Historic Walker County

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Above: The Sam Houston Memorial
Museum was built in 1936-1937.
COURTESY OF THE SAM HOUSTON
MEMORIAL MUSEUM.
Below: Eleanor Roosevelt and
Harry Estill.
COURTESY OF THE SAM HOUSTON
MEMORIAL MUSEUM.
President Estill’s role in promoting Walker
County went far beyond the museum, however.
As head of Sam Houston State Teacher’s College
(SHSTC), he oversaw a growing school in a time
of transformation. Despite a brief dip in
enrollment in 1933, SHSTC saw increasing
numbers of students throughout the period. In
1936 the school offered the first graduate
programs in its history, and Belvin Hall, the first
dormitory for women, was built. Indeed, Estill
even helped secure a visit from First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt, who was then touring Texas
as part of a goodwill tour of the South in 1937.
As the only First Lady to ever give a talk at
SHSTC, Roosevelt’s visit was particularly
significant. In her address, entitled “The
Problems of Youth,” Roosevelt encouraged
young people to be bold and “grasp the true
meaning of life.” 84 Following her address,
President Estill showed Mrs. Roosevelt the
museum and campus he had helped to build
over twenty-nine years into “a full-fledged,
accredited, degree-granting teachers’ college.” 85
Following President Estill’s resignation in
1937, Dr. Charles N. Shaver served as the
college’s sixth president until 1942. 86 Shaver’s
tenure saw the construction of the first men’s
dormitory on campus and numerous other
developments. But, it was the twenty-two-year
term of the next president, Harmon Lowman,
which was to really change the school. Under
Lowman’s leadership, the campus expanded
with new residence halls, instructional
buildings, and a faculty appointments. Indeed,
it was Lowman who was tasked with leading the
institution through one of the nation’s most
trying times, World War II.
W O R L D W A R I I
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor in December 1941, the residents of
Walker County joined the nation as it prepared
for war against Imperial Japan and Nazi
Germany. Hundreds of local people were drafted
into the military, while others volunteered for
service in an effort to help their country. On the
ground Walker County soldiers fought valiantly
during the invasion of Europe. One large group
of soldiers from the area joined Company F, 2D
Battalion, 143d Infantry, which fought in North
3 8 ✦ H I S T O R I C W A L K E R C O U N T Y