What Starts Here, Changes the World
1883
In September 1883, The University of Texas was officially opened in a ceremony inside an incomplete building on a grassy hill where the Tower now stands. Classes that semester were held in the temporary Capitol, a three-story building on Congress Avenue housing state government while the current Capitol was under construction. The following January, students reported to the campus and its one building, a ghost of history known as Old Main.
The Eyes of Texas
In 1902, UT student Lewis Johnson, a member of the band and the director of the University Chorus, believed that UT needed a song its students could sing proudly as the students of Harvard and Princeton. His conviction led to the creation of “The Eyes of Texas," a song inspired by UT’s then-president William Prather’s favorite phrase: “The Eyes of Texas are upon you.” This song has become a cherished part of the University of Texas traditions, filling us with pride.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you all the livelong day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you; you cannot get away.
Do not think you can escape them at night or early in the morning.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you till Gabriel blows his horn.
What starts here changes the world. What starts here can be a new idea in the mind of a single student. What starts here can be a work of art that enriches lives or a discovery that saves them. What starts here can be a new way of doing things, a new perspective on a global challenge. What starts here changes the world.
To Claim this Virtual
- AT GZ, face the UT Tower and walk approximately 16 feet to the first set of steps – 7 in total.
- Walk to the set of double doors in front of you.
- Climb the second set of stairs – 10 in total.
- Look left and read the plaque called “The Kniker Carillon.”
- Look at the 5th line. What year were the original bells installed?
**Send a Message with this date and include a photo of you and the Tower in the background**
Logs without the picture will be DELETED.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtual caches created between January 17, 2024, and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.