The Board Saturday [August 20, 1927 ... ed.] announced that this action had been taken and through securing of a campus of such commanding magnitude, provision ha sbeen [sic] made which will enable the institution for which the citizens have recently subscribed approximately $75,000 to carry out any expansion program which the college officials may hereafter devise.

     The acreage secured consists of 680 acres purchased at a cost of $119,600 and contributions of acreage totaling 121 acres.   The blocks purchased include 320 acres from Mrs. Xenia Miller, 200 acres from the Edward Adams tracts and 160 from Hughes and Mayfield.

     The contributions include 121 acres given to the college by land owners in the vicinity of the purchased block.

     That for which $119,600 was paid is in a solid block, being a section and 40 acres on the northwest of the mile square plot.

      According to the statement of the trustees the deal has been consummated without paying a dollar on commission.  They express much appreciation for the aid and generosity extended in the steps taken for removal of the college from its present location in the crowded residential district of the city to the larger and extremely attractive site selected.

     Working with President Batsell Baxter and Dean James F. Cox, everyone of the eleven resident board members of the board have devoted much time in recent weeks to the matter of selecting a more suitable site for the “Greater A. C. C.” foreseen.  The resident members include: J. S. Arledge, president; J. C. Reese, vice-president; W. H. Free, treasurer; C. T. Hutchinson, T. A. Russell, Harvey Hays, Charles A. Wade, Dabney Harvey, G. C. Helvey, and E. L. Crawford.

     Gratefulness was xepressed [sic] Saturday to Rev. J. R. Griffith for the able assistance he has extended to the enterprise.

     Two of the members, speaking for the board, stated that they regretted that they could not buy all the sites from all the people that had offered propositions to them but that they could not do that and with good will toward all and with gratitude to all, they had acted as they deemed wisest for the future of the institution.

     C. W. Bacon, president of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, who has worked for several months on raising the $75,000 from Abilene citizens for the college, was the first to suggest the new site.  Following his suggestion members of the board together with President Baxter went further into the matter and were convinced that the thing to do was to secure it now.

     Details of the steps to be taken next have not been worked out, but the idea now prevailing is to set apart what is to be the campus proper and then adjoining it on the north a block of 100 acre swill [sic] be put into lots and sold to private parties.  Already, even before the announcement of the consummation of the transaction has been made lots totaling $80,000 have been spoken for, both by present and prospective citizens.

     Within the next 60 days, at least 400 lots will likely be placed on the market and the encouragement already extended leads to the belief that they will be taken within a few hours even.

     All public utilities have already been secured, including water, lights, sewerage and gas.

     The campus proper will likely be located in the very heart of the section secured which is on top of a high hill overlooking the city.  The main building will face the west, toward Abilene, according to present prospects, which will place the business district in the unique position of being surrounded on three sides almost equally distant from town by the three higher institutions of learning located here, the main buildings of which look down upon the city.

First Development

     The administration building and two dormitories will form the first campus development projects, on the east side of which possibly will be located the athletic field although the lay of the land west is such as to suggest a great stadium unequaled by any in Texas.

     The city of Abilene owns extensive acreage on the creek west of the tract the value of which, it is pointed out, have been vastly increased in the selection.

      A street will be laid out, 80 feet wide, from the entrance to the grounds through to Pine which wil [sic] enter Pine about the sixth block north.

     On the north side of the section of 640 acres is the Bankhead highway leading to Albany which is included in the paving program now being executed.

     Extending through the block is a road running north and south to another public road, over which the thousands of tourists travel annually, offering excellent advertising possibilities to the institution.

West Side First

     The west side of the campus will be first to be improved and as the prospective expansion program is carried out and as demands may be determine the east side will be developed.

     New additions will be opened as conditions may advise.

     Through the decision, the course of the city has been turned from its tendency to become a “string-town” to one fully developed on all sides, a member of the board pointed out Saturday.

     One of the interesting disclosures in securing the plot was a statement by Rev. Griffith who said that Mrs. Miller’s father, a Mr. Adams, many years ago foresaw the growth of A. C. C. and predicted that it would be located on the site now assured.

Definite Plans Soon

     The work of developing the site will be inaugurated as soon as the definite plans can be determined upon.  In the meantime the next session will be conducted without any confusion whatsoever at its present location in the West part of the residential district and about a half a mile from the business district.

     Just what is to be done with the old campus and buildings now used will have to be determined by the future course of events, authorities of the college state.  It is known that the Academy will remain where it is at least for several years.

    The work of constructing a $150,000 or larger administration building may be underway before the end of fall.  New dormitories will follow immediately.

     Through the work done by the board, President Baxter and his co-workers, the institution will be able to reserve a campus of a hundred acres, sell off lots sufficient to pay for the buildings needed at present and still have several hundreds of valuable acres left for future needs, endowment or whatever course my be decided upon.

     The selection of the site suggests the action of founders of T. C. U., S. M. U., and other flourishing institutions elsewhere which when they were built were constructed after clearing away growing crops of cotton and corn.  Now the cities in which they are located have gone out to surround them, immensely increasing property values.  The difference is that in this case, A. C. C. has a larger body to start with than either of these mentioned and provides one of the largest campus sites in the southwest.

The Optimist
September 22, 1927, Volume 15, Number 1, Pages 1 and 3
Courtesy of The Optimist