Salado and College Established Together

Salado and College Established Together. Historic Salado College Park. Salado's founding and the establishment of Salado College occurred simultaneously. During the 1850s, only a few families lived at nearby Sulphur Springs. Because schools were few, some of these families began discussing the need for a school near their homes. Discussions occurred at tent meetings, under trees along Salado Creek and probably in other places, as well, such as private homes and churches. Possibly because of Salado Creek's attractive location plus the existence of a stagecoach stop nearby, the hillside site became the favored location for a school., Land Donated by Robertson. At a tent meeting on October 8, 1859, E.S.C. Robertson, Dr. Carroll Kendrick, and Hermon Aiken met with other local leaders to organize a school. At this meeting, Robertson offered to donate ten acres for the college grounds and ninety additional acres to sell to raise money for a school building. Thanks to his generous donation, this plan was accepted. When filling in the papers to create the "Salado College Joint Stock Company", the first blank was for the location of the Company. At this time a motion was made to call the town "Salado". Local leaders created both Salado College and the town at the same time. Stock sold in the company for $100 a share., First Classes. The first classes for Salado College were in a temporary wooden building. Reverend Levi Tenney served as principal. During his first year there were many complaints, including a formal petition about discipline filed with the College Board. This resulted in Reverend Tenney's release., Salado Surveyed, Stock Sold. Hermon Aiken surveyed the 90 acres for town lots, and the Salado Stock Company announced an auction for these lots in December 1859. Only twenty-three lots sold the first day, but despite this disappointment to Robertson and the College Board, plans for the college continued. The first trustees of the college included Hermon Aiken, John S. Blair, A.J. Dallas, Dr. W.D. Eastland, Dr. Carroll Kendrick, E.S.C. Robertson, and Gordon Shanklin., How big was the College?. Hermon Aiken drew the plans for the main building, a two- story structure shaped like an L. They laid the cornerstone July 4, 1860. One wing was 20'x40' and the other 20'x20'. There were folding doors on each floor. Access to the second floor was by an exterior staircase. Student housing did not exist; therefore, students boarded in local Salado homes., It is important to understand that this school taught all subjects from elementary levels up to college-level Courses with primary education conducted in homes of people living in the area., Captions , Upper Right: ESC Robertson , Upper Right: Hermon Aiken , Upper Right: Dr. Kendrick