DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Three miles northeast of where you're rolling right now, there's a stretch of Hale County ground that once held something remarkable — a college that rose up out of the West Texas plain, changed its name, changed its church, survived two presidents and then some, and finally met an ending that no motto could prevent. It started with buildings going up in 1906 and 1907.
On September 18, 1907, the doors swung open under the name Central Plains College and Conservatory of Music — and Dr. L.L. Gladney was the man behind the desk as president.
The Nazarene Church kept the school going through those early years, right up until 1910, when the Methodist Church purchased it. Dr. Gladney stayed on as president a little longer, holding that chair until 1911.
Now here's where the name changes. Once the Methodists took over, the institution renamed itself Seth Ward College — in honor of Texas' first native Methodist bishop. The Rev.
C.N.N. Ferguson served as president of the first board of trustees, and that board elected the Rev. J.
Sam Barcus to lead the college as president. At that time, enrollment stood at around 300 students. Three hundred souls on a 35-acre campus, which tells you this place had some ambition to it.
And what a campus it was. A four-story main building with 27 rooms and a large chapel anchored the grounds. Two frame dormitories housed the students and teachers.
A small frame building handled the music classes. The school's motto — and hold onto this one, because it's going to land differently by the end — the school's motto was "Character First." A Christian educational program, stated plain as the sky out here. Barcus was followed by Dr.
W.M. Pearce, then the Rev. C.L.
McDonald, and then M.B. Johnson. Johnson was the last.
He served until 1916, and by then the college had already taken one hard blow — the boys' dormitory had burned in 1914. That was bad. What came in 1916 was worse.
The main building and the girls' dormitory burned, and Seth Ward College was forced to close. Two dormitories and a main building — gone. A 35-acre campus, 300 students, four presidents, and a motto about character.
All of it out here, three miles northeast, where the wind doesn't much care what used to stand.
What the marker says
Original buildings erected in 1906-07. The school opened September 18, 1907, as Central Plains College and Conservatory of Music, with Dr. L.L. Gladney as president. The Nazarene Church maintained the college until 1910, when it was purchased by the Methodist Church. Dr. Gladney remained president until 1911. After becoming a Methodist school, the institution changed its name to Seth Ward College in honor of Texas' first native Methodist bishop. The Rev. C.N.N. Ferguson served as president of the first board of trustees, who elected the Rev. J. Sam Barcus president of the college. Enrollment at that time totaled about 300 students. On the 35-acre campus stood a four-story main building with 27 rooms and a large chapel. Two frame dormitories housed the students and teachers, and a small frame building accomodated the music classes. The school's motto, "Character First," expressed its intent to pursue a Christian educational program. Presidents who followed Barcus were Dr. W.M. Pearce, The Rev. C.L. McDonald, and M.B. Johnson. The latter served until 1916, when the main building and girls' dormitory burned (the boys' dormitory had burned in 1914) and the college was forced to close. (1970)