The congress of the Republic of Texas, meeting at Washington-on the-Brazos, chartered Baylor University on February 1st, 1845. The idea of a Baptist university in Texas originated with William Milton Tryon, who with Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, one of Texas' most respected judges, won political support for establishing such an institution for the Baptist youth of Texas, training ministers to staff the Republic's many new Baptist churches and for equipping professionals "to meet the needs of all the ages to come." Several names were suggested for the new institution, but Tryon insisted that it be named in honor of Judge Baylor. The school was to be governed by a board of 15 trustees. In December 1845, the Baylor trustees placed their new institution in the prosperous town of Independence, Washington County, and determined that the best permanent campus location would be Windmill Hill. This would be the home of Baylor University until 1886.

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse