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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