The city of Huntsville is located in the piney woods of East Texas between Dallas and Houston. It is the seat of Walker County and home to Sam Houston State University, named in honor of the American statesman, politician, and solider, Samuel Houston (1793-1863).

SHSU opened October 10, 1879 as Sam Houston Normal Institute, the first teacher training school in the southwestern United States.  The first baccalaureate degrees were offered in 1919 and the broadened curriculum prompted a change in name to Sam Houston State Teachers College.  In its 130 years, Sam Houston State University has become a leader in academics, athletics, and research. The campus is roughly 272 acres and comprised of more than 100 buildings.
( Construction | Demolition | Development )

Honoring Texas Governor Oran M. Roberts, Sam Houston Normal Institute published the first edition of their yearbook, the Alcalde, in 1910. The annual commemorated students, social activities, sporting events, and more that together captured the spirit of Sam Houston State. With only a few interruptions during the Depression and World War II, the yearbook soldiered on for close to 90 years serving as a record of each school year before succumbing to disinterest in 1998. It was revived in 2003.

In the early 1900s, the Texas Legislature realized the need for Vocational Education to be taught in rural schools across Texas. This initiative led to the establishment of the Department of Agriculture at Sam Houston Normal College in 1909. The following year the new department christened their new home, the Industrial Arts Building, authorized by the 31st Legislature and the fourth permanent building on the SHNI campus. Described as “a handsome structure of red pressed brick and...especially designed for the purpose for which it is used,” the building served the campus until its demolition in 1982. Today the Department of Agricultural and Industrial Sciences celebrates its centennial in teaching agriculture and industrial technology.

In 1911 the Texas Legislature established what was to become the Texas State University System by creating a State Normal School Board of Regents responsible for the general control and management of all State normal schools in Texas. TSUS has commissioned a system-wide committee to research and produce a publication documenting the life, history, and culture of the Texas State University System and its component institutions.

Harry Fishburne Estill (1861-1942) ascended to the position of President of Sam Houston Normal Institute in 1908. His father, Charles, taught in Huntsville at Austin College and later at SHNI, where Harry was a member of SHNI’s first graduating class in 1880. After his father's death in 1882, President Joseph Baldwin tapped young Harry to replace his father as an instructor. Following other administrative roles, Estill was elevated to the presidency where he served for 29 years, the longest serving chief executive of the university. The college's second library, built in 1929, was dedicated to Estill.

The Main Building, or Old Main, was a two-story, Victorian Gothic building that contained classrooms, administrative offices, and the Memorial Auditorium. Facing downtown Huntsville, it was the first permanent building constructed by the state for teacher training, described in a 1983 memorial brochure as "the most beautiful building owned by the State of Texas." It was destroyed by fire in 1982. It would have celebrated its 120th year in 2010.

Get directions to SHSU, plot out your favorite places, and discover the history of Huntsville with our interactive map.

The 2008 SHSU Campus Master Plan was approved in November 2008 by the Texas State University System Board of Regents. The plan, submitted by JJR, Inc., calls for new or improved academic space, new residence halls, non-academic structures, and a parking garage.
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The new $38.5 million 91,976 square foot Performing Arts Center, under construction, features a recital hall of approximately 150 seats, a concert hall of approximately 800 seats, a centerpiece outdoor performance area, practice rooms for dance and music, and offices.

The new Northside Dining Facility is a cafeteria building currently in development at the northern edge of campus at the intersection of Bearkat Boulevard and University Avenue.

Exercise your right to tour the university! The SHSU Campus Walking Route leads walkers and runners through a 1.5 mile path that makes its way through the heart of campus with views of Bowers Stadium, the intramural fields, the Performing Arts Center, the "duck pond" at the Sam Houston Museum, and many other local amenities. The tour is sponsored by The University Wellness Committee; to learn more, visit the SHSU Recreational Sports website.

How observant are you? We'll give you a haiklu and a letter and let you try to determine the source of the writing on the wall...or sign or wherever else. Think of it as a scavenger hunt.