Before Texas Lutheran College moved to Seguin from Brenham in 1912, there was another institution of higher learning already located in Seguin. Guadalupe College is a name that you might not know. It was founded in 1884, as a prep-school and college for African-American students. It served those students, in some capacity, until the college was lost to a fire in 1936. It wasn’t just the buildings that were lost during that fire on February 9, 1936; but much of the school’s history is gone as well. Fortunately, there are a handful of pieces written about Guadalupe College and its legacy here in Seguin. The late Anne Brawner wrote her master’s thesis on the college’s history, and it is likely the best work available on this subject. Much of what we now know came from her work.
In the mid-1990’s, I used to visit the final site of the college. It’s down a lane, south of U.S. Highway 90, just west of the intersection of Highways 90 and 90-A. You’ve likely driven past Brackenridge Lane many times, but the college sat fairly deep from the highway at the end of the road. There have been houses built along that lane over the years. When I visited the property, I used to walk through some of the charred remnants of the buildings that once served as classrooms and dormitories. The chapel survived the fire, but it did not stand the test of time. It has since been torn down. The land that once housed the college is now all private property. There were efforts over the years to preserve the site, but it never came to fruition. That’s part of the reason why the story of Guadalupe College is still relatively unknown, even by those who have lived in Seguin all of their lives.
I turned to Brawner’s work when I started working on this story. She wrote about the college’s history. A portion of her writings can now be found on the Texas State Historical Association’s website (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/guadalupe-college). Her original work was written in 1980 and called “Guadalupe College: A Case History in Negro Higher Education, 1884-1936.“ The original school was located near downtown Seguin.
“Guadalupe College (or College of the Guadalupe Baptist Association), an educational institution for African Americans located in Seguin, was founded in 1884 by members of the Guadalupe Baptist Association. This organization included Black Baptist congregations from Guadalupe and surrounding counties. Its leaders were Dr. William B. Ball, a Black Civil War veteran, minister, and school official who came to Seguin in 1871, and Rev. Leonard Ilsley, a White itinerant preacher. Trustees for the association purchased a large piece of property, three blocks west of the Guadalupe County Courthouse, that had been the site of several other schools. It is the present-day campus of Joe F. Saegert Middle School,” wrote Brawner.
If the names of Dr. Ball and Rev. Ilsley sound familiar, they should. They were both instrumental in the creation of several religious and educational efforts for freed Blacks in the Seguin area. That includes the creation of churches and schools, like Seguin’s Second Baptist Church and the Abraham Lincoln School. That school would go on to become Lincoln High School and was later renamed Ball High School. What remains of the Ball High School campus is now the Seguin ISD’s Ball Early Childhood Center. Lincoln/Ball High School is separate from the operation of the college, but it’s important that those contributions also not be overlooked (that’s another story, for another day).
The college would be relocated to its final site after receiving a significant donation from another well-known name. Philanthropist George W. Brackenridge — yes, the guy who made such a huge impact on the city of San Antonio — donated the funds that were used to expand and relocate the college.
“Philanthropist George W. Brackenridge of San Antonio donated generously to the operation and development of the college. His gifts included funds for a new chapel-auditorium and a valuable 216-acre tract on the Guadalupe River west of Seguin. To defray expenses, students maintained the grounds and buildings and built all new structures,” wrote Brawner.
The college over its lifetime struggled with its finances, but it was the fire that ultimately led to its demise. There were efforts to raise funds to revive the school, but it was never to be.
Guadalupe College’s history may not be remembered well, but we hope that we are able to honor its legacy a little bit with this piece. Anne Brawner’s master’s thesis, on this incredible school of higher learning, sums up this history lesson the best.
“Guadalupe College represented an important phase in the history of Black education, a phase dominated by the church-sponsored college. Its evolution, from a multipurpose facility offering instruction at all levels to an accredited college, paralleled closely that of other Black institutions throughout the South. Its problems and defects, primarily inadequate financial support and inexperienced leadership, were characteristic of most Black colleges of that era. Despite its shortcomings, Guadalupe College contributed substantially to the advancement of African-American youth in South Texas. It offered educational opportunities superior to those provided to Blacks by public facilities, and it trained leaders for the Black community, particularly teachers and ministers. Most significantly, it fostered pride and self-respect,” wrote Brawner.
This story is part of our salute to February as Black History Month. We celebrate the lives and contributions of African-American people, especially those who laid a foundation for success across Seguin, Guadalupe County, and beyond. But this story is more than just about Seguin’s Black history. It’s about “our” history. It’s the history of every one of us — despite our race, ethnicity, gender or creed. These shared experiences, for better or worse, are foundational to who we are. When I think about Guadalupe College, I think about all the Black families, churches, business, individuals and organizations that still exist today in Seguin. Whether it’s acknowledged or not, they continue to carry on that legacy of Black excellence, and they are still producing a space that creates more and better opportunities for everyone. •