Westminster College and the Methodist Protestant Church Era (1903-1950)

After Trinity University left its Tehuacana campus in 1902, the property was deeded by the City of Tehuacana to Westminster College, an institution rooted in the Methodist Protestant tradition. The Methodist Protestant Church separated from the Methodist Episcopal Church in the early 19th century due to disagreements over church governance and the desire for more democratic control. They believed that lay members should have a stronger voice in church affairs and emphasized broad access to education that combined religious instruction with academic training to prepare ministers, teachers, and community leaders.

The Methodist Protestants initially established a college in the small community of Westminster, located in Collin County. Westminster College was organized in 1895 as a training school for ministers. However, the Collin County location was limited by small facilities, modest funding, and restricted transportation access. The vacant and well-constructed Trinity University campus in Tehuacana offered more space, better buildings, and better opportunities for growth. Consequently, in 1902, Westminster College moved to Tehuacana, bringing their students, faculty, and religious mission with them.

Pictured: College Hall, Trinity University’s former building, was occupied by Westminster College in 1902, after which it became known as Texas Hall.

Between 1902 and 1916, Westminster operated as a four-year college. In 1916, due to financial and enrollment challenges, it transitioned into one of the first accredited junior colleges in Texas while remaining under Methodist Protestant oversight. The campus steadily expanded over the following decades. Around 1912, Louisiana Hall was constructed to serve as a women’s dormitory, and the former women’s dormitory in the Yoakum House—originally built by Trinity—was converted into Moody Hall, a men’s residence. The college also built at least six faculty homes and, in 1937, completed a president’s house. Student life flourished, and in 1923 the first yearbook was published, documenting the faculty, students, and everyday campus experiences. Athletics became increasingly popular, prompting the construction of a gymnasium in 1933 and the acquisition of an athletic field a block from campus.

Pictured: Photograph of Louisiana Hall from the 1925 Westminster College yearbook.

Despite the college’s growth, Tehuacana itself remained a small and somewhat isolated community. The arrival of the Trinity & Brazos Valley railroad, known as the “Boll Weevil”, in 1903 improved the town’s connections to surrounding areas. Yet in 1930, the town was still described as having a poor water system, no gas, rough rocky roads, and lacking modern conveniences. By the end of that decade, however, there were signs of progress in town and on campus: roads were being paved, gas was being installed in homes, the college’s administration building was undergoing repairs, a new laboratory was equipped with modern tools, and new filling stations opened along Main Street.

Pictured: Aerial photograph of the Westminster College campus circa 1950.

In 1942, Westminster merged with Southwestern University in Georgetown and became an auxiliary campus. Southwestern’s president sought to transform Westminster into a vocational college by building metal and woodworking shops intended to produce goods for sale and generate revenue. After World War II ended in 1945, veteran enrollment surged thanks to the G.I. Bill, with many students living in surplus military trailers parked behind Texas Hall. However, the vocational program ultimately faltered when a union contract prevented the contracted buyer from purchasing the student-made goods. Faced with continued financial difficulties, the college board voted to close Westminster at the end of the 1949–50 academic year.

Pictured: Surplus military trailers parked on campus in 1948.

For nearly fifty years, Westminster College in Tehuacana embodied the Protestant Methodist vision of accessible, community-centered education. It left a lasting legacy through its campus buildings, athletic traditions, and profound impact on Tehuacana as it gradually embraced modern life. From 1950 to 1953, the campus was vacant until Southwestern University sold it to the Congregational Methodist Church as a new home for their Bible College.

Pictured: Freshman and sophomore students at Westminster, pictured in the 1948-49 yearbook.