On March 11, 1878, eight young African American men made history as they became the first of their race to enroll in a state-supported college in Texas, marking the official opening of what would become Prairie View A&M University . The institution, originally named “Alta Vista Agriculture & Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youth,” was established during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War as part of Texas’s constitutional commitment to provide educational opportunities for both white and colored children .Under the leadership of Principal L.W. Minor and the recommendation of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the institution began its noble mission on the former Alta Vista Plantation, a 1,388-acre property purchased from Mrs. Helen Marr Kirby . The school’s establishment represented a significant milestone in Texas education, as it became the second oldest public institution of higher education in the state .
The institution’s original curriculum focused on teacher preparation as a “Normal School,” but soon expanded to include arts and sciences, home economics, agriculture, mechanical arts, and nursing . This expansion was supported by the institution’s designation as a Land Grant College under the Morrill Act of 1890, establishing a tradition of agricultural research and community service that continues to this day .