Before Texas women could vote, they could pursue a higher education at the Girls Industrial College, a one-building campus in Denton, a rural North Texas community known at the time primarily for agriculture and trade.

Founded in 1901 after years of persistent advocacy by civic leaders and women-led organizations — and graduating just one student in its inaugural class — Texas Woman’s University began as a little-known but ambitious effort to expand educational opportunity for Texas women. Today, it is a nationally recognized, Carnegie-classified R2 research institution and the nation’s first and only woman-focused public university system, with an enrollment of more than 15,000 across campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston and a network of more than 121,000 alumni spanning Texas and beyond. 

This fall, State Fair of Texas visitors will have an opportunity to experience the university’s remarkable history firsthand through “Blazing New Trails: 125 Years of Texas Woman’s University,” a landmark exhibition celebrating TWU’s 125th anniversary. View the TWU history timeline. 

“Texas Woman’s University was founded on a bold idea — that everyone deserves an education that prepares them not simply to participate in society, but to help shape it,” said Texas Woman’s Chancellor Carine  Feyten. “For 125 years, TWU has forged a remarkable legacy of opening doors, expanding opportunity and transforming lives.”  

Drawing from selections housed in the Texas Woman's University Special Collections and University Archives, the exhibit tells the story of more than a century of ambition, resilience, innovation and Pioneer spirit, reflecting TWU's enduring impact on education, healthcare, leadership and opportunity for women and families.

At the heart of the exhibit are selections from The Woman's Collection, one of the nation's oldest and largest repositories dedicated to women's history, alongside materials preserved through the university archives. Established in 1932 and designated Texas' official women's history collection in 1979, The Woman's Collection curates stories ranging from nationally known trailblazers to everyday women whose quieter lives helped shape communities, professions and families across generations.

The "Blazing New Trails" TWU history exhibit includes opportunities to:

• Trace TWU's fascinating history through founding-era documents, early university records and other rarely-seen archival materials that chronicle the university's growth from a small women's college to a nationally recognized university system.

• Explore changing roles for women and the evolution of campus life through historic photographs, campus publications, apparel, uniforms and artifacts spanning more than a century of university traditions, milestones and everyday moments.

• Discover intriguing selections from some of TWU's most celebrated collections, including the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) archive and TWU's renowned cookbook collection.

• Experience stories of innovation, service and leadership through materials reflecting TWU's legacy in healthcare, public service, research and decades of barriers broken and doors opened for women in Texas and beyond. 

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND 

At its core, this exhibit is about people—the administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumnae who changed the landscape of TWU over time and were pioneers in every sense of the word,” said Suzanne Sellers, dean of libraries. “Each piece tells a story of new trails blazed for women—not just in access to higher education, but as entrepreneurs, pilots, politicians, healers and educators who broke barriers in fields that had long excluded them.”  

The story of Texas Woman’s University began long before the institution opened its doors. Throughout the 1890s, civic leaders and women-led organizations advocated for the establishment of a college where young women could receive a practical education at a time when opportunities for women were sharply limited. In 1901, the Texas Legislature authorized the founding of what would become the Girls Industrial College, combining traditional literary education with instruction in domestic sciences, child care and practical nursing.

When classes began in 1903, the institution enrolled 186 students and employed a faculty of 14. Its curriculum reflected both the realities and aspirations of the time, offering courses ranging from photography, bookkeeping and literary studies to horticulture, nursing care, child development and the chemical study of foods. Helen M. Stoddard, Mary Eleanor Brackenridge and Eliza S. R. Johnson served among the university’s original board of regents, becoming the first women to sit on the governing board of a Texas university. Over time, TWU expanded both its curriculum and access, responding to and often shaping expanding opportunities for women in higher education and professional life. Today, Texas Woman’s University is:

• The nation’s first and only woman-focused university system, with campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston.
• A nationally recognized, Carnegie-classified R2 research institution known for student experience, social and economic mobility, academic quality and leadership in nursing and allied health professions, education, arts and sciences, and business.
• Home to recent milestones signaling the university’s growing impact, including the opening of a $107 million Health Sciences Center and the launch of the Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences.
• An institution that continues to advance affordability, first-generation student success, service to student parents, research and workforce preparation for a diverse student body that is nearly 90% women. 

The State Fair exhibit is a highlight of the university’s 125th anniversary celebration, themed “Dreaming Big for 125 Years,” which honors TWU’s history while looking toward its future. Anniversary programming will continue throughout the year, including the Dream Big Festival (Oct. 19–24), featuring student-centered activities, athletics events, lectures, history exhibits, a suffrage musical and the reveal of a new public art installation. The anniversary activities also celebrate the successful conclusion of the Dream Big fundraising campaign, TWU’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, which is expected to significantly exceed its original goal of $125 million. 

Beyond the State Fair exhibit and anniversary celebrations, the public is encouraged to explore the extensive historical collections and archives housed in TWU’s Blagg-Huey Library, many of which are accessible year-round both in person and online. Through The Woman’s Collection and University Archives, visitors can engage with one of the nation’s richest concentrations of women’s history resources, including:

• Women in aviation collections, including the official Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) archive
• The Texas Women’s Hall of Fame collection
• The Texas First Ladies Historic Gown Collection
• The TWU Cookbook Collection, the largest such collection among U.S. academic institutions
• Collections related to 20th-century women’s clubs and civic organizations
• The recently acquired Florence Nightingale Collection
• The papers of women leaders, such as Sarah Weddington, Jane Nelson and Eddie Bernice Johnson

To learn more about TWU’s history, collections and anniversary celebrations, or to make a gift in support of the Dream Big campaign, visit twu.edu/125th-anniversary