BYARS' INSTITUTE. Byars' Institute, located at Byars' Bluff near Cedar Bayou in Chambers County, was founded by Noah T. Byars,^qv who led the Baptists of Tryon Baptist Association to provide funds for the opening of the school in 1867. The building, a two-story frame structure, furnished boarding facilities for thirty students. Byars was president of the board of trustees, and A. Goddard was principal. Separate classes for boys and girls were held, although all classes were conducted in the same building. Instruction included elementary and high school subjects. A daily chapel service with compulsory attendance furnished religious instruction. On Sunday, attendance at the services of the local church, of which Byars was pastor, was required. In addition to the principal, who taught all high school subjects, there were two teachers in the elementary department. Tuition was three dollars a month in the elementary school and five dollars in high school. Byars seems to have been the guiding spirit of the school. With his move from Texas to Mississippi in 1868, interest in the institution waned, and its activity ceased in the spring of 1870.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Thomas Robert Havins, Noah T. Byars–A Study in Baptist Missionary Effort on the Frontier (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, 1941). Carl Bassett Wilson, History of Baptist Educational Efforts in Texas, 1829-1900 (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, 1934).