In 1899, the Corsicana District of the Northwest Texas Methodist Conference established a college preparatory school. The following year, the University Training School opened at this site under the direction of the Rev. J. W. Adkisson, a respected Christian educator. In 1909, a junior college curriculum was added and the institution was renamed Central Texas College. The 15-acre campus included an ornate three-story Victorian main building. Although the school closed in 1912, it had a lasting impact on the development of educational systems in Blooming Grove.