Duty and Doctrine: The Origin Story of Southwestern University

The school grew steadily, and by 1845, 63 students were enrolled in three departments−elementary, female, and college. Two years later, McKenzie College received a charter from the Texas State Legislature, probably in the name of McKenzie Institute. A second charter was granted to the school in 1853. By then, the campus had grown to four large buildings, and courses in Latin, Greek, moral and natural philos- ophy, chemistry, and math were offered, in addition to electives in music and modern languages. In his study The Development of Education in Texas , Frederick Eby considered McKenzie College to be the most successful institution of higher education in the Southwest. The school had campus newspapers and journals, debating societies, musical groups, and other extracurricular activities similar to those in the East. By 1854, McKenzie had nearly 300 students taught by a faculty of nine—surely the largest school in the region. Students came not only from Texas, but also Arkansas, Louisiana, the Territories (now Oklahoma), and even Missouri. These years were the high water mark for McKenzie College. The Civil War brought an end to that successful era. It emptied the school of male students, reduced the number of females enrolled, and severely depleted the faculty. Reverend McKenzie tried to keep the college going on a smaller scale through the war and for a few years after, but by the end of the decade, he had given up. During the years of McKenzie’s greatest success, Methodists began another undertaking to establish a university more than 200 miles to the south. In the early 1850s, Chappell Hill was a growing commu- nity of mostly Methodist residents in Washington County. Leaders of the town were committed to establishing a university of the highest rank along the lower Brazos River. Their first step was to obtain a charter for Chappell Hill Male and Female Institute, which was granted in February 1852. In its inaugural years, though the governing board and leaders were Methodist, the institute had no denominational affil- iation. In 1854, however, the children of Martin H. Ruter took over control of the Institute and began to formalize its Methodist connections. Two of the Institute’s early presidents were brothers Philander S. and Alexander Ruter. Their sister Charlotta was one of the teachers. The siblings and the school’s trustees worked to gain the support of the Methodist Texas Annual Conference. In 1855, the Annual Conference gave up on the struggle to keep Rutersville College open and began an official rela- tionship with Chappell Hill Institute. Working with some of the local administrators, the Conference reor- ganized the operation and named the newly formed school Soule University in honor of Bishop Joshua Soule, a leader of the southern branch of Methodism. The Texas Legislature granted Soule University a charter in February 1856. Almost from the beginning, the school found itself facing multiple problems. The main building was always in need of repair. Other facilities and equip- ment were never completely adequate, and payment of the small faculty salaries was sometimes late. Then, as some stability seemed to develop in 1859 and 1860, the Civil War broke out. Soule University was able to survive the loss of students and faculty, but what little financial support they had dried up. In the aftermath of the war, severe economic distress throughout the South made recovery nearly impos- sible. A yellow fever epidemic along the Texas coast and subsequent medical scares reduced the popula- tion. On more than one occasion, the university was forced to suspend operations entirely. Several faltering efforts were made to stabilize the situation, but with little success. At least three, perhaps five, persons were named as president or offered the position. After twice turning down the proposition, Francis Asbury Mood accepted the presidency of Soule University and assumed his duties in November 1868. Following a year of mostly futile attempts to re-estab- lish the school on a solid footing, Mood suggested to the board of trustees that they turn their energies toward a united undertaking by all Texas Methodists to form one new university for the Southwest. On October 4, 1869, this proposal was adopted by the ...BUT THE COMPETITION BETWEEN PRESBYTERIANS AND METHODISTS, WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN FRIENDLY, SOON ESCALATED INTO OPEN, ARMED CONFLICT.  A flyer for Wesleyan College in San Augustine stated, “There is no difficulty in procuring board in (sic) good families.” 7 SPRING 2015 www.southwestern.edu 1847 The town of San Augustine held two universities—the University of San Augustine and Wesleyan College —and the rivalry between the two was fierce. Both institutions were having financial problems, and when a duel broke out between the presidents, it was the final straw. The citizens of San Augustine no longer supported either institution and both went under. 1856 Sponsored by the Texas Conference, Soule University opened in Chappell Hill. 1856 It had been a decade of decline for Rutersville College, with budget problems, the resignation of the president, and an unexpected scandal diminishing the student body. 1859 Already in a period of financial trouble and having difficulties keeping students and leadership, Soule decided to build a university building. It was a disaster. The costs were overwhelming and the building itself had an unsafe foundation. It was the beginning of the end. With the start of the Civil War, Soule University couldn’t recover.