Rutersville College [Cover]
Name/Title
Rutersville College [Cover]Description
Cover with cachet of "RUTERSVILLE COLLEGE / First Institution of Higher Education In Texas / Recommended in 1837 by Martin Ruter, D. D. / Chartered as a Methodist School in 1840 / Granted Four Leagues of Land by / The Republic of Texas / After Educating More Than 880 Students / It Merged In 1859 with / The Texas Monument and Military Institute / Centennial Marker on Old Site Unveiled Nov. I, 1936." Postmarked "RUTERSVILLE / NOV 9 1936 / TEX." Tied with a 3c Texas Centennial Stamp.Context
The Rutersville post office opened in 1846. By 1884 the town had two general stores, two blacksmiths, three gin-gristmills, a harnessmaker, a wagonmaker, a carpenter, a physician, and a population of 150. The 1896 population was 175, the town's highest; the number declined to 100 within the next two decades. Six businesses and an estimated population of 150 were reported from the 1930s through the 1950s. Sometime after 1930 the post office closed. Rutersville College's main building, completed in 1842, was a two-story wooden structure with a pair of double doors on the front, a wide chimney extending up two stories, and a bell in a tower atop the sloping roof. The ground floor of the main building held a study hall and two classrooms; the second floor served as the auditorium where examinations were given and commencement exercises were held. The women's building was constructed of limestone and contained a combination study hall, recitation room, chapel, and dining room. The president's two-story home also served as the women's dormitory. The buildings were eventually razed, and all that remains today is a Texas Centennial historical marker.Category
The Handbook of Texas