Westminster College
Westminster, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1887, Rev. J.M. Harder founded Seven Points College, now called Westminster College, as an institute of higher learning for Collin County. Between 1892 and 1918, the college was known by various names and owned, at different times, by I.P. Rosser, the Methodist Protestant Church, and the Westminster Baptist Church. Primarily, it served as a preparatory school and college, offering degrees and a theological seminary for students. In 1907, C.W. Bulger and Sons of Dallas were hired to construct a 3-story, concrete, 40-room building to replace the previous wood-clad school building. Financial problems forced the school to close in 1918 and the building was demolished in 1972. (2012)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1887 by Rev. J.M. Harder as Seven Points College, this Collin County school passed through a string of names and owners—private proprietors, the Methodist Protestant Church, and Westminster Baptists—while serving as a preparatory academy, college, and theological seminary. In 1907 a three-story, forty-room concrete building replaced the old wooden schoolhouse, but financial troubles closed the doors in 1918. The grand structure stood until its demolition in 1972.
Why it matters
It reflects the ambitious, often fragile push to bring higher education to rural Texas in the decades after the Civil War.
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Related people
- · J.M. Harder
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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