In the collections of the University of Notre Dame Archives, references to weddings are scattered throughout. While these items don’t always have a personal connection with us today, they often provide an interesting insight into society, customs, and traditions.
A wedding party, c1860s-1870s
Some items are historically significant:
Newspaper illustration of the wedding of Minnie Sherman (daughter of General William Tecumseh Sherman) and Lieutenant Thomas Fitch, October 1, 1874, at St. Aloysius’ Church in Washington, D.C. (sketched by Harry Ogden). Among the numerous dignitaries in attendance were President and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant; Rev. Edward Sorin, CSC, founder and president of the University of Notre Dame; and Mother Angela Gillespie, CSC, director of St. Mary’s Academy (now College), cousin of Ellen Ewing Sherman (wife of William Tecumseh Sherman), and namesake of Angela Boulevard in South Bend
Others show passé customs:
Pages 42-43 from “My Wedding Day” booklet by Louis LaRovoire Morrow, Bishop of Krishnagar, 1949. These pages outline the vows of the ceremony and the blessing of the rings in English and Latin
Pages from “Check List for Your Wedding” booklet by Msgr. James A. Magner, 1959. These pages outline what the bride, groom, parents, and attendants should wear to the ceremony. Gloves and hats are no longer required for Catholic weddings.
Some give insight to other cultures:
A country wedding in Jamaica, c1890s
While others demonstrate the fashions of the times:
Portrait of a bride, c1890s
(photo by McDonald Studios, South Bend)
A wedding party leaving the Basilica of the Sacred Heart while being pelted with rice, c1930s
A bride with her father outside of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, c1960
(photo by Walt Daly)
A wedding party, guests, and photographer at the Grotto, c1970s
Alumni have always been an important constituency of the Notre Dame family. They often return home to their Alma Mater independently and as part of organized groups. The first weekend in June has been designated as Alumni Reunion weekend, where Notre Dame welcomes back all her students, particularly those who celebrate their anniversaries on the fives and tens.
Alumni group (including many faculty members), c1880s. Includes Rev. Edward Sorin, Arthur Stace, William Ivers, Borzon (?), James (Jimmy) Edwards, Joseph Lyons, Thomas E. Walsh, Peter Cooney, Patrick Colovin, O’Connell, Kelly, Timothy Howard
The Society of the Associated Alumni first organized in 1868 and held many Reunions into the 1870s, but it faded near the turn of the century. In 1908, University President Rev. John W. Cavanaugh, CSC, sent invitations to all Alumni to return to their Alma Mater for Commencement, and thus reinstating the tradition of the annual Alumni Reunion.
Scholastic Alumni Issue, vol. 42, page 19: Alumni Reunion group posed on Main Building front steps, June 17, 1908. Scholastic lists all the returnees on a following page.
Alumni ribbon featuring an engraving on the new Main Building, 06/20/1888
Notre Dame Alumnus Class of 1910 Ribbon
Activities for this year’s Reunion will be similar to those in the past — meeting up with old friends and professors and their families, attending Masses and Class banquets, and ambling about an ever-changing campus.
Alumni Reunion – A group of alumni at a refreshment station outside of Howard Hall, c1960s-1970s
Class of 1917 Scenes from Alumni Reunion, 1947
Alumni walking around campus near the Hesburgh Library, which is under construction and does not have the Word of Life mural, June 1963
Alumni Reunion – “Still Crazy after All These Years,” including Suzzie and Jack McCabe and Paul Fox, 1989
2011 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 and a few items regarding the early years of the Motor Speedway exist in the University of Notre Dame Archives.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Greatest Race Course in the World. This postcard is postmarked September 1910, a year before the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
In 1913 and 1914, Notre Dame student Grover Miller and a group of friends (presumably other ND students) attended the Indianapolis 500 Races. Below are some of the photographs from his scrapbook:
A straight-away on the track, 1913Entrance to the tunnel with the Grand Stand on the right, 1913Scoreboard, 1913George Britton in car #47, 1914
View of the Judges’ Stand, 1914
Notre Dame students? watching the races, including Bernie, Mike, Leos, and Mack, 1914
Racer Joe Dawson’s wrecked Marmon, car #26, 1914
Second-place winner Arthur Duray in his Peugeot, car #14, 1914
Mike and Grover Miller driving 61 miles per hour in a car, 1914Muh and Mike eating a box picnic lunch, 1914
For nearly ninety years, Notre Dame consisted of three departments: Senior (collegiate, ages 17+), Junior (preparatory, ages 12-17), and Minim (grammar school, under the age of 12). It was possible to arrive at Notre Dame at the age of six and not leave until after graduating from the Senior Department at the age of twenty-two. Or, as in the case of Jimmy Edwards, some never left. For some years, the University Bulletins listed the ages of students enrolled at Notre Dame [see the Student Index]. The earliest age listed is Roscoe Clarke of Denver, Colorado, at 3 ½ years old in 1893.
