Salado College
Encyclopedia
Salado College was a college
in Salado, Texas
, United States
that operated from 1860 until 1885.
Salado College began on October 8, 1859 at a tent meeting at Salado Springs
of prominent men from throughout Bell County
with a desire to create a high class school in the county. They organized the Salado College Joint Stock Company and raised $5,000 for the college through sale of stock. The board of the company had seven trustees. Colonel Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson
n was elected President of the board.
Robertson donated 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land to the college on October 16, 1859. Ninety acres of the land were subdivided and sold to families moving to the area. The proceeds provided money for building. Salado College was the first college in the state to operate without church or state funds.
On February 8, 1860, Salado College was incorporated by the Texas Legislature
for twenty years to grant diploma
s, confer degree
s and perform other corporate functions. Unlike most colleges of the era in the United States, Salado College was to be coeducational. The college erected a temporary wooden building, and the first classes began on February 20, 1860. Seventy-five students were enrolled the first term. Students that did not live in the area boarded with local families as the college had no dormitory
. Teachers temporarily lived in tents.
On July 4, 1860, area Masons
laid the cornerstone for the college's permanent two-story limestone
building. The ceremony attracted visitors from as far away as Austin
and Waco
. The college sold many more lots as families moved to Salado to get their children a good education. Attendance increased to 124 students the next year. Attendance at the school some times topped 300 students with an average of 250 from 1866 to 1872.
In 1871, the college added a two-story annex. However, enrollment dropped sharply because of the Panic of 1873
. The number of students also decreased as more state-funded colleges were established. Finally, Colonel Robertson had to step in and buy the college to keep it from being foreclosed
on. Colonel Robertson died in 1879.
The state charter expired on February 8, 1880. A new corporation formed and purchased the land on which the college building stood from Robertson's heirs. The school operated as Salado College until 1885. However, the college was not rechartered with the state, so it granted no degrees between 1880 and 1884. In 1885, Salado College ceased operating as a college. The college had operated for its entire existence without endowment
s, sustained solely by tuition
.
The property was turned over to trustees of the local public school and operated as Thomas Arnold High School, a private academy, from 1890 until 1913 and was operated as Salado College again until 1918.
A fire destroyed the building in 1901 and another in 1902. The building was rebuilt each time. A fire in 1924 destroyed the building again. This time the citizens could not afford to rebuild. Oral history recounts the nature of the fires as "suspicious," but the basis for the claim of arson
is lost in local legend
.
The site was subjected to an archaeological survey. The ruins of the building were stabilized, and the site is now open to the public.
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in Salado, Texas
Salado, Texas
Salado is a village in Bell County, Texas, United States. Salado was first incorporated in 1867 for the sole purpose of building a bridge across the Salado Creek...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that operated from 1860 until 1885.
Salado College began on October 8, 1859 at a tent meeting at Salado Springs
Salado Springs
Salado Springs is the name of five groups of springs at the town of Salado in Bell County, Texas, in the United States. The springs are located 48 miles north of Austin or 135 miles south of Dallas....
of prominent men from throughout Bell County
Bell County, Texas
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...
with a desire to create a high class school in the county. They organized the Salado College Joint Stock Company and raised $5,000 for the college through sale of stock. The board of the company had seven trustees. Colonel Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson
Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson
Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson was an early white settler in Robertson's Colony in Texas. His father was the colony's founder Sterling C. Robertson. Brought to Texas to learn the Spanish language, he translated for both Robertson's Colony and later the Texas General Land Office. He practiced law...
n was elected President of the board.
Robertson donated 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land to the college on October 16, 1859. Ninety acres of the land were subdivided and sold to families moving to the area. The proceeds provided money for building. Salado College was the first college in the state to operate without church or state funds.
On February 8, 1860, Salado College was incorporated by the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
for twenty years to grant diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
s, confer degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
s and perform other corporate functions. Unlike most colleges of the era in the United States, Salado College was to be coeducational. The college erected a temporary wooden building, and the first classes began on February 20, 1860. Seventy-five students were enrolled the first term. Students that did not live in the area boarded with local families as the college had no dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
. Teachers temporarily lived in tents.
On July 4, 1860, area Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
laid the cornerstone for the college's permanent two-story limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
building. The ceremony attracted visitors from as far away as Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
. The college sold many more lots as families moved to Salado to get their children a good education. Attendance increased to 124 students the next year. Attendance at the school some times topped 300 students with an average of 250 from 1866 to 1872.
In 1871, the college added a two-story annex. However, enrollment dropped sharply because of the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
. The number of students also decreased as more state-funded colleges were established. Finally, Colonel Robertson had to step in and buy the college to keep it from being foreclosed
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
on. Colonel Robertson died in 1879.
The state charter expired on February 8, 1880. A new corporation formed and purchased the land on which the college building stood from Robertson's heirs. The school operated as Salado College until 1885. However, the college was not rechartered with the state, so it granted no degrees between 1880 and 1884. In 1885, Salado College ceased operating as a college. The college had operated for its entire existence without endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
s, sustained solely by tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
.
The property was turned over to trustees of the local public school and operated as Thomas Arnold High School, a private academy, from 1890 until 1913 and was operated as Salado College again until 1918.
A fire destroyed the building in 1901 and another in 1902. The building was rebuilt each time. A fire in 1924 destroyed the building again. This time the citizens could not afford to rebuild. Oral history recounts the nature of the fires as "suspicious," but the basis for the claim of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
is lost in local legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
.
The site was subjected to an archaeological survey. The ruins of the building were stabilized, and the site is now open to the public.
Notable alumni
- James Edward Ferguson, 26th Governor of TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, expelled from Salado for disobedience - Miriam Amanda Ferguson, 29th and 32nd Governor of Texas