William Carey Crane

Crane's road to Baylor ran through Alabama. As a young pastor in Montgomery from 1839 he came to know the family of Margaret Lea Houston, and there he met William Milton Tryon and James Huckins, who with R. E. B. Baylor would become the university's main organizers. He served as secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1851 to 1863. In 1863 he came to Texas to take the pastorate of First Baptist Church in Houston, but Baylor's supporters urged him to visit Independence, and he accepted the presidency from January 1, 1864, instead.

What the plaque says

Crane, William Carey (County Named For) Noted church leader, educator. A Virginian. Received B. A. and M. A., George Washington University. Taught in Georgia, 1837-39; was ordained Baptist minister, 1838. Was pastor of various leading churches; president of 2 church colleges in Mississippi, 1851-60. Came to Confederate Texas, 1863, as president, Baylor University-- position held 22 years. His work and use of his personal funds kept Baylor open while many of state's 25 colleges were closed. First president, 1871, of Texas State Teachers Association and chairman, committee to study public school reorganization. (1965)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mendoza Trail Museum — 20 mi
  A 1966 museum in a 1925 oil town, named for the Spanish officer who crossed this country in 1683 at the invitation of the Jumano, with a 1915 bungalow beside it.
• Rankin Museum (Yates Hotel) — 27 mi
  The fireproof hotel Ira Yates built beside the Orient railway depot months after oil came in on his ranch in 1926, kept as it was down to the wicker lobby furniture.

More markers nearby

• Juan Cordona Lake — steps away
• Charles Boothe Curry — 0.8 mi
• One Hundred Million Barrels of Oil From Block 31 Unit — 6.6 mi
• Castle Gap — 7.3 mi