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Incarnate Word College

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

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Noted for quality educational programs, this institution grew from a teaching charter granted in 1881 to the sisters of charity of the incarnate word. In 1893 a boarding and day school known as incarnate word academy was established. By 1909 a collegiate program ha developed from the Academy, and the first bachelor's degree was conferred in 1910. After 1921, the academy and the college became separate institutions. An important part of the educational endeavors of the sisters of charity of the incarnate word, the college has been located at this site since 1897.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This San Antonio institution grew from an 1881 teaching charter granted to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. From an academy opened in 1893, a collegiate program took shape by 1909, and the first bachelor's degree was conferred in 1910; academy and college later separated. Long rooted at this site, the school was a cornerstone of the sisters' broad educational work in Texas.

Why it matters

Incarnate Word reflects the central role Catholic sisterhoods played in building American higher education, especially colleges that opened advanced study to women.

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