Lay women were in charge of the education and care of the Minims until the Sisters of the Holy Cross took over in 1863. During the 1860s-1870s, the number of students in the Minim Department generally hovered around thirty to forty students. With growing numbers, St. Edward’s Hall became their home in 1882. In 1883, the number of the Minim Department finally reached an enrollment of one hundred students and was the cause of much celebration at Notre Dame. With no coincidence, the celebration was planned for November 24, the forty-first anniversary of the arrival of Rev. Edward Sorin, CSC, at Notre Dame. Fr. Sorin looked fondly upon the boys and their accomplishments and enthusiasm. He often spoiled them with special treats such as oranges and candy and they heartily honored Fr. Sorin on Founder’s Day.
Rev. Edward Sorin, CSC, with a group of Minims, the “Princes of St. Edward’s Hall,” c1880s-1890s
The three departments of students at Notre Dame operated mostly independently of one another. However, on such a small campus, they were quite aware of each others’ activities. In 1867, its first year of publication, Scholastic had the following comments about the Minim Department: “They are now fully organized, and apparently depend on none of their Senior associates except for regular meals, which they continue to take with the Juniors. … [O]therwise they have literally nothing to do with the other students. They would not allow anyone to infringe upon their grounds or rights… They are at times rather a noisy little nation, especially since music is taught them upon their own premises; the splendid piano which as been placed there for their exclusive use, is seldom silent” [Scholastic, 09/21/1867, page 4]. Teasing the Minims on their favored status with Fr. Sorin, the author of the column joked that if the boys acted up, they could be sent to another boys school in Indiana.
Cornet Band with a few Minim members, 1869
Sports and physical activities played an important part in all of the students’ lives, and the Minims were no exception. They played most of the same sports as their older counterparts, including football, baseball, and track. They also held gymnastic expositions and participated various races around campus. They had their own play halls, fields and equipment. However, the Minims often proved to be valiant opponents against the Junior Department and area teams such as South Bend Junior High.
[photoshelter-img i_id=”I00001vd7HlXCTq4″ buy=”1″ caption=”Minim students with bicycles on Main Quad with Main Building Dome in the background, 1892..Photo by Rev. Alexander Kirsch, CSC)” width=”576″ height=”367″]
The Minim football team, 1911
When not playing themselves, Minims were known as the most spirited fans and eternal optimists of Notre Dame athletics — “the hearty embodiment of the Notre Dame spirit.”
1912 Dome yearbook feature page on the Minims
With the influence of the vision of Rev. John Zahm, CSC, Notre Dame began to move toward the more modern model of a university at the beginning of the twentieth century. This modern plan did not include boarding schools for boys. The Junior Preparatory Department was eliminated in 1922 and the Minim Department ended in 1929. Upon the closing of the Minim Department, Scholastic issued this parting tribute: “No more will [St. Edward’s Hall] be the haven of the youngsters who have been in such close touch with the University since the beginning of its existence. No more will the Sophomore Hallers be treated to the sight of aspiring embryonic All-Americans staging their gridiron battles on the Minims’ field. The school has been done away with; the Sisters have taken up their work in other parts of the country; and old Brother Cajetan who had charge of St. Edward’s is dead.” [Scholastic, 09/20/1929, page 10].
An Tostal at Notre Dame began in 1967 by students Jimmy Brogan, David Ryan, and Ron Mastroni [Scholastic 1988/0414, page 14]. Its name comes from the spring festivals held in Ireland during the 1950s. At Notre Dame, it is a student organized event through the Student Union Board, and thus the events vary from year to year, but it is generally a week-long festival of games, prizes, music, and food. Other events such as the Fisher Hall Regatta and the Bookstore Basketball Tournament are held in conjunction with An Tostal.
