Mizpah Gate

Southwestern Adventist University was founded in 1883 as the Keene Industrial and Missionary Academy. The school was founded with the purpose of training workers to fulfill positions of responsibility within the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination. The school’s early administrators successfully pioneered an industrial training component along with education, which assured each graduate a useful trade. After assuming the presidency of the school in 1937, former teacher Harry H. Hamilton oversaw the construction of the Mizpah Gate. Prior to that time, the campus had been surrounded by a barbed wire fence that served to keep out starving livestock. Turnstiles at the north and south sides of campus granted access to the site. The gradual containment of domestic animals during the early 20th century enabled the fence to be removed, and the Mizpah Gate, which replaced the south turnstile, was designated as the new official entrance onto campus. The gate was constructed of brick and petrified wood transported from adjacent Somervell County and built by students under the supervision of local workmen. The structure was completed in June 1937, and was dedicated as a gift of that year’s graduating class. The name “Mizpah” was taken from the Bible’s Genesis 31:49, “And Mizpah; for he said, the Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent from one another.” As early as 1921, the school’s annual yearbook had been titled The Mizpah. Today, the gate continues to serve as a symbol of the university as it has for generations of students and the greater Johnson County community. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2009

Mizpah Gate is a historical marker in Keene, Johnson County, dedicated in 2009. It is one of 70 historical markers documented in Johnson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 133 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.3965, -97.3265 near Keene. The nearest cataloged historic site is Keene Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.7 miles away. Others within a short drive include Buell Cemetery, Arnold, Oliver Perry, and Hopewell Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507015977. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.