March 20, 1838 – Iowa’s first recorded Lyceum meeting is held in the Dubuque office of probate judge Joseph T. Fales.
A Lyceum is a term used in the 19th century that referred to a school of learning, or a secondary school where young men (and later, young women) – who had completed some basic forms of education (i.e. reading, writing & arithmetic) – could attend in order to learn more. Public secondary schools such as high schools or colleges were fairly rare in the 1840’s – even back East – so here in the untamed West, there was the Lyceum Movement (1840’s to 1870’s) that made it a high priority for young pioneers, after a full day of work, to “unwind” by attending a Lyceum meeting where new ideas could be explored, experienced speakers were given an opportunity to share, and lively discussions would follow.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 31
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