Lawrence Archives

A collection of materials documenting the history and development of Freshman Studies at Lawrence has been processed and a finding aid is available (though not yet online, as the website is currently under some construction.)

President Nathan Pusey introduced Freshman Studies in 1945. It has undergone some changes since then, including a period of suspension during the 1970s.  Nevertheless, the course today is remarkably similar in structure and focus to the course as it was sixty years ago.

Stop by the Archives to view the collection. A selection of digitized documents from the collection is also available online.

We’ve shifted around the furniture in the Archives to maximize the size and enhance the aesthetics of the research space. The new look includes a mini reading room area with two large and well-lit research tables. Another exciting addition to the Archives storage space is a large flat file cabinet. Blueprints, posters, panoramic photographs, and other oversized ephemera now have a preservation-friendly home! A big thanks to Facilities Services and ITS staff for their help with this move.

Stop by the Archives (level B of the library, between floors 2 and 3) anytime Monday through Friday, 1-5pm to see the changes!

The records of the Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC), Lawrence’s community government comprised of students and faculty that was created in 1968, have been processed and a finding aid is available online through the Archives website.

Questions about LUCC or about the collection? Feel free to e-mail, call, or visit the Archives.

The collection on Lawrence’s Homecoming has been processed and a finding aid for it is available here. Photographs, dance cards, programs, articles, and correspondence make up the collection. Homecoming was celebrated from the early 1900s through 2001.

The collection of Nathan Pusey, Lawrence president from 1944-1953, has been processed and a finding aid is available here. Pusey left Lawrence to become president of Harvard University. Articles, correspondence, publications, speeches, and photographs are contained in the collection. A physical exhibit and digital collection are forthcoming.

The Annual Great Midwest Trivia Contest: An Infamous Lawrence Tradition

The current exhibit on the first floor of the library covers one of Lawrence’s most well-known traditions, the annual Trivia Contest that takes place the last weekend in January which is also usually the coldest weekend of the year. Photographs, posters, and shirts from the contest are included in the exhibit.

This is an important day in Lawrence’s history, this is the 160th anniversary of the first day of classes at Lawrence! On November 12, 1849, the first day of class at Lawrence took place in the Academy building, a site now occupied by the downtown Appleton Y.M.C.A. The student body included males and females, as did the faculty. While Lawrence has had a long history, the Academy building has not. It was destroyed by fire in January 1857, while the Lawrence community was in the Main Hall chapel for Sunday services.

This day marks yet another important anniversary for Lawrence.

The annual Haunted Lawrence tour will take place Sunday, October 25, starting at 7pm. We’ll meet at Memorial Hall (formerly Memorial Union) and go through buildings and tunnels as Lawrence archivist Julia Stringfellow and Security officer Dell Cook share stories about ghosts and other creepy events that have occurred at Lawrence throughout its history.

For questions regarding this tour, visit the Archives on Level B of the library or e-mail archives@lawrence.edu .

This tour of Riverside Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Appleton, will take place on Sunday, October 4, starting at 3pm. Riverside is located at 714 N. Owaissa Street, about a half mile away from campus, and we’ll meet at the front entrance. This is a walking tour so wear comfortable shoes.

For directions to Riverside and questions about what to expect during the tour, visit the Archives on Level B of the library, call 832-6753, or e-mail archives@lawrnece.edu.

Trivia Contest questions from the years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2008 are now available through the Archives website. Because each contest produces around 360 questions, only the first 50 questions from each year are online. To see a full listing of trivia questions and answers, visit the Archives. Trivia questions are available at the following link.

http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/Triviaquestions.shtml

Many, many thanks to Rebecca Hayes, Archives student worker, who has been typing up the questions since Fall 2006.