Bastrop Academy
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Bastrop Academy, later renamed Bastrop Military Institute, was located in
Bastrop, Texas Bastrop () is a city and the county seat of Bastrop County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,688 according to the 2020 census. It is located about southeast of Austin and is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. History S ...
. The institute was moved to Austin in 1870 and renamed to Texas Military Institute.


Bastrop Academy

In 1851, the citizens of Bastrop, in the form of the Bastrop Educational Society, founded the Bastrop Academy, and the school received its charter on January 24, 1852. Professor William J. Hancock of
Aberdeen, Mississippi Aberdeen is the county seat of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,961, down from 5,612 in 2010. Located on the banks of the Tombigbee River, Aberdeen was one of the busiest Mississippi ports ...
became the first
headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...
at the academy, and the Bastrop Female Academy was incorporated. On arrival, Hancock built what is now referred to as the Allen-Fowler House at 1404 Wilson Street,The Allen-Fowler House - 1404 Wilson Street
, visitbastrop.org
not only for him and his family, but also for student
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. Bastrop Academy was rechartered on February 7, 1853, under the jurisdiction of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Administrators built a two-story pine building for $15,000; it had separate male and female study halls and a library of 1,000 volumes. The enrollment was 132 for the first session and increased to 194 by 1857. The academy became one of the leading schools in Texas.


Bastrop Military Institute

In 1857, the male part of Bastrop Academy became Bastrop Military Institute, which trained young men for service during the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. Colonel Robert Thomas Pritchard Allen replaced Hancock as headmaster and Allen and his wife Julia purchased Fowler House. They continued to board cadets that attended the institute. During the American Civil War, enrollment at the Bastrop Military Institute a significant decline. Initially, the institute's campus comprised only barracks and recitation halls, proving inadequate for its intended expansion as Texas's primary institution for general and applied sciences. The institute resumed operations in September 1867, albeit with markedly reduced student numbers. In 1867
John Garland James John Garland James (born December 1, 1844 – February 12, 1930) was an American Civil War veteran, banker and academic administrator. He was the 2nd President of Texas A&M University, President of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas ...
and his family moved to Bastrop, Texas, where James was president of the Institute in 1868. He was superintendent, business manager, and professor of philosophy and mathematics; his father and brothers, Charles and Fleming Wills James, assisted him in the enterprise. Additionally, James was joined by Hardaway Hunt Dinwiddie in 1868, a fellow alumnus of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and a fellow member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.


Texas Military Institute

In the winter of 1869/1870, James and the institute's leadership resolved to relocate the school to Austin, a decision influenced by Austin's recent accumulation of a $10,000 building fund in gold. Subsequently, a 32-acre site was acquired in March 1870. On June 10, 1870, the relocated Texas Military Institute officially commenced operations in its new Austin location. By 1872, the value of the institute's physical facilities had reached $50,000, including a cadet barracks capable of housing 400 students. The institute's disciplinary approach was inspired by the United States Military Academy at West Point and James' alma mater
Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...
, encompassing both scientific and literary education. The military component was primarily aimed at physical exercise rather than professional soldier training. Residency in the barracks was mandatory for all cadets. In 1873, the student population stood at 150. The average cost for tuition, board, and other fees amounted to $375 per academic year. The college, while nonsectarian, maintained a religious ethos and operated successfully until 1879. In that year, President John Garland James and the faculty left to join the staff of Texas A&M University.


Reuse of Bastrop Academy real estate

After the Institute moved to Austin, on May 25, 1872, the City of Bastrop purchased the property of the academy and it became a part of the Bastrop public school system. The city used the buildings for a variety of schools, until a public school system was established in 1892. In 1876, the headmaster's residence and boarding house was sold to John Preston Fowler and Maud Maynard Fowler. They added
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detailing and a projecting
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to the structure. Fowler became
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of Bastrop,
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and a Texas
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. In 1892, the city sold the academy property at 1402 Church Street to Dr. H.P. Luckett, a prominent citizen who had practiced medicine in the town for almost 50 years. Luckett demolished the existing structures, and built the H. P. Luckett House on the site."Site at 1402 Church St. was once home to top Texas school", ''
The Bastrop Advertiser ''The Bastrop Advertiser'' is a weekly newspaper covering Bastrop, Texas, and wider Bastrop County. Founded in 1853, it is one of the oldest continually operating weeklies in the state of Texas; and along with papers like the Elgin Courier, is c ...
'', Nov 30, 2006, pp 3A-4A.


References


Further reading

*William Henry Korges, ''Bastrop County, Texas: Historical and Educational Development'' (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1933) *Bill Moore, ''Bastrop County, 1691–1900'' (Wichita Falls: Nortex, 1977) {{coord, 30.115, -97.322, type:landmark_region:US-TX, display=title Schools in Bastrop County, Texas Defunct schools in Texas Methodist Episcopal Church, South Educational institutions established in 1851 1851 establishments in Texas Bastrop, Texas