If you’ve ever walked the grounds of Howard Payne University or driven past the unusual, kind of turreted Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom, also known as the Main Hall, you’ve brushed up against a piece of Brownwood history. Much in the early town was shaped by Samuel and Moses “Mody” Coggin. While the Coggin Ranch once spanned nearly all of southwestern Brown County, and into Coleman County as well, the impact of the ranch today is maybe most appreciable in the City of Brownwood itself.
The Coggin brothers, as you know if you’ve followed my series of articles on their history, made their fortunes in cattle and land. They didn’t just sit on their wealth—they invested it in the community. Coggin Academy, their first foray into supporting public education, was founded in the 1870s in order to give local kids a shot at learning when opportunities were scarce. In 1889, they donated a prime piece of land to bring Daniel Baker College to life, a Presbyterian school that would help bolster Brownwood’s development by attracting students from all over the state.
That land gift gave rise to the Main Building, finished in 1890, a sturdy structure that welcomed 111 students in its first year under President Brainard Taylor McClelland. Picture it: a bustling campus taking shape, with young folks from all over Central Texas filing into classrooms, dreaming of futures as teachers, ministers, or leaders.
Over the years, the college grew, adding a women’s dormitory in 1911, a chapel in 1921, and a gymnasium by 1928. The Coggins’ gift kept on giving. Samuel and Mody were practical men, shaped by the rugged life of ranching, yet they understood the power of knowledge.
Outside of educational endeavors, the Coggins brothers built an early bank in Brownwood. James C White in his book, The Promised Land, described the bank. “The banking operations of the Coggins began after they had disposed of most of their cattle holdings. Henry Ford, who came here in the late seventies, became associated with them, and until his death in 1910 was active in the private bank, known as Coggin Bros. & Ford. Through this bank were financed a great many of the business and industrial ventures of the last two decades of the nineteenth century, and by personal leadership the Coggins and Mr. Ford gave inspiration for much of the development of the community and of this section of the state.”
Samuel, the quieter of the two, and Mody, known for his sharp wit, worked as a team, balancing business savvy with a heart for their neighbors. Their legacy isn’t just in the buildings, though. It’s in the stories of the students who walked those halls, many of whom went on to shape Brownwood and beyond.
When Daniel Baker College merged with Howard Payne University in 1953, the Main Building didn’t fade into history—it got a new chapter. Renovated into the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom, it stands today as an eyecatching structure and a testament to the Coggins’ foresight. Walk by it on Austin Avenue, and you’ll see a piece of 1890s Brownwood that is still alive as part of HPU’s campus. If you dig into the old yearbooks—The Trail or The Hill Billie—over on The Portal to Texas History, you’ll find faded photos of those early days: students in stiff collars, professors with stern gazes, and that Main Building itself looking much as it does today, although without some of the additions.
Looking back, it’s clear the Coggin brothers gave Brownwood more than land or buildings—they gave a foundation. They believed in Brownwood when it was still finding its footing, and their faith in education doubtless provided many local students with opportunities they would not have otherwise had. So next time you pass by HPU or hear someone mention Coggin Park, tip your inner hat to Samuel and Mody, who helped build Brownwood from the earliest days.
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Diane Adams is a local journalist whose columns appear Thursdays on BrownwoodNews.com. Comments regarding her columns can be emailed to [email protected].
