February 7, 1857 – After receiving a vote of confidence and a guarantee of annual funding from the Sixth General Assembly of Iowa, the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) is birthed in Iowa City.

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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