Soule University

Soule University
The main building of Soule University
TypePrivate
Active1856–1887
AffiliationMethodist
Location, ,
United States
CampusRural
Soule University historical marker in Chappell Hill, Texas

Soule University was a private Methodist university in Chappell Hill, a rural community in Washington County, Texas, United States. Chartered in 1856 and named after Bishop Joshua Soule, the school replaced the male department of Chappell Hill Male and Female Institute and was intended to succeed the struggling Rutersville College. Soule was beset by financial challenges after the American Civil War and two epidemics of yellow fever, leading the Methodist Church and Soule's president to form Southwestern University as a replacement in 1873. Despite the Texas Legislature transferring Soule's charter to Southwestern in 1875, local supporters kept Soule open until 1887 under the name Soule College.[1]

The female department became an independent institution, Chappell Hill Female College, eventually outliving Soule and acquiring its campus.[2]