Prairie View A&M Is One of Texas's Oldest Public Universities

In 1876, the Texas Legislature set up the school on the former Kirby plantation in what is now Waller County. It opened as Prairie View State Normal School in 1879. Its job was to train Black teachers. At that time, very few schools in Texas were open to African Americans.

The city of Prairie View grew up around the university. As of recent estimates, it had about 6,800 residents.

The university has deep ties to civil rights history. In the 1960s and 1970s, students and community members ran voter registration drives in Waller County. Today Prairie View A&M is part of the Texas A&M University System. It is one of the county's largest employers and a key cultural institution.