Chappell Hill Female College Bell
Chappell Hill, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chappell Hill Male and Female Institute (founded 1850) pioneered in higher learning in Texas. Under Methodist Church after 1854. Women's branch was chartered separately, 1856. Rebuilt after a fire in 1871; this bell, cast 1873, is only relic of the old college, closed in 1912.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Chappell Hill Male and Female Institute, founded in 1850, was a pioneer of higher learning in early Texas and came under Methodist control after 1854. Its women's branch was chartered separately in 1856, and the campus was rebuilt after an 1871 fire. This bell, cast in 1873, is the sole surviving relic of the college, which closed its doors in 1912.
Why it matters
A single surviving bell keeps alive the memory of one of Texas's earliest colleges and its uncommon early commitment to educating women.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Site of Chappell Hill College
Chappell Hill, TX
Founded in 1852 by the Methodist Church as the Chappel Hill Male and Female Institute, this was one of early Texas's pioneering schools. After a separate boys' college opened nearby in 1856, this campus became a school devoted to educating girls, a rare commitment in its era. It served the community until closing in 1912.
Brenham Public Library
Brenham, TX
Founded in 1901 by the Fortnightly Literary Club, the Brenham Public Library was the first in its county, opening with a thousand donated volumes. Sustained by the women's club with city and county support, it moved into a city-built home in 1934. Every roof over its books was, by the marker's telling, a gift.
Waller County
Hempstead, TX
Carved from Austin and Grimes counties in 1873, Waller County was named for Edwin Waller, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first mayor of Austin. Its soil holds a dense history: the rich Groce plantations of 1831–1874, the later home of celebrated sculptor Elisabet Ney, and the railroad town of Hempstead that became the county seat. Since 1876 it has been home to Prairie View A&M, one of Texas's foundational institutions for Black higher education.
Female Department of Baylor University
Independence, TX
Chartered under the laws of the Republic of Texas in 1845, the Female Department of Baylor University brought higher education to young women at a time when few institutions did. From its first president Henry L. Graves through the era of Rufus C. Burleson, it educated Texans until Baylor moved to Waco in 1886. The women's college then relocated to Belton, where it endures as the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.