A treasure trove of materials highlights Morrow Plots’ campus significance
The Morrow Plots in the heart of campus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hold significance as a landmark and a lasting contribution to agricultural research. This year, the Morrow Plots celebrate 150 years as an experimental research field. And now, a treasure trove of resources, including photos, documents, and research data, is available to anyone who wishes to explore the legacy of this campus icon.
Thanks to a grant from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Morrow Plots archival materials have been digitized and uploaded to the University Library’s digital collections portal.
“The Morrow Plots have provided ACES researchers and Illinois farmers with invaluable information about crop management over the past 150 years. The plots’ research data were digitized in 2023, but we provided the grant to ensure that all the documents, photos, and knowledge we have about the Morrow plots are preserved for the future and available to anyone with an interest in their rich history, both as an agricultural experiment and a national landmark,” said Germán Bollero, dean of the College of ACES.
Morrow Plots were established in 1876, making them the oldest continuous agricultural experiment in the U.S., and second oldest in the world after the Rothamsted Field in England. The plots are administered by the Department of Crop Sciences, part of the College of ACES.
“We're digitizing a wide variety of materials that span the 150 years of the Morrow Plots. This includes photographs of the plots, some of which are aerial views, others with various scientists,” said Bethany Anderson, U. of I. Natural and Applied Sciences Archivist.
For example, several pictures in the blue cyanotype characteristic of the turn of the 20th century feature Cyril Hopkins, then-head of the Department of Agronomy, proudly standing next to the year’s harvest from the plots.
“We also have a lot of administrative correspondence, particularly around the time when the plots became a national historic landmark, and we have great photos from the National Historic Landmark Dedication ceremony in 1968,” Anderson said.
While research data and some photos were already digitized, the new batch includes remaining materials, photos, administrative documents, and newspaper clippings that illustrate the cultural significance of the plots over time.
An article from the Daily Illini features a local band, Medicare 7, playing by the Morrow Plots on Agronomy Day in 1974. Other materials relate to student protesters known as the “Morrow’s Marauders” who organized a symbolic attack on the plots on Oct. 15, 1969 called “Cream the Corn.” The event was associated with concerns over classified research during the Vietnam War. The plots were not harmed during the protest, Anderson noted.
“The university archives are open to the public, so anyone is welcome to come here and look at our materials. But having materials digitized and online is really important because they can be shared more broadly with all kinds of different publics, including College of ACES alumni and other stakeholders who would be interested in the history of the plots,” Anderson said.
“We’re really grateful to the College of ACES for supporting this work because it will help us promote these records documenting this important agricultural experiment and foster new connections with this history.”
The grant has funded a student employee to digitize the materials and enter the content into a searchable database. The student is also preparing a small exhibit in the Illinois Distributed Museum, a digital platform that highlights different innovations from the U. of I.
Many of the archival materials will be on display at an exhibit in the U. of I. main library during the month of October.
The College of ACES commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Morrow Plots at this year’s Celebrate Food & Ag Day tailgate celebration, Saturday, Sept. 19, 10 am to 12 PM., at Grange Grove (Memorial Stadium). Register by Sept. 1 to secure your spot.