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In May of 1925, the college and the citizens presented a history of Nacogdoches in pageant form. Over two thousand people were involved in the production. The effort must have exhausted everyone involved, for they did not repeat the experience again until 1936 during the Centennial celebrations. It was revived again in the 1952 and 1953 period, this time under the auspices of the Historical Commission and the Chamber of Commerce, with a host of sponsoring clubs.

Dean T. E. Ferguson of the English Department wrote the original text of the pageant, and Miss Virginia Broadfoot of the Physical Education Department directed, with Miss Thelma Jagoe as her assistant. The presentation required enormous planning and cooperation between the town and the gown; townspeople were “generous and enthusiastic” with their help, according to The Pine Log. The site chosen for the pageant was Washington Square, a logical place for the production. It was more convenient for most citizens than the campus, and, more importantly, the Square had seen so many of the events which were being described in the text: the Indians, the Spanish, the Old Stone Fort (then on the campus), the Old University, and even the opening of the modern college.

Both campus and town media played up the event, as did the Stone Fort Yearbook in 1926. The committees and the principles involved in the 1925 production were complicated. The Executive Committee consisted of Guy Blount, Holland Smith, Robet Lindsey, Orland Patton, John Crawford, Robert Muckelroy, Mrs. Tom Davidson, Mrs. Adlai Mast, Mrs. W. S. Davis, and C. E. Ferguson. The business manager in one newspaper account was Mr. G. A. Blount, but in another Mr. H. L. McKnight. Chances are that Mr. McKnight did the job, because in another passage the paper reported, “Mrs. H. L. McKnight is rendering valuable assistance in giving publicity to the event.” Claude Hazle was the herald, in later editions called the narrator, Thelma Jagoe was in charge of costumes, Holland Smith directed The Rotary Orchestra, and Eleanor H. Gibbs of the Art Department oversaw the set design.

The Pageant historians were Mrs. W. D. Peevy, Judge S. W. Blount, W. F. Garner. The various episodes were under the direction of W. R. Davis, Mrs. Bonnie Grimes, Mrs. Thomas E. Ferguson, Mrs. J. H. Wiseley, Robert Jordan, Mrs. Mert Blackburn, Henry Millard, N. Ethie Eagleton, W. C. Fouts, John Perkins, Albert Brewer, and Hazel Floyd. The episodes included:

I. The Land of the Tejas

II. Founding of the Missions

III. The San Antonio Road-The Gateway into Texas

IV. The Fredonian Rebellion and the Battle of Nacogdoches

V. The Early Social Life of Nacogdoches

VI. The Volunteer Firemen

VII. Modern Nacogdoches-The Educational Center of East Texas

Episode VI, where the local firemen passed in review, “showing steady growth of equipment since days of the ‘bucket brigade’,” was not planned in the original script. Everyone, in productions of this sort, has to be included. Certain parts in the production, however, are interesting in themselves. S. W. Blount was played by Judge S. W. Blount, his descendant; Father Massinet was played by the Catholic priest at the time, Father Daly; Captain Mendoza was played by Don Cordova, and Karle Wilson Baker read the part of “Education.” Birdwell played himself, as did R. R. Davis, the Superintendent.