Southwestern Christian College

Southwestern Christian College is a historically black college in Terrell, Texas, United States, 30 miles east of Dallas. SwCC is a private college, operated by the Churches of was founded in 1948 by the educator and minister G. P. Bowser under the name Southern Bible Institute in Fort Worth, Texas. The initial class consisted of 45 officials intended to buy property in Fort Worth to erect a permanent school plant. In the summer of 1949, the school had the opportunity to purchase the property of the closed Texas Military College in Terrell. It did so and relocated the campus that fall, changing the name of the campus includes two locally significant historic buildings: the first dwelling erected in Terrell, an octagonal-shaped house designed to provide better defense against Indian attacks. (Built by the first Terrell in town, it was called a "Round House.") The house was fitted with the first glass windows in Kaufman County, Texas. It is one of only 20 surviving Round Houses in the entire Administration Building, which originally housed all of the Texas Military College. It was built by W. B. Toone. His wife was born to a family who lived in the Terrell Round House. SwCC became accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1973. It is accredited to award Associate and Bachelor-level degrees.