University Archives News

More Than Meets the Eye

Through the generosity of Eric and Marjorie Tobey Rudd, the University Archives recently acquired the above photograph, bringing us back to a time before electric lights, automobiles, and, apparently, leaves. If you're familiar with the Evanston campus, you'll probably recognize Northwestern's oldest building, University Hall, which was built in 1869. However, you might be hard-pressed to recognize that the thin dirt path is in actuality our beloved Sheridan Road.

A closer look at this photograph will reveal a lot more interesting information, however. Immediately in front of the forest is an oddly cross-shaped tree; close investigation reveals it to be an early telephone pole (or just as possibly a telegraph pole.) Our resources suggest that telephone service arrived in Evanston in 1882.

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At the same time, in the far left of the picture, you can see the outline of a tiny building, possibly an outhouse. A basement toilet was an original feature of University Hall, so perhaps the outhouse was obsolete even to the photographer!

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Finally, on the far right of the picture, near where Fisk Hall is today, one can begin to see the side of a large building, exactly where Northwestern's first gymnasium used to stand. The gym opened on February 1, 1876, setting an earliest possible date for this photo.

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It's fun to wonder how much of the rest of Northwestern's history is hidden away in photographs like these. If you'd like to find out, feel free to stop by the Archives sometime and ask to browse our photograph collection!

Another memorable football victory, 1940

Northwestern defeated Illinois last Saturday (November 14, 2009) on the gridiron, by a final score of 21-16. If you missed the game, you can always read the recap and watch highlights on the NU Athletics site; but now you can watch another memorable NU win over Illinois from 1940 on the Football Films section of the University Archives web site! Yes, we're adding to our collection of digitized football films available online. Watch NU play Indiana, Minnesota, Great Lakes, Iowa State, and now Illinois in days gone by.

In the 1940 game, Northwestern beat Illinois by the comfortable margin of 32-14, including a 73-yard touchdown run by Paul Soper. Here's the game preview as published in the Daily Northwestern:

Object Lesson: Whatsoever Things Are Furry

A monthly feature highlighting the artifact collection of the University Archives.

Opening a large archival box in artifact storage we are met with a set of dagger-like teeth filling lips curled back in a snarl and yellow eyes that shine with anger. Thankfully, this ferocious beast was killed and stuffed sometime in the 1920s, so the danger is long past. You are looking at a taxidermy wildcat that has a long Northwestern history.

Clash of the Wildcats

Already boasting of Kenesaw Mountain Landis as an alumnus (Law 1891), it is, of course, no surprise that Northwestern is keenly interested in the upcoming Fall Classic. As we all know, the Yankees will be playing the Phillies in the World Series to decide who has best mastered America's national pastime, and, believe it or not, Northwestern actually has alumni on both sides of the match.

In Perpetual Care

Halloween is almost here…have you visited a graveyard lately? If not, why not try Rosehill Cemetery? It's just a few miles away, contains features such as abandoned staircases, and many notable characters in Chicago history are buried there--including Oscar Mayer, John G. Shedd, A. Montgomery Ward, and Richard Warren Sears. There are also a number of NU and Evanston founders and their affiliates buried at Rosehill—Frances Willard (social reformer and Dean of Women), Henry Noyes (former NU interim president), Henry Bannister, and Philo Judson, just to name a few (click on the names to see their monuments).

Also present here are Grant Goodrich and Orrington Lunt (two NU founders), as well as Nathan Davis, who together (among their various accomplishments) just happened to convene as the Board of Trustees' first Library Committee in 1856.

Charles Gates Dawes, Vice President of the U.S. under Calvin Coolidge, may not have been a founder of Evanston or NU, but he has contributed much to both, including his house. He also contributed his papers to the NU Library—they're in Special Collections.

And if you're interested in the Leopold and Loeb case, you might be surprised to know where Bobby Franks is buried. He's here, in his father's mausoleum.

Stop by the Archives on the first floor of Deering for a lesson on any of NU's founders and a map to find the location of their place of rest before heading out to meet them on your own. We hold and care for the papers of many of these local notables—in perpetuity.

Olympic Fever

With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) being just a few days from announcing the host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, this is not the only time that Chicago has been the scene of Olympic fever.

Though Chicago has never held an Olympics before, it has – specifically Evanston -- played host to Track and Field qualifiers for the 1912, 1932 and 1948 Olympic Games at the former Northwestern University Field and at Dyche Stadium, or as we now know it, Ryan Field. That's right; Northwestern has played its own part in Olympic history. Before a sometimes packed stadium, hundreds of hopeful, young men and women came to Evanston with their dreams of competing in the Olympic Games. One young man in particular, William Porter, was a Northwestern University student who did go on to compete in the 1948 Olympic Games. Porter ended up winning the gold medal in the 110 meter hurdles.

Now, with the IOC about to make its decision on which city will hold the 2016 Summer Olympics, Chicago makes its appearance on the international stage. And if Chicago does end up winning the bid, there has been talk that Northwestern could, once again, serve as the site for some events.

Northwestern offers city second "purple pumper"

You may have noticed in the news recently that Northwestern is purchasing a new fire truck for the City of Evanston. If you weren't aware, here's the article. Although this might seem like an odd gift, it was actually at the top of the city's list of needs for the upcoming year.

It was also at the top of their list of needs 40 years ago, according to the October 10, 1968 edition of the Evanston Review.

According to the article, the gift of this previous fire engine was "one of the conditions recommended for council approval...of the university's graduate student housing complex on Maple Ave". The building is Engelhart Hall, at 1915 Maple Avenue, which was dedicated in June, 1971.

Also of note is the price of the fire truck in 1968: $30,000. That's about $186,000 in 2009 money. The new one is considerably more expensive, but includes first responder supplies and will serve as an Advance Life-Support Unit.

If you'd like to read this article or investigate other fire truck-related events in Northwestern's history, stop by University Archives!