History of Hill Chapel
Named for the University’s second president, the chapel’s first cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1950. One of few chapels on the campus of a public university in Texas, the Hill Chapel serves students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community at large.
In 1944, a campaign was organized to raise private contributions to build a chapel on the campus of then-West Texas State Teachers College. In 1950, construction was completed on the 2,590-square-foot chapel. Today, it stands as a testament to Hill's determination to provide a place for student prayer, mediation and reflection.
“Let it always be remembered that this is a place of worship,” Hill said at the chapel’s dedication on Oct. 21, 1950. “Let everyone who comes here come with … open heart as into the presence of God Himself.”
The red sandstone facility includes stained-glass windows and rings carillon bells daily. Students use the space for prayer, religious studies, meetings, inductions, memorials, worship services and weddings.
Weddings at Hill Chapel
More than 100 weddings have been performed in the chapel since 2014, when Jack B. Kelley Student Center took over operations. Countless others had been performed there in the chapel’s history.