Old Main Building:

The Main Building, or Old Main, started its construction on September 23, 1889, with a cornerstone ceremony. The Main Building was designed in a Victorian Gothic style consisting of two stories by the architect Alfred Mueller. The first story contained classrooms, administrative offices, and SHNI's first library- the Peabody Memorial Library- while the second story contained classrooms and the Memorial Auditorium.

The dedication ceremony for the building was on September 22, 1890. Those who attended the dedication were SHNI President Joseph Baldwin, Andrew Todd McKinney, the chairman of the SHNI Local Board of Directors, Oscar H. Cooper, the state school superintendent and a member of the first faculty of SHNI, Governor Lawrence S. Ross, and Oran Roberts, the governor when SHNI was chartered in 1879.

In 1966, the Main Building underwent renovations due to cracks in the walls from ivy growing outside and problems with wiring that were said to cause minor fires in the recital hall.

In 1970, the Main Building became a Historical Marker.

On Friday, February 12, 1982, the Main Building caught fire and burned to the ground. Authorities were alerted at 1:00 am, but the cause of the fire was never known. The fire had spread to Austin Hall, damaging the roof severely. Among the materials lost in the fire were academic records, teaching materials, ROTC materials, around $400,000 in broadcasting equipment, and recently bought musical instruments.

In 1983, the 1889 time capsule sealed within the Main Building's cornerstone was opened and contained campus documents.

During the memorial dedication ceremony in 1987, a new time capsule was buried in a granite vault at the center of the refurbished memorial park or The Pit. Inside this capsule are news stories and photographs of the Main Building before and after the fire, a student catalog, and a letter from President Elliot Bowers reflecting on the uniqueness of the building. This time capsule will be open in 2087.

In 2002, President James Gaertner mentioned a proposal for rebuilding the Main Building, but four years later explained the cost would be too high for a replica or near replica.

Peabody Memorial Library:

The Peabody Memorial Library was originally a single room in the Main Building or Old Main. This single-room library was in honor of George Peabody, who endowed $2 million to Sam Houston Normal Institue through the Peabody Education Fund, an effort to develop and improve educational facilities in the South after the Civil War.

Due to overcrowding of the single-roomed library funds of $10,000 through the Peabody Memorial Fund were raised to build a separate library structure reflecting the name of the original library.

On October 24, 1901, the cornerstone for the Peabody Memorial Library was laid, and construction finished in 1902. The library is in the shape of a cross in the Romanesque and Colonial revival styles. The exterior consisted of stained glass windows similar to Old Main. While the interior consisted of a reading room with a fireplace and decorated arched ceiling, an office space, and a cloakroom. The office space became the president's office until 1916 when it moved into the Science Building (now the Bobby K. Marks Administration Building), where the president's office still resides. It became the first college to have a separate library building in Texas.

Due to the need for a larger library, the Estill Library opened in 1930, moving all the functions of the Peabody Memorial Library to the new library.

From 1937 until 1952, the Peabody was home to music at the college. The basement housed music rooms for classes and practice areas for the Sam Houston State Teachers College Band and the Houstonians.

In 1965, the Peabody was restored.

In 1981, the Peabody was threatened with demolition, but due to the destruction of Old Main in the 1982 fire, it's possible a sense to preserve the Peabody for future generations arose. Thus money was raised for renovations which started in 1998-1999 to the exterior and 1990-1991 to the interior. Following renovations to the Peabody, the building became a Texas Historic Landmark through the efforts of the Historical Preservation Society in 1990. The total of all renovations was over half a million dollars.

In October 1991, the Peabody Memorial Library was rededicated.

For General Sam Houston's 200th birthday, the Peabody was restored and rededicated as the university's archival library and repository in 1993.

In October 1998, the Peabody closed due to an outbreak of mold found within the collections as a result of humidity and leaks in the roof. As a result, the University Archives was temporarily moved to the Newton Greshman Library. In 2004, the University Archives permanently moved to the fourth floor.

Since the University Archives moved to the library, the Peabody is only open for special university events and meetings.

In 2007, a 113-year-old organ was restored and moved to the Peabody, where it currently resides.