History

A Class Apart

Of its many achievements, Baylor particularly enjoys two distinctions: that of being the oldest university in Texas (established by the Republic of Texas in 1845, before statehood) and the first university west of the Mississippi to go coed, 75 years before American women were guaranteed the right to vote. Though BU’s gender history may be complicated—the university segregated for about 35 years in 1851—there is no surer sign of its inclusivity than the legions of female Baylor graduates who continue to honor the university through their accomplishments.

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A (Suspension) Bridge Over (Brazos) Water

The Brazos River’s temperamental mood swings made the cattle driving business unreliable, difficult, and frequently dangerous. In 1866, shortly following the Civil War’s conclusion, the Texas State Legislature chartered the Waco Bridge Company, granting the enterprise a $25,000 budget, not to mention essentially a local monopoly, to construct a new bridge spanning the wild Brazos. It cost the city one dollar. Well, technically.

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