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Why 365 McIlroy?
You probably knew that you could access University Libraries’ resources 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through our website: libraries.uark.edu. And you may have known that Mullins Library, the main research library at the University, is located at 365 N. McIlroy Avenue, just east of the main Union entrance. But you may not have known that the lovely hill the University is perched atop was once a part of the McIlroy Family Farm.*
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A photograph of “The Dickinson Ranch” with Old Main in the background, from the Berry, Dickinson, Peel Family Papers (MC1372). The materials in the Berry, Dickinson, Peel Family Papers (1833-1977) are a diverse accumulation of records which include family correspondence; political, legal, and financial documents; school records; scrapbooks, albums, and notebooks; greeting cards; clipping files; notes for newspaper articles; records of institutions, clubs, and agencies; notes on family genealogy; a few bound volumes kept by family members, and photographs and postcards. Visit the finding aid for more information, or email specoll@uark.edu.
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The Board of Trustees purchased 160 acres of land from William McIlroy in 1871 under the Morrill Act, and planned a temporary frame building while a permanent building could be designed. Classes began on January 22, 1872 with seven boys and one girl in attendance.
Over the course of that first spring and summer, more than 100 students eventually found their way to Fayetteville. One student rode the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad as far as the town of Ozark and then had to take a stagecoach to Fayetteville along the route now known as the Pig Trail. On some steep hills, they had to get out and push the coach.
The journey here can be long, we know, but the view is so worth it!
On the Libraries’ new blog, we’ll introduce you to electronic resources, new items in the collection, and services that can help you with your research, along with tips and tricks that make your academic life easier. You’ll find highlights from our Special Collections, including Arkansas history research, and standouts from the University Archives. And from time to time we’ll introduce you to the faculty members and staff of the Libraries – did you know there are 5 libraries on campus? – and show off their subject specialties and research.
Let us know if you’d like to see something on the blog by emailing libshare@uark.edu. And check back often for news, events, tips, history, research, and more. See you at the library!
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*The title of the blog, 365 McIlroy, was provided by Joshua Youngblood, Research and Outreach Services Librarian in Special Collections. For more information about the history of the University of Arkansas, please visit the U of A’s interactive timeline.
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