LU Archives

The Lawrence University Archives collects, preserves, and shares materials that document the history of Lawrence and Milwaukee-Downer College.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Join us for Fall Walk in Hours!

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

We're looking forward to meeting new students during Welcome Week!

Photos:
1. "Welcome Home" sign at Ormsby Hall, 1979-09, ARC2015-121.
2. Students eat their first meal in Downer Commons, 1968-09, ARC2018-049.
3. New student saying goodbye to parents, ARC2012-005.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Did you know that Lawrence has had a women's basketball team since 1897 (less than ten years after the sport was invented)?

Photos:
1. "Girls' Basket Ball Team," '02 Ariel-Lawrentian, 1902.
2. Women's Basketball Team, 1917-1918, ARC2014-048.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Methods of communication to and from campus have changed a lot over the years.

Photo: Women in front of parcel post carriage ,circa 1911-1915, ARC2016-045.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

The LU Archives has created an exhibit in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the consolidation of Milwaukee-Downer College & Lawrence College into Lawrence University. The exhibit can be viewed in person in the Milwaukee-Downer room of the library or online via the QR code.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Today at 1:50 pm at the library an opening will be held for the exhibit "What is First-Year Studies?" This exhibit was researched and created by students in History 203 and will be available to view through Reunion Weekend.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Stop by the Harper lobby to see a poster display researched and designed by Miranda Lile '25 with resources from the Lawrence University Archives. The display celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Conservatory by showcasing snapshots in its history.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

This 1851 advertisement for the Preparatory Department of Lawrence University shows what prospective students could expect from their education. The preparatory department provided pre-collegiate education and was opened before Lawrence began offering college-level education.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

52 years ago today, on April 17th, 1972, the Lawrence University Association of African-Americans (AAA) occupied administrative offices on campus as part of a planned protest. The list of demands included calls for increased recruitment of Black students, faculty and staff.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Nearly 100 years ago, members of the Lawrence community prepared to view the January 24, 1925 solar eclipse.

Photo: Clipping from Lawrentian, Volume XLII, Number 12, January 15, 1925.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

This list of "Rules of Lawrence University" dated 1881 offers a look at what life was like for early Lawrence Students.

Photo: Rules of Lawrence University, 1881, ARC2013-178.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Today on the first floor of the library at 4:30 pm, Diana Van Gilder '25 will be giving a talk about her research for her exhibit “A Way In Which You Can
Show Your Patriotism”: Grace Gates as a Lawrence Student During World War I."

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Mary Cleggett (later Vanderhoop) was, to the best of our knowledge, the first Black student to graduate from Lawrence University. When she graduated in 1876, she delivered an address during commencement reported on in the newspaper, the Collegian shown in the second image

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Did you know that class colors are a tradition from Milwaukee-Downer College?

1. 1954 red banner, 1954, MDC-OBJ-072.
2. Green blazer 6, 1943, MDC-OBJ-110.
3. Yellow class plant, circa 1956-1960, MDC-OBJ-068.
4. Purple class corsage, circa 1914-1964, MDC-OBJ-035.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

On this day, Reverend Ye Yun-Ho, a minister and artist from Seoul, arrived at the Lawrence Campus in 1953, after waiting 3 and a half years after his initial enrollment date due to wartime delays.

Image: Ye Yun-Ho drawing at desk, circa 1955, ARC2024-001.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

The Great Midwest Trivia Contest has been a Lawrence tradition since 1966.

Photos:
1. President Warch reads Trivia question, 1984, ARC2013-005.
2. Midwest Trivia Contest billboard in Wall, South Dakota, 1985-03, ARC2007-013.
3. Trivia phone answerers, 1980, ARC2013-006.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

Which snow sculpture is your favorite?

Images:
1. Snow sculpture on Main Hall green, 1961, ARC2012-046.
2. Children with dog and snow sculpture, 1948, ARC2017-140.
3. Snow sculpture, 1981, ARC2012-048.
4. Students and snow sculpture on a bench, 1946, ARC2017-138.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

On this day in 1993, the Black Organization of Students hosted Lawrence's first Kwanzaa celebration. The image shows posters from later Kwanzaa celebrations at Lawrence (1998, 1999 & 2000).

Image: Kwanzaa, 1998-2000, Poster Collection, LU-RG14-005.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

While this 1859 map of Appleton is an interesting historical document, we wouldn't count on it for accuracy. It shows a "Female Department" building north of College Avenue that did not exist.

Image: Map of the City of Appleton, Wisconsin, Milton Bradley, 1859, ARC2018-003.

[LU Archives @archives_lu]

On this day in Lawrence history on October 26, 1911, President William Howard Taft came to Lawrence and addressed a crowd on the steps of Main Hall.

Photo: President William Howard Taft, 10-26-1911, ARC2022-127.