Stephen F Austin State University - Stone Fort Yearbook (Nacogdoches, TX)

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Austin Building Stephen F. Austin State University is part of the new Nacogdoches. It was estab- lished in 1921 by the Thirty-sixth Texas Legislature. The school officially opened on September 18, 1923. The main campus includes about 400 acres, which is part of the original homes- tead of Thomas J. Rusk. The University has 23 major instructional buildings and 19 dormitories. SFA ' s enrollment, which began with 158 students, has grown to average 10,000 dur- ing regular semesters and 3,500 during the two summer terms. For its first 15 years, the university offered only Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. It now grants 13 bacca- laurate degrees and emphasizes graduate study. The Austin Building houses the Admi- nistrative Offices which includes not only the people but the departments that make the school function. SFA offers a future to its students. The traditions and history of Nacogdoches cre- ate a setting where past and present meet and the future begins. 11

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The Nacogdoches University was char- tered by the Republic of Texas on February 3, 1845 as a co-educational institution to fulfill settlers ideals for higher education. The university was financed by public sub- scriptions and was probably the first non- sectarian institution in Texas. It opened in September, 1845. Marcus A. Montrose, an outstanding early Texas educator, was its first president. During the Civil War, it served as a hos- pital for Confederate soldiers and later was used by Federal regiments as their head- quarters. The university was once used as a Catho- lic School and also by the Milam Lodge. In 1904, it was deeded to Nacogdoches High School and was used until the 1930 s when it was condemned. It was restored as a museum in the 1960 s and is still located on the old Nacogdoches High School campus. Nacogdoches University i 1 10

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HO A MEKOWtAL LtBSARY - HI piiiiiiisiCiiiiiHiiisiiiriiiiiiiiii B-J i-.ii.li b ■ ■ ■ Hoya Memorial Library and Museum The house which serves as the Hoya Lib- rary and Museum is also known as the Adolphus Sterne home. The history of this house is the history of East Texas from colonization until after the Texas Revolu- tion. Adolphus Sterne, a pioneer citizen of Nacogdoches, was born in Cologne, Ger- many April 5, 1801. He came to Nacog- doches in 1824 and opened a general mer- chandise store. Both he and the store quickly prospered and in 1828 he built the house for his bride, Eva Catherine Rosine Ruff. The front rooms of the house, the room behind the Sam Houston room, the back porch, the mantels and floors are all original, just as he built them. The small house in the back yard is also original even though its exact purpose is not known. Everyone was welcome at the Sterne home. From the time it was built in 1828 until the Texas Revolution began in 1835, the Sterne house was a favorite gathering place for both Mexicans and colonists. General Sam Houston was baptized into the Roman Catholic church in the Sam Houston room with Mrs. Sterne standing as his godmother. Adolphus Sterne died in New Orleans March 27, 1852. His body was brought to Nacogdoches and buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. Joseph T. von der Hoya and his three brothers came from Prussia to Nacog- doches in 1836, where they built their first home on a 200 acre land grant just south of town. In 1869, Mrs. Sterne, who then lived in Houston, sold the Sterne home to Joseph von der Hoya for 550 gold dollars. He and his family lived in the house until his death in 1896. After that time, his family went by the family name of Hoya. The land and buildings of Hoya Memo- rial Library and Museum were given to the city of Nacogdoches on August 26, 1958 by Mrs. Jennie Hoya Mast and Mrs. Clara Hoya Gray as a memorial to their father Charles Hoya and their grandfather, Joseph von der Hoya. 12