Texas: A Diverse Landscape: Old University Building, Nacogdoches

Since graduate school I have become interested in studying the history of education in Texas. My first book chronicles the life of Sallie Brooke Capps, a education reformer who played a key role in the creation of the College of Industrial Arts in Denton (known as Texas Woman's University today). As I recall my trips to Nacogdoches in East Texas (often labeled as "the oldest town in Texas"), I remember visiting the Old University Building, a landmark attraction in the antiqued city. The Old University Building was constructed in 1859, just prior to the start of the Civil War. The structure, which was underwrote by many generous donations of money and materials from citizens, housed Nacogdoches University, one of the first chartered higher learning institutions in the state. The university's rigorous curriculum (although the curriculum was not accredited) included classes in literature and grammar, history and geography, mathematics, art and music, business, and domestic science. Students utilized a variety of texts, such as the Bible, American Speller, and Webster's First Dictionary. The teachers were strict and did not tolerate rowdy, inappropriate behavior. Students were kept busy during the week, completing school work and reciting numbers and historical names. There was little recess or "free-time." Leisure activities, when time was made for them, included scrapbooking, reading, making music, dominoes, needle-work, racing, or playing baseball. Lunch and other meals were served to students and faculty in a small dining room on the first floor of the building. The auditorium, which was a popular place for graduation exercises and musical productions, was also located on the first floor. Sam Houston, the hero of the Texas Revolution, spoke in the auditorium at the building's opening festivities. A large classroom, a small reading room, and the university president's bedroom were located on the second floor (accessible by a winding staircase).

The building's exterior is an example of the Greek revival classicism districts used when they designed schools in the mid-nineteenth century. The bond red brick was made from clay on site. A bell, which was located in the bell tower, was rung to signal the start and end of the school day.

University classes were temporarily halted during the Civil War. The Old University Building was used as a hospital for the Confederacy (although not much blood was shed on Texas soil between 1861 and 1865) and then housed a Union regiment during the Reconstruction Era. Nacogdoches's own Dr. R. D. Bone served as a surgeon during the war. After Reconstruction, Professor T.J. Cannon reinstated classes at the Old University Building in 1869. In 1904, the Nacogdoches Independent School District, under the direction of Superintendent Dr. R.L. Davis, purchased the building and used it as a educational facility until the 1960s. The Old University Building, a monument to education in early East Texas, was then given to the Nacogdoches Historical Society and later the Federation of Women's Clubs. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the building's staff offers informative tours of the building; my wife and I were highly impressed at the generous hospitality we received from the staff when we visited the former school in October 2019.