A Tale of Three Cities

The history of Trinity University is rooted in the vision of a few hardy Texas pioneers who believed in the transforming power of higher education. Despite an unfavorable economic environment and unstable political conditions, they aspired to establish "a University of the highest order" shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War. Founded in 1869, Trinity's name reflects its Christian origins and the three regional Cumberland Presbyterian governing bodies that supported its institutional organization. Over the past 140 years, Trinity has occupied three different Texas settings: Tehuacana (1869-1902), Waxahachie (1902-1942), and San Antonio (1942-present). Including the Woodlawn campus, which Trinity occupied from 1942 to 1952, the University has resided on four campuses in three different locations.

Few institutions of higher learning in the United States today can match Trinity's mobility or its ability to turn challenges into opportunities.