‘College Archives’ Category
Library at Gustavus (Part 5 of 10)
OLD MAIN (1897-1920) In celebration of 50 years in the current library building (known as the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library), we’ll be spending the year looking at the history of the library at Gustavus. In 1897 the library moved back into Old Main, housed on the second floor. Branch libraries continued to exist in both […]
Library at Gustavus (Part 4 of 10)
Library at Gustavus (Part 4 of 10) COMMERCE BUILDING (1889-1897) In 1889, the library moved out of the Main building and into the Commerce Building. During this time the librarian was J.S. Carlson, professor of history, philosophy, and political science. He secured some of the annual publications of Uppsala University in Sweden, and he and […]
Library at Gustavus (Part 3 of 10)
OLD MAIN (1876-1889) The Main building was the first building built when Gustavus moved to St. Peter in 1876. It housed everything, including classrooms, offices, living quarters, and the library. In the beginning the library consisted of approximately 500 volumes and additional donations were actively being sought. By 1887, the library held 3,100 volumes. The […]
Norelius (Co-Ed) Hall
This post was conceptualized, researched, and written by Ellen Dow ’25, College and Lutheran Church Archives Student Worker. Norelius Hall sits on the north end of campus. The building was the first on campus to house both male and female students, earning it the nickname “Co-Ed”. The building was a major expansion for Gustavus. Construction […]
Library at Gustavus (Part 2 of 10)
ST. ANSGAR’S ACADEMY (1863-1876) The school Norelius founded moved to East Union in Carver County, Minnesota in 1863. Andrew Jackson became the head of the school, as well as the faculty, registrar, treasurer, and librarian. There were two major additions to the library during this time. The Minnesota Lutheran Conference authorized Jackson to travel to […]
Library at Gustavus (Part 1 of 10)
RED WING (1862-1863) Eric Norelius founded a school in his home at Red Wing, Minnesota in 1862. His personal collection of books is considered the first library collection You can view many of the books from Norelius’ personal collection here: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/FolkeB/ericnoreliuspersonallibrary. In celebration of 50 years in the current library building (known as the Folke […]
The Gustavus Greens: Environmental Activism on Campus
Happy Earth Day! Are you interested in learning more about environmental activism on campus? The Gustavus Greens is one notable environmental awareness group that formed during the 1980s. The Greens embraced a grassroots philosophy of direct involvement and equal participation. Club members also worked to increase the awareness of environmental issues, improve the college’s sustainability, […]
Preparing to Serve: Naval History from the Gustavus Archives
Did you know that Gustavus played an important role in training Navy and Marine Corps personnel during the Second World War? In late 1942, Gustavus, along with many other colleges and universities across the United States, was selected to participate in the V-12 Navy College Training Program. This program was created in a massive effort […]
Claire Hobart: Gustie Grad, Poet, Musician for God, Family Man, Servant to the Disabled
Claire William Hobart January 1914 – December 1993 CHILDHOOD – COLLEGE Claire Hobart was born a premature twin during January 1914. His sibling died shortly after birth, and Claire spent the first 3 months of his life in an incubator. It was at the end of this period that he lost his eyesight. While some blind children […]
NFL at Gustavus
One would not usually associate Gustavus Adolphus College with the National Football League (NFL), but surprisingly, the campus hosted the New York Giants football team not once but twice during 1952 and 1953. Gustavus was selected from a large pool in Minnesota as the location for the Giants’ training camp. Attractive attributes were the college’s […]