Austin School of Theology
William A. McLeod
General
The Austin School of Theology, an institution in Austin for training Presbyterian ministers, was founded by Richmond Kelly Smoot, pastor of the Southern Presbyterian Church in Austin, and Robert L. Dabney. Smoot began using his study as a classroom for one student in 1882. In 1884 Dabney joined him in teaching, and they used the basement of the Presbyterian church for classes until a small building was constructed to house the college. When the institution ceased operation in 1895 it had trained forty-four ministers. The school's assets were turned over to the Synod of Texas and subsequently utilized by the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
