Aranama College
Goliad, Goliad County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for 18th century Indian converts of Mission Espiritu Santo de Zuniga. A men's college. Founded 1852 by Western Presbytery of Texas. Used buildings of old mission plus funds given by Goliad. Taught Latin, Greek, geography, surveying, bookkeeping, writing, reading, elementary and higher mathematics, English grammar and orthography. Closed--like most of Texas' 25 colleges--after the Civil War began (1861) and most students joined the Confederate Army. Had its buildings wrecked in the great storm of 1886. (1965)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1852 by the Western Presbytery of Texas, this men's college took its name from the Aranama Indians who had been converted at nearby Mission Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga. Housed in the old mission buildings and aided by funds from Goliad, it taught classical languages, mathematics, surveying, and bookkeeping. Like most of Texas's twenty-five colleges, it closed when the Civil War began in 1861 and its students marched off to the Confederate Army; the great storm of 1886 finished off its buildings.
Why it matters
It shows both the ambitious spread of higher education in early Texas and how the Civil War shattered that fragile institutional landscape.
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Related events
- · American Civil War
Themes & tags
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