In May of 1902 at “Crow’s Opera House a large audience of patrons and friends assembled to witness the first commencement exercises of McIllhany Academy . . . there is every reason to believe that in a few years McIllhany Academy will be known as one of the leading private educational institutions in the state.” Erath Appeal Marshall McIllhany (1837-1910) moved to Texas in 1879 and during 1880-1881 was president of Dallas Female College. He was principal of Stephenville High School from 1883-1885 and then president of Centenary College in Lampasas from 1886-1887. He resigned before November 1887. He was president of Marble Falls Industrial College in 1890, the returned to Centenary College as president in 1892, then to Stephenville College [McIllany Academy?] as president in 1893, but that school went bankrupt and was sold at an auction in March 5, 1895. Eric M. Larson, Marshall McIllhany, Legacy of Texas, Texas Almanac, TSHA Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org
Tag Archives: Stephenville
The Crow Opera House
In April of 1873 Dr. M.S. Crow registered his cattle brand in Erath County. He had moved here two years before and had become a large land owner. In 1889 he founded a bank with James Cage, the Erath County National. His wife, Mollie jean, insisted that the new bank include a community center – Crow’s Opera House. C. Richard King, “Opera Houses in West Texas,” West Texas Historical Association Yearbook, 38 (October, 1962), 97-110.