COLORADO COLLEGE. Colorado College, in Columbus, was said to be the first Lutheran College in Texas. It was founded in 1857 by John Jacob and Gideon Schererqqv and their father, Jacob. J. J. Scherer was professor of ancient languages and president of the school. The board of trustees consisted of nine members, the majority of whom had to be members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Enrollment reached as high as 300. There were negotiations in 1868 to sell the three-story building to the First Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas. The IOOF Lodge purchased the school in 1871. The College was last reported functioning in 1886.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Flachmeier Family Papers, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin. William A. Flachmeier, Colorado College and Its Founders (1980?). William Franklin Ledlow, History of Protestant Education in Texas (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, 1926). John Jacob Scherer Diary and Records, Microfilm, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin.
