Austin College
Sherman, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Oldest college in Texas operating under original charter. Founded in 1849 by the Presbytery of Brazos under leadership of Daniel Baker. Named for Stephen F. Austin, father of Texas. Opened in Huntsville with Sam Houston, Anson Jones, and Henderson Yoakum-- Texas statesmen-- among original trustees. Bell donated by Houston hangs in present chapel. For years competence in Greek and Latin was required for admittance. In 1855 opened the first law school in state, and became the first college in Texas to award graduate degrees in 1856. Had the first chapter in Texas of any national fraternity (Phi Delta Theta). Remained open during Civil War although most students joined Confederate army. Post-war problems and epidemics caused move to Sherman in 1876. Oldest building is Luckett Hall (1908), the first building on this campus having been destroyed by arson in 1913. Erected first college Y. M. C. A. building west of the Mississippi River, 1911. In World War I, cooperated with the Student Army Training Corps and admitted first coeds. In World War II, aided Army Air Training Corps. Founded to serve youth of pioneer families, college now enrolls students from all over the world and is a leader in creative Christian liberal arts education. Incise on back: This marker made possible by Austin College Circle, 1970.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1849 by the Presbytery of Brazos, Austin College opened in Huntsville during the days of the young Texas state, its early trustees drawn from the founding generation of statesmen who had shaped the Republic. A rigorous classical curriculum, the state's first law school, and Texas's first graduate degrees marked its early ambition. After the Civil War, epidemics and hard times prompted the 1876 move to Sherman, where the college matured into a modern liberal arts institution.
Why it matters
As the oldest college in Texas still operating under its original charter, Austin College embodies the frontier South's conviction that learning and community could outlast war and hardship.
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Related people
- · Daniel Baker
- · Stephen F. Austin
- · Sam Houston
- · Anson Jones
- · Henderson Yoakum
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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