History of Clarendon College
Clarendon College is the oldest institution of higher education in the Texas Panhandle, having been established in 1898 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The College was successfully administrated by the church through the first quarter of the 20th century.
"Clarendon College is a chartered institution conducted under the auspices of the M. E. Church, South, owned and controlled by the Northwest Texas Annual Conference, with the special patronage of the Amarillo, Clarendon and Vernon Districts of the Northwest Texas Annual Conference, New Mexico and the southern park of Oklahoma. Under the leadership of Revs. J. W. Adkisson, W. B. McKeown, J. Sam Barcus, G. S. Hardy, J. Richie Mood and Geo. S. Slover the school has had fifteen years of splendid history. Besides a great many faithful and efficient teachers who have labored to make he school a success, Rev. W. B. Wilson, Rev. C. N. N. Ferguson, Mr. R. C. Dial and Rev. Zora B. Pirtle have done effective work in assisting with the finance." (From the Ist Edition of the Wester, 1912-1913)
The Clarendon Independent School Board purchased the college property and Clarendon College was re-established in 1927 as a non-sectarian junior college. The College was recognized by the Texas Education Agency and the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities in 1927.
Administration Building
Young Ladies' Hall
The College separated from the school district and moved to its present location in 1968. Clarendon College now operates from a beautiful 82-acre campus on the west edge of Clarendon. Eight counties comprise the College's service area. It is maintained, in part, by property taxes in the Clarendon College District (Donley County). The College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and schools and is one of 50 state-supported community colleges in the Texas system.