An Tostal program cover featuring a leprechaun, 1970. The Hall Presidents’ Council (HPC) and the Saint Mary’s College (SMC) Social Commission organized the event.Map of some of the events near St. Mary’s Lake from the An Tostal Program, 1970An Tostal April 1973 – A student wearing a suit of armor and riding a horse
List of Scheduled Events from the An Tostal Program, 1992
Events have included movies, concerts, picnics, pie-throwing contests, kissing marathons, tug-o-war contests, mattress races, chariot races, and lots of mud…
An Tostal Chariot Races through a mud pit near Stepan Center, Spring 1978An Tostal Tug-o-War, c1970sAn Tostal Pig Chase, c1970
On February 7, 1904, Francis Earle Hering proposed the idea of “setting aside of one day in the year as a nationwide memorial to the memory of Mothers and motherhood” to an audience of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Indianapolis [certificate below].
Certificate honoring Frank E. Hering, signed by those who were present at the English Opera House in Indianapolis on February 7, 1904, when Hering proposed a national day honoring mothers. This document was signed on 07/24/1930
Frank Hering first attended the University of Chicago, playing football under Amos Alonzo Stagg, from 1893-1894, then took a coaching job at Bucknell for a year, before coming to Notre Dame in 1896. That fall, Hering played quarterback and was the coach and captain of the football team. He also coached basketball, baseball, and track, and served as instructor of athletics. In 1898, Hering earned a bachelors in English (Litt.B.) and a bachelors in Law (L.L.B.) in 1902. He taught English from 1898-1902 and later served Notre Dame for many years as a Lay Associate of the Board of Lay Trustees and as President of the Notre Dame Alumni Association. He gave a speech at the dedication of Notre Dame Stadium in 1930 and was on the committee of the Rockne Memorial after Coach Knute Rockne’s death in 1931.
Varsity Basketball Team, 1897, with Frank E. Hering as coach (middle row, second from right). For an unknown reason, there is a frog on the knee of the player in front of him
Hering’s inspiration for a national Mother’s Day came from Notre Dame students writing home to their mothers: “[P]ractically every boy has as his sweetheart his mother – and that the surest way to appeal to him for his best efforts in building his character and his grades – those things greatly to be desired – was to remind him of the deep happiness his mother receives” [quoted in Scholastic, 05/09/1941, page 11].
Hering’s involvement with the Fraternal Order of the Eagles gave him an oratory platform to spread this idea of a day specially for mothers. Others were also campaigning the idea, including Anna M. Jarvis, and Congress passed a resolution in 1914, making Mother’s Day a national observance.
“Throughout history the great men of the world have given their credit for their achievements to their mothers. [The] Holy Church recognizes this, as does Notre Dame especially, and Our Lady who watches over our great institution” [Frank Hering, as quoted in Scholastic, 05/09/1941, page 11].
April 24-26, 1912, Notre Dame played Arkansas in a series of three baseball games. Notre Dame won the series 2-1 “in one of the most remarkable games ever played on Cartier Field” [see South Bend News clipping below]. The series was tied 1-1 and the third game was decided in the ninth inning nail-biter with Notre Dame winning 10-9.
Baseball Game Scene – ND vs. Arkansas, April 1912. Hinton of Arkansas coaching on first baseBaseball Game Scene – ND vs. Arkansas, April 1912. View of the field from the grandstand
After the wins, the Notre Dame students celebrated with a snake dance through campus. The student celebrations continued even after University President Rev. John W. Cavanaugh, CSC, “issued an order that there be no further demonstrations of any kind.” Cavanaugh stuck to his guns and expelled about twenty students for their continued celebrations.
The Snake Dance on campus after Notre Dame won the Baseball series vs. Arkansas, April 1912. “Dummy” Smith leading, Brussard second, Brennan third — the fellows expelled for the celebration demonstrationSouth Bend News clipping (04/29/1912) regarding the twenty or so students who were expelled from Notre Dame after celebrations of the victories of the baseball games vs. Arkansas
Baseball Game Scene – ND vs. Rose Poly, 1912. View of the empty grandstand and bleachers after a number of students were expelled for celebrating the previous series vs. Arkansas — the students refused to honor any athletics
CEDW 16/11 (Calendared XI-2-m): Easter postcard that reads “Holy Easter, time of blessing, May we each rejoice and sing, Giving praises, heartfelt praises, To our risen Easter King.” This postcard was sent to James (Jimmy) Edwards from Sister M. Cherubim, CSC, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1910/0319.
