December 14, 1852

The academy started by Robert Graham in 1850 was chartered as Arkansas College of Fayetteville (Washington County). The first bachelor’s degrees in the state were granted by the college, and the college was given the power to confer doctoral degrees. In the years leading to the Civil War, Fayetteville and the county had gained a reputation as the state’s cultural and educational center, with several active academies and seminaries.