State Fair exhibit showcases TWU’s 125-year history

Sept. 25, 2026 ― DENTON ― Even before Texas women could vote, they could pursue a higher education at a one-building campus in Denton known as Girls Industrial College, centered in what was then a rural North Texas community known primarily for agriculture and trade.

Founded in 1901 after years of persistent advocacy by civic leaders and women-led organizations — and graduating just one student in its inaugural class — Texas Woman’s University began as a little-known but ambitious effort to expand educational opportunity for Texas women.

Today, it is a nationally recognized, Carnegie-classified R2 research institution and the nation’s first and only woman-focused public university system, with campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston and a network of more than 114,000 alumni across Texas and the nation.

Beginning Sept. 25, State Fair of Texas visitors will have an opportunity to experience the university’s remarkable history firsthand through “Blazing New Trails: 125 Years of Texas Woman’s University,” a landmark exhibition celebrating TWU’s 125th anniversary. The exhibit runs through Oct. 18 at the State Fair’s Hall of State venue.

“Texas Woman’s University was founded on a bold idea — that women deserve an education that prepares them not simply to participate in society, but to help shape it,” said Texas Woman’s Chancellor Carine Feyten. “For 125 years, TWU has forged a remarkable legacy of opening doors, expanding opportunity and transforming lives.”

Drawing from selections housed in the Texas Woman’s Special Collections and University Archives, the exhibit tells the story of more than a century of ambition, resilience, innovation and Pioneer spirit, reflecting TWU’s enduring impact on education, healthcare, leadership and opportunity for women and families.

At the heart of the exhibit are selections from The Woman’s Collection, one of the nation’s oldest and largest repositories dedicated to women’s history, alongside materials preserved through the university archives. Established in 1932 and designated as Texas’ official women’s history collection in 1979, The Woman’s Collection preserves stories ranging from nationally known trailblazers to everyday women whose quieter lives helped shape communities, professions, and families across generations.

The "Blazing New Trails" exhibit includes opportunities to:

• Trace TWU’s fascinating history through founding-era documents, early university records and other rarely seen archival materials that chronicle the university's growth from a small women's college to a nationally recognized university system.
• Explore changing roles for women and the evolution of campus life through historic photographs, campus publications, apparel, uniforms and artifacts spanning more than a century of university traditions, milestones and everyday moments.
• Discover intriguing selections from some of TWU’s most celebrated collections, including the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) archive and TWU’s renowned cookbook collection.
• Experience stories of innovation, service and leadership through materials reflecting TWU’s legacy in healthcare, public service, research and decades of barriers broken and doors opened for women in Texas and beyond.

Page last updated 3:42 PM, September 24, 2026