The INSIDER - Spring/Summer 2024

130 YEARS STRONG January 9, 2024, signified a momentous occasion in the life of Texas College – the 130th Anniversary of the College's founding. Founded in 1894 by a group of ministers from the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, now the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, to educate a disenfranchised population, Texas College has served as a beacon of hope and opportunity for the East Texas region and beyond, providing educational opportunities for the past 130 years. As the College embraces the 130th year, it does so with determination and commitment to continuing its mission for the next 130 years, ensuring that Texas College remains to serve the generations to come.

Since that watershed moment in 1894, Texas College has brought life into the community and served as a beacon of hope for the East Texas region and beyond . Having been in the same geographic location for more than 130 years, on the same founding physical site, Texas College has continuously provided educational opportunities since 1894, all at the location that is now 2404 North Grand Avenue in Tyler, Texas. The historical records of the College provide an account of humble beginnings that started with an enrollment of just six students of varying ages. However, Texas College’s enrollment grew quickly within the same year to comprise more than 100 students because of an interest in education, believed to be an equalizer of men and women across racial lines and barriers, leading to gainful employment and a better way of life.

TEXAS COLLEGE’S FIRST BUILDING (1894)

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