GOD & TEXAS: Concrete College

What did Rudolph Kleberg, William Henry Crain, and George W. Saunders have in common? These three notable Texans made a positive impact on the growth and future of the Lone Star State. What they shared in youth guided them for the rest of their lives.

Born in a log cabin in 1847, Rudolph Kleberg was a popular attorney, newspaperman, and politician who was selected to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas. Later he was elected to serve in the US Congress before being appointed as the official court reporter of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

In 1882, Kleberg formed a law partnership with William Henry Crain. Born in 1848, Crain was admitted to the bar in 1871 and was elected district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District in 1872. In 1884, Crain was elected to the 49th United States Congress.

George Washington Saunders was known as a cattle drover, rancher, and founder of the Old Trail Drivers Association. Born in 1854, Saunders had his own small herd of cattle by age 10. By the age of 17, he was driving cattle to Kansas and other northern markets. Later, he was one of the founders of the Union Station Stock Yards in San Antonio and was an elected alderman.

While each of these men had successful careers, their common bond and spiritual disciplines were forged while attending Concrete College in Concrete, Texas. The now ghost town of Concrete was located on highway 183 eight miles north of Cuero. Founded in 1846 as the first townsite in DeWitt County, the name Concrete was derived from the use in construction of adobe mud bricks locally known as concrete.

The town grew quickly with the post office and college as the hub of activity. Starting in 1865 and closing in 1881 due to rubeola and influenza epidemics, Concrete College was one of the premier co-ed scholastic institutions in Texas. Their professionally trained educators offered collegiate level courses that were acclaimed nationally. Enrollment peaked in 1873 with 250 students.

Students committed to a rigorous schedule of scholarship investment and spiritual devotion. During the weekdays, students awoke at 5 a.m. with exercises before breakfast. After a time of Bible instruction, they attended classes throughout the day. After dinner, there were group study sessions that ended with bedtime at 9. Concrete College did not permit smoking, gambling, or the use of liquor, firearms, or profanity.

The student newspaper, The Independent, once stated the philosophy of the college: “The knowledge students acquire of books is worthless without habits of industry which produce men engaged in every department of business who are prompt, energetic and reliable.”

Concrete College aspired to fulfill the Biblical admonition found in Proverbs 18:15 (NIV): "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out." True education incorporates wise scholarship and sound spiritual understanding.

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