to call It "Waco Village." While its subsequent history as an educational center would have made it appropriate to name it in honor of President Mirabeau B. Lamar, the man who had the foresight to insist that the state provide for the education of its future citizens by setting aside millions of acres of land, we are glad the pioneers kept the name of "Waco"; the tribe who first discovered her charms is entitled to have its name perpetuated. We believe there is some discussion of honoring the memory of General Lamar by giving his name to one of our public schools. He was the first to inaugurate the idea of an the lamented Col. Wm. L. Prather. On January 22nd, 1850, the educational fund for Texas, and this fact was given public recognition half a century after it was due, by a citizen of Waco, Legislature approved an act creating the county to be named for one of the settlers, Neil McLennan, and in August it was ready to be organized with Waco, on the high bluff by the Big Springs to be the seat of Justice. All that existed of Waco at that time were a few wooden stores on Bridge street, and the nearest approach to what might be called a town was "Cameron." A temporary building was erected on the third street corner of the south side of the square, which was to be the site of a permanent court house. There was so little demand for a court house that it was used as a school house until 1854, when the court forbade such combination; a jail and other marks of civilization were soon added. This brings us to the third and most important period.
THE GROWING TOWN.
The most important, in that in those early days were laid the foundations of the churches and the schools — the bulwarks of civilization. Then were founded those educational institutions which have fitted us for citizenship and made Waco a name synonymous with progress and culture. On May 15th, 1854, lots were donated for the well-known "Methodist Female College;" and the First Baptist church. In the early fifties, the Methodist and Baptist (the strongest religious bodies, both numerically and financially as they are today) agreed to establish two schools, one to be known as the "Female College" to be presided over by a Methodist, which all the girls of both denominations should attend.
The other to be called the "Waco Classical School," which should be presided over by a Baptist and where all the boys should attend. This unique agreement, it is useless to add, soon ceased to be complied with. Whether it was that some of the girls would go to the boys' school, or whether it was due to the fact that Waco was destined to lead, we can not say, but the records show that the "Waco Classical School," presided over by S. G. O'Brien, Theodore Jones, and in 1859-60 by John C. West, closed its doors in 1861 on account of the Civil War. It was superceded by the Baptist College, presided over by Dr. Rufus C. Burleson and Prof. Richard Burleson, and was known as "Waco University" for many years; and Dr. Burleson, the chief advocate in Texas of "co-education." This college was the forerunner of the largest denominational school in Texas, for by a consolidation of several Baptist schools and colleges it became, in 1885, Baylor University. The Waco Female College continued to grow and was presided over by some of the best
