Columns of a Building of Old Baylor University
Independence, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Outgrowth of efforts of Judge R. E. B. Baylor and others; chartered by Republic of Texas on Feb. 1, 1845; opened 1846--Baylor is the oldest university in Texas operating under original name. Until moving (1886) to Belton and Waco, Baylor was located here for 40 years, under Presidents H. L. Graves, R. C. Burleson, G. W. Baines (whose great grandson, Lyndon Baines Johnson, became 36th U.S. president), and W. C. Crane. These columns mark site of Baylor Female College; men attended Baylor University, on hill to the south, across the "River Jordan". Restored 1952 by ex-students and friends under leadership of Baylor Historical Society.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered by the Republic of Texas in 1845 and opened in 1846, Baylor grew from the efforts of Judge R. E. B. Baylor and others to become the oldest university in Texas still operating under its original name. For forty years it stood here at Independence—men on the hill to the south, women at Baylor Female College whose columns still mark this spot—before relocating to Waco and Belton in 1886. Among its early presidents was G. W. Baines, great-grandfather of President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Why it matters
These lone columns mark the birthplace of higher education in Texas, founded when the state was barely a republic.
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Related people
- · R. E. B. Baylor
- · R. C. Burleson
- · G. W. Baines
- · Lyndon Baines Johnson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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.
Dr. Horace G. Clark
Independence, TX
Massachusetts-born Horace G. Clark came to Texas in 1850 with his wife Martha and became principal and second president of Baylor Female College at Independence, where Martha also taught and counseled students. The couple ran a student dormitory here for two decades, and with a $1,000 gift from Dr. Asa Hoxey, Clark built a three-story main hall. Ordained a Baptist minister in 1858, he later opened Clark's Academy in Houston and eventually took Holy Orders in the Episcopal church.
Davis Family
Independence, TX
The Davis family were renowned educators whose roots ran back to the Rev. Abner Davis, founder of Shurtleff College in Illinois. Drawn to Texas by Baylor Female College, daughter Martha and her husband joined its staff in 1851, and in the following years much of the extended family followed to devote their talents to Baylor at Independence. One daughter, "Little Mary," even taught among Indians briefly before turning to the college.
Old Baylor Park
Independence, TX
Under a charter granted in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, Baylor University was founded on this site and taught here until moving to Waco and Belton in 1886. Afterward the grounds passed to church leader John Thomas Hairston, and in 1933 his descendants returned the land to Baylor. Since 1965 the old campus has been part of the Texas Baptist Historical Center.