The building now known as Crowley Hall originally housed the Institute of Technology, which comprised of the following departments: Theoretical and Experimental Engineering, Practical Mechanics, and Machine Drawing and Design. The University Architect’s Building Inventory lists Fr. John Zahm, CSC, and Brother Charles Harding, CSC, as principle architects. It is one of many examples of buildings on campus that have held a number of different functions over the years.
Institute of Technology Exterior, c1890s
The 1892-1893 prospectus bulletin stated that “[t]his building has been erected on the most approved plans, after a study of the best institutions of the kind at home and abroad.” The 1893-1894 bulletin boasted that it was “a large and commodious building, devoted to the use of the students of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. It is fully equipped with all the appliances for wood and metal working, and is supplied with the most approved forms of forges and cupolas for blacksmithing and foundry work. The rooms for mechanical drawing, and the laboratories for special experimental work in mechanical engineering are used, and are complete in all their appointments.”
In 1907, the Chemistry department settled into this building, which would then be dubbed “Chemistry Hall.” The Pharmacy Department had laboratories on the second floor.
Pharmacy laboratory in the Institute of Technology, c1910s1913 Pharmacy Class, including Knute Rockne (second from left) and “Cupid” Gross
On September 13, 1916, fire broke out in the phosphorus collection on the third floor, injuring a number of firemen, students, and spectators. With all the different chemicals and potential reactions in the building, the firemen had to use a different approach than water, which was only making matters worse. They used wet sand to extinguish the phosphorus fire and the South Bend firefighters left the scene eight hours later, saving the lower two floors.
The Institute of Technology on fire, September 1916
A week later, however, some of the remaining phosphorous again ignited and continued to ravage the building, sending dangerous sparks as far away as St. Edward’s Hall. This occurred when class was being held in the already charred building. The building and its contents were pretty much destroyed, except for a small addition on the northeast corner, which remained untouched by the fire.
World War I Athletic Regiment, April 1917. Chemistry Hall, destroyed by fire, is in the background
The cornerstone for new Chemistry Hall was laid at the 1917 commencement extercises and is now the Riley Hall of Art and Design. Nieuwland Hall was built in 1952 as a new facility for the Chemistry Department. Chemistry also has space in Stepan Chemistry Hall, which was completed in 1982 with an addition in 2002.
But the story of this 1893 building does not end with the fire. Notre Dame restored the building, which became Hoynes Hall, the home of the Law School until the Law School Building was completed in 1931. Later it housed the Architecture Department and Psychology Department, and it has been the home of the Music Department since 1976. It was named for Patrick F. Crowley, who founded the Christian Family Movement (CFM) with his wife Patricia. They were named Laetare Medalists in 1966. Crowley’s brother-in-law John Caron made the gift to the University in Crowley’s name. The Architecture Department moved to Lemonnier Library (now Bond Hall) when the Hesburgh Library opened in 1963. The Psychology Department moved to Haggar Hall in 1974.
A wedding party, c1860s-1870s
Newspaper illustration of the wedding of Minnie Sherman (daughter of General William Tecumseh Sherman) and Lieutenant Thomas Fitch, October 1, 1874, at St. Aloysius’ Church in Washington, D.C. (sketched by Harry Ogden). Among the numerous dignitaries in attendance were President and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant; Rev. Edward Sorin, CSC, founder and president of the University of Notre Dame; and Mother Angela Gillespie, CSC, director of St. Mary’s Academy (now College), cousin of Ellen Ewing Sherman (wife of William Tecumseh Sherman), and namesake of Angela Boulevard in South Bend
Pages 42-43 from “My Wedding Day” booklet by Louis LaRovoire Morrow, Bishop of Krishnagar, 1949. These pages outline the vows of the ceremony and the blessing of the rings in English and Latin
Pages from “Check List for Your Wedding” booklet by Msgr. James A. Magner, 1959. These pages outline what the bride, groom, parents, and attendants should wear to the ceremony. Gloves and hats are no longer required for Catholic weddings.
A country wedding in Jamaica, c1890s
Portrait of a bride, c1890s
A wedding party leaving the Basilica of the Sacred Heart while being pelted with rice, c1930s
A bride with her father outside of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, c1960
A wedding party, guests, and photographer at the Grotto, c1970s
Vigil Procession after the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks
CEDW 16/11 (Calendared XI-2-m): Easter postcard that reads “Holy Easter, time of blessing, May we each rejoice and sing, Giving praises, heartfelt praises, To our risen Easter King.” This postcard was sent to 
