by Austin College. The newly chartered institute opened on October 10, 1879 with 110 students and four faculty members. Built in … Read more