Before Texas women gained the right to vote, a state college created specifically to educate women was already operating in Denton. But the story of Texas Woman’s University is more complicated than a straightforward march toward progress.
Founded in 1901 and opened to students in 1903, the institution that became TWU grew from a one-building college into a three-campus university system with more than 15,000 students. Along the way, who could attend, what women could study and what careers were considered open to them changed dramatically.
That evolution is at the center of “Blazing New Trails: 125 Years of Texas Woman’s University,” an anniversary exhibition running Sept. 25 through Oct. 18 at the Hall of State during the State Fair of Texas.
From Opportunity To Broader Access
TWU emerged from years of advocacy for greater educational opportunities for women, but those opportunities were not initially available to everyone. When classes began in 1903, the institution was established for white women, reflecting the segregation of the era…