Texas Technological College Dairy Barn

Lubbock-area residents began to lobby the state to establish a college in the early 1900s. The town and surrounding region were thriving economically thanks to the large amount of ranch land available and the increasing number of railroads. Lubbock was one of several towns in the region that wanted a new college but in the end the state chose Lubbock (it is not readily apparent why). The barn and manufacturing facility were built in the second phase of the of college's construction. As noted above, the students were allowed house three of their own cows in the barn. They quickly established the Student Dairy Association and began producing and selling milk (and ice cream), an enterprise that was very successful. Another benefit was that they were allowed to pay tuition using milk sales. This ended, however, in 1935 when the college herd grew too large and the students had to remove their cows.

The barn and the manufacturing buildings were used until 1964 when a new facility opened. The manufacturing building was demolished and the barn was abandoned. Over the years, there were calls for the barn to be torn down but it survived and in 1992 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

"Dairy Barn Restoration - History." Texas Tech University. Accessed December 1, 2019. https://www.depts.ttu.edu/agriculturalsciences/Alumni/dairyBarn/history.php.

Steely, James W. "Texas Technological College Dairy Barn." National Parks Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. April 2, 1992. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40972886/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/92000336.pdf.

"Texas Dairy Barn - Right Now." Texas Tech University. Accessed December 1, 2019. https://www.depts.ttu.edu/agriculturalsciences/Alumni/dairyBarn/now.php.