Permanent Exhibit

“On a cold November evening in the year of grace, 1842, a young priest stood near the old log house on the banks of the little lake called St. Mary’’s, and viewed for the first time the principal field of his future labors…The young priest was Father Sorin; the place, Notre Dame du Lac; two names that will always be associated, ever linked together in the memory of old students and old friends, and will go down together in the religious and educational annals of our country,” (from the Silver Jubilee of the University of Notre Dame). This and other stories of those whose lives have been intertwined with the University of Notre Dame are featured in Notre Dame: A Place in History. From university founder Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C., to Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., to football great Knute Rockne, the stories are told through artifacts and photographs from the University of Notre Dame Archives.

Photographs of Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., provide a visual testimony to this Notre Dame president. Many are images of Father Hesburgh with Notre Dame students. He is also pictured with three American presidents: Eisenhower, Kennedy and Carter. Visitors can learn about the diverse components of the 35 years he served as president of the University, from the 110 honorary degrees bestowed upon him to the admission of undergraduate women in 1972.

Here you can also explore how Knute Rockne skyrocketed the Notre Dame football program to national fame and became a man who will never be forgotten.

A timeline featured on the exhibit’s perimeter provides a comparison of the number of faculty members and buildings, as well as the costs of tuition and room and board through the decades.

Notre Dame: A Place in History is on view in the Ernestine M. Raclin Gallery of Notre Dame History. The gallery, a partnership of the Center for History and the University of Notre Dame, is named in honor of Ernestine M. Raclin, a local business and civic leader. Mrs. Raclin and the Carmichael Foundation, of which she is president, have provided numerous contributions and support to the Center for History over several years. Mrs. Raclin was a long-time trustee for the University of Notre Dame and currently serves as Trustee-Emeritus of the University. An endowment for the gallery has been generously provided by the Carmichael Foundation.