Despite the peaceful sounding phrase "town-gown" relations, the relationship between universities and their surrounding region (town or otherwise) have often been fractious. The St. Scholastica Riot of 1355 pitted the townspeople of Oxford against a few young scholars from the University of Oxford, and it was a matter that was not forgotten for four centuries. Happily, the residents of Iowa City and the University of Iowa have enjoyed a peaceful and productive relationship and this lovely digital collection from the Iowa Digital Library documents both the "town" and the "gown". The collection brings together the photographic talents of Professor Samuel Calvin and Frederick Wallace Kent. Combined these two men were snapping photos for well over a century, and visitors can browse over 3,400 of their photographs here. The pictures include shots of fraternity houses, prominent members of the faculty, laboratories, and pedestrian bridges. Visitors will want to make a few leisurely sojourns to this site, and it may even inspire a road trip.
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