The History of 501 E. Daniel and its Tenants

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Acacia House, 501 E. Daniel, c. 1928. Found in Record Series 39/2/20.
Acacia House, 501 E. Daniel, c. 1928. Found in Record Series 39/2/20.

Written by Leanna Barcelona

Here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, we have the number one graduate program in Library and Information Science. Many people are aware of this, but not as many know that the number one iSchool is housed in a former fraternity house.

Prior to the 1990s, 501 East Daniel Street belonged to the Heth chapter of Acacia, a historically masonic fraternity on campus. They acquired the property in 1914 and built an Old English country house with gables and a high-pitched roof. A little over thirty years later, they purchased a neighboring property as an annex, which later was combined with the original building for a larger structure in the 1970s. Rumor has it that the fraternity ran into some trouble and that is how the university acquired their house, but another tune claims there was a fire that damaged the house and the fraternity, unable to cover the entire costs of reconstruction, sold the building to the University. Acacia lived a nomadic life for several years, moving from old house to old house, until they bought the Phi Mu house at 302 East Armory in 2012, where they now reside.[1]

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#AskAnArchivist Day 2015 Summary

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Written by Anna Trammell

Yesterday, October 1, was #AskAnArchivist Day when archivists all over the country respond to questions about their collections, the profession, and more on Twitter. Staff at the University of Illinois Archives and the Student Life and Culture Archives answered questions and shared some of their favorite items and images throughout the day. Here’s a recap of some of the questions we received:

What’s the most unusual donation we’ve received? Many student scrapbooks come to us with very unusual items in their pages. Archivist for Student Life and Culture Ellen Swain said she’s seen them with locks of hair, birthday cake, and cigars. Linda Stahnke Stepp and Bethany Anderson of the University Archives added that they’ve seen a slingshot, mouse pelts, and preserved insects!

Tweet Capture Continue reading “#AskAnArchivist Day 2015 Summary” →

The Story of Orange and Blue

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Black and Gold ribbon from Illinois Industrial University, (renamed UI in 1885), 1884
Black and Gold ribbon from Illinois Industrial University, 1884

Written by Ellen Swain

From its founding in 1867 until fall of 1894, the University of Illinois struggled to commit to school colors.

Professor Winton Solberg writes in his history of the University:

For years, uncertainty existed as to the University colors. Many different color combinations had gained recognition, with the Athletic Association making the selection. For a long time old gold and black were accepted, but they were common in other colleges and therefore not a distinguishing mark of Illinois. In the early 1890s, when the athletic coach was from Dartmouth, Dartmouth green was a favorite color. 1

In 1894, UI President Andrew Draper and students met the issue head-on.   Both felt that the University needed a “rallying point” for college activities. Furthermore, the new Engineering Hall was almost completed and the celebration required a colorful display. Continue reading “The Story of Orange and Blue” →

The Robert R. Hudelson Papers

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Robert in his football uniform as an undergraduate student.
Robert in his football uniform as an undergraduate student.

Written by Breana McCracken

The Student Life and Culture (SLC) Archives recently received the papers and photographs of Robert R. Hudelson (RS 41/20/255), a University of Illinois student and former Dean of the College of Agriculture. Robert Hudelson was born in 1886 in Chambersburg, Illinois to Henry and Katherine Brook Hudelson. He first attended Illinois State University at Normal, Illinois where he received  a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 1908. From 1909 to 1912, he attended the University of Illinois where he received a bachelor’s degree in agronomy. He then went on to earn a master’s degree  in chemistry  and soils from the University of Missouri in 1915.

After this time, Robert became a soldier during World War I, where he kept a diary documenting the daily life of a soldier. The SLC Archives has been lucky enough to have received this diary. In addition, SLC has also acquired a few other journals of Robert’s and several scrapbooks of his family and from his time as a student.

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Rekindling Lost Love, Illinois-Style

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Many of us are good story-tellers; archivists are “story-catchers.”

Paul and Diane at the Kappa Alpha Theta House Christmas Formal, 1950
Paul and Diane at the Kappa Alpha Theta House Christmas Formal, 1950

This past week, the Student Life & Culture (SLC) Archives received seven photos from alumnus Paul Wieland ’52 of Paul and girlfriend Diane Rutter ’52 taken during their time at Illinois.  I asked Colonel Wieland to include a memory piece about his photos to provide context for future researchers.  Below is his  amazing story of love, re-connection, loss and thankfulness:

“Summary of a Love Story”  from Colonel Paul Wieland, September 14, 2015

“This is a summary of the love story that accompanies the seven photos of Diane Rutter and myself, Paul Wieland. The photos were taken in 1950 and 1951 during our fraternity and sorority formal dances at the University of Illinois. Diane and I became college sweethearts just before our 20th birthdays, soon after we met at the University in January 1950. We spent four years together, two on campus and two after we graduated.

Diane’s mother was a dress designer and seamstress, and she made sure that Diane was always the beautiful “belle of the ball,” with a new gown for every formal dance. Those events were always a highlight of campus life; they involved a lot of planning and work — decorating the venue, selecting the best band, finalizing plans for refreshments, working on the guest list, etc.  Continue reading “Rekindling Lost Love, Illinois-Style” →