January 28, 1857 – The Sixth General Assembly of Iowa, meeting in Iowa City establishes annual provision for a State Historical Society, charging it with the assignment of collecting and preserving Iowa’s history, formalizing its creation “in connection with, and under the auspices of the State University of Iowa”.

Did you know that the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) was formed right here in Iowa City in 1857? Did you also know that over the last 168 years (1857-2025), SHSI has had its offices and historical collections on or near campus – in seven different Iowa City locations? From Old Capitol to Schaeffer Hall, and from an Old Stone Church to the UI Centennial Building, SHSI has shown its faithful commitment to bringing the important stories of Iowa’s past into the everyday lives of today’s UI students.

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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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