DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the first hundred years of Texas Christian University. Now settle in, because this story covers a lot of ground — and I mean that literally. It crosses state lines, survives a civil war, moves a whole school across Texas not once but twice, and ends with a fire that somehow made everything bigger.
That's Texas for you. It starts with one man. Joseph Addison Clark, born in Illinois, arrived in the Republic of Texas in 1839.
The Republic of Texas — so the man beat statehood. And he didn't come empty-handed. Clark was a teacher, a preacher, a lawyer, a surveyor, an editor, and a publisher.
He also served as Fort Worth's postmaster during the noisy cattle-trail and early railroad era, which means he was sorting mail while longhorns were being driven right through town. Not a quiet desk job. Joseph and his wife had sons — Addison, born in 1842, and Randolph, born in 1844.
Those boys went off to fight in the Civil War, and when they came home they did what their father had raised them to do: they started a school. Right here in Fort Worth, in 1869. But the site proved unsuitable.
So the family picked up and moved the whole operation thirty-three miles southwest to a little place called Thorp Springs, and in 1873 they founded Add-Ran Male and Female College. The name Add-Ran, by the way, came from Addison and Randolph — the two brothers themselves. The school was church-related from its very origin, rooted in the 19th century Christian Restoration Movement, and in 1889 the college was given to the Christian Church Convention of Texas and renamed Addran Christian University.
Then came the next move. On Christmas Day, 1895, the school was moved to Waco. And in 1902 it was renamed Texas Christian University.
TCU, as folks would come to call it, stayed in Waco — until 1910, when the main building was destroyed by fire. Now here is where the story turns. Fort Worth stepped up and offered fifty-two acres of land for a campus and two hundred thousand dollars for building.
And just like that, Texas Christian University came back — in 1910 — to the very city first chosen as its location back in 1869. Joseph Addison Clark had been gone since 1901. Son Addison would follow in 1911.
But Randolph Clark — born in 1844 — lived until 1935, long enough to see what the family had built become something that, by 1973, had grown to two hundred forty-three acres, sixty buildings, seven schools and colleges, and an average fall enrollment of sixty-five hundred students. One family, one idea, one school that refused to stay put — and it landed exactly where it was always supposed to be.
What the marker says
Founded during 19th century Christian Restoration Movement, by Joseph Addison Clark (1815-1901) and sons Addison (1842-1911) and Randolph (1844-1935). Joseph A. Clark, born in Illinois, came to Republic of Texas in 1839. A teacher, preacher, lawyer, surveyor, editor and publisher, he also was Fort Worth Postmaster in noisy cattle-trail and early railroad era. His sons, home from the Civil War, established a school in this city in 1869, on site which proved unsuitable. The family moved the school to Thorp Springs (33 MI. SW), where they founded Add-Ran Male and Female College in 1873. Church-related from its origin, the college was given in 1889 to the Christian Church Convention of Texas, and renamed Addran Christian University. Moved to Waco on Christmas Day, 1895, the school was renamed Texas Christian University (1902), and stayed there until the main building was destroyed by fire in 1910. When Fort Worth offered 52 acres of land for a campus and funds of $200,000 for building, Texas Christian University returned (1910) to the city first chosen as its location. By 1973, TCU had grown to 243 acres, 60 buildings, seven schools and colleges, and an average fall enrollment of 6500 students. Erected during Centennial Observance - 1973.