The 1954 celebration of one hundred years of public school education in the Lone Star Stare drew our attention to the old university building at Nacogdoches, which stands today a milestone in the progress of education, and a monument to the pioneer sponsors of learning. The Nacogdoches University was founded under a charter granted by the Republic of Texas on February 3, 1845, in response to a petition from the citizens of Nacogdoches who had held a public meeting at the courthouse for that purpose on November 1, 1844. This is the only non-sectarian university established during the Republic of Texas still in existence. Private subscriptions ranging from five to three hundred dollars, land, lumber, pork, and labor, supplemented the four league land grant from the government. The University was originally housed in the "Red House." It was rented for the September 1, 1845, session of the University from Judge Bennett Blake. The "Red House" was built by Colonel Piedras, Mexican officer of the 12th Permanent Battalion to house the 320 Mexican soldiers sent to Nacogdoches in 1827 to maintain order and control the frontier. Piedras was driven from Nacogdoches in 1832. Thomas J. Rusk later bought this house for his first Texas home. The University occupied this historic old adobe and frame house until 1852, at which time, it set up temporary headquarters across the street. In 1855 the University purchased the Temperance Hall on Hospital Street, also a temporary arrangement.
This present two-story building of modified Grecian architecture closely resembles the University of Virginia's buildings and was erected for a permanent home of the University, in 1859. It has been in continuous use
for school purposes except for two years during and
after the Civil War. The building was then used as
a hospital and quarters for Confederate soldiers.
After the war, it became headquarters for the
Federal troops stationed in Nacogdoches. In fact,
the war played an important part in the history of
the University, for it was the gathering war clouds
that brought about its first misfortune. In 1861,
two years after the new buildings were completed,
the doors were closed. In order to make payments on
the buildings and pay the teachers' back salaries,
notes were signed. Some of the lands belonging to
the University were sold in 1867 to pay off these
notes. In 1870, the Catholic Church
took over the management of the University. The
school was known as the Covenant of the Agonizing
Heart of Jesus and teaching was done by the Sisters
of Notre Dame. In 1873 the charter was
renewed and the building was leased to the Masonic
Lodge and was known as the Nacogdoches Masonic
Institute. In 1887, the property was
leased to Keachi College of Keachi, Louisiana in
order to meet their increased demand of patronage.
The entire faculty of 15 was transferred to
Nacogdoches. Scholarships, including board and
tuition in all departments (which include music,
art, science, and literature), for both sexes were
advertised at $50.00 for 12 weeks; $75.00 for five
months and $123.00 for ten months, with free
passage to all Louisiana pupils from Shreveport and
return. The charter expired and it
became apparent that the University could no longer
be maintained on that level. No attempt was made to
have the charter renewed. A petition was presented
requesting the court to appoint a board of trustees
to make disposition of the property. Part of the
land was sold, to improve the remaining property.
The buildings and Washington Square on which they
stood, was deeded to the Nacogdoches School
District in 1904 and the one building which is
still standing has been used for public school
purposes by the public schools since that
time. From a pamphlet
written by Mrs. Garland Roark in the 1950s.
The Center for East Texas Studies has posted two VR Panoramas of the Old University.
©2000 The Center for
East Texas Studies, |
