From 1847 to 1855, the Board of Trustees was kept full by regular elections by the Legislature, and the Trustees held frequent meetings, but there was no effectual organization of the University in Iowa City. Finally, on March 15, 1855, the University was partially opened for a term of sixteen weeks with a handful of classes held in Mechanics Academy – which was located three blocks east of the Iowa Statehouse.

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March 15, 1855 – The State University of Iowa offers its first “official” classes – a 16-week course of study held in Mechanics Academy.

From 1847 to 1855, the Board of Trustees was kept full by regular elections by the Legislature, and the Trustees held frequent meetings, but there was no effectual organization of the University in Iowa City. Finally, on March 15, 1855, the University was partially opened for a term of sixteen weeks with a handful of classes held in Mechanics Academy – which was located three blocks east of the Iowa Statehouse (see map above).

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This Day In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.

March 14, 1902 – As the U.S. House of Representatives talks about admitting three new states into the union, Arizona, New Mexico & Oklahoma, Iowa City’s clothier – Coast & Son – advertises their new men’s spring hats in the Daily Iowa State Press.

In the spring of 1854, the Coast family rolled into Iowa City from Youngstown, Ohio, and soon Pappa Coast was buying and selling land with the best of them. His son, William P., was one of SUI’s first students, and by 1890 had financed a new building, opening a new clothing store on Clinton Street – right across from Old Capitol. By 1906, William P.’s two sons had joined in, and Coast & Sons Clothiers was born. Over the next 35 years, the Coast family offered Iowa Citians one of the finest men’s clothing stores in the country.

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This Day In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.

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