The Texas Baptist Educational Society
Belton, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On October 7, 1841, at a meeting in Fayette County, Union Baptist Association Members organized the Texas Baptist Educational Society to coordinate various educational programs. R.E.B. Baylor (1791-1873), the first society president, and William M. Tryon (1809-1847) secured a charter in 1845 for the formation of Baylor College at Independence. The female branch, now called the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, moved to Belton in 1886. Active in student assistance programs, the society was consolidated in 1886 with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
At an 1841 meeting in Fayette County — during the days of the Republic of Texas — Union Baptist Association members organized the Texas Baptist Educational Society to coordinate schooling among the young republic's Baptists. Its first president, R.E.B. Baylor, and William M. Tryon secured a charter in 1845 for Baylor College at Independence. The society's female branch grew into the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, which moved to Belton in 1886.
Why it matters
This society launched Baylor University and Mary Hardin-Baylor, two of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Texas, rooting formal education in the era of the Republic.
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Related people
- · R.E.B. Baylor
- · William M. Tryon
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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