First College in Texas - Old Baylor Park

Summer is winding down and families are getting ready to send their kids back to school.  The senior class of 2014 is nervously preparing to leave home for college for the first time.  The stores are packed with school supplies and college dorm gear reminds us of our first encounter with college life.  Today, there are dozens of colleges and universities in Texas, but on a trip up highway US 290 from Houston, we found the site of the first established institution of higher learning in Texas at the Old Baylor Park in Independence, Texas.  The park is a short scenic drive off the main highway, and as a former Baylor Bear, I was eager to see the beginnings of my alma mater!

Baylor University was founded in 1845 with just 24 students.  Initially the college was co-educational, but about 5 years after the college was established, the men were moved to a new facility on Windmill Hill and the original site became the Baylor Female College.  Years later, the Baylor Female College was moved to the town of Belton and became Mary Hardin-Baylor while the men’s college moved to Waco and became the Baylor University of today.

 

The park is small but picturesque.  Remnants of the old kitchen building, water well and the stone columns of the main building are all that remains today. We first visited the park as part of research for Al’s book and the park was deserted that day.  Looking at the setting sun beaming through the crumbling stone columns, I felt an almost eerie stillness as I gazed at the loneliness of these hallowed grounds.  I could imagine a different setting; a group of young women in their long dresses and high topped shoes, sitting with ladylike crossed ankles in the classroom eagerly listening to the teacher’s lecture, or perhaps daydreaming about the gentlemen at the men’s college just over on the next hill.  This scenario was a far cry from the panty raids (known as the “freshman runs”) and mixers of my first few days at Baylor!

While the history behind the park is interesting in itself, Old Baylor Park is also a great place to experience the Texas bluebonnets which typically bloom from mid-March through mid-April.  There are several fields that are covered in these majestic Texas flowers and the park is packed with parents and grandparents posing young children in their Easter best for that perfect bluebonnet shot.   So whether you are interested in Texas history, photographing bluebonnets, or just looking for a quiet place to picnic, I recommend that you take the time to detour off the main highway a bit to visit the Old Baylor Park and see more of Texas Thru My Back Door.