This watch fob, made of bronze or brass, commemorates the 50th Anniversary of Arkansas College in Batesville, AR (1872-1922). Depicted on the front is the college seal with a lamp and book and the Latin motto “Perseverantia Omnia Vincet Deo Volent,” translated in English as “Perseverance Conquers All, God Willing.”
The back of the fob features a rendering of Independence Hall, which was located on College Avenue and was used by the college as a dormitory from 1923-1970. (OIRM, Reynolds, Peggy collection)
Independence Hall was 130 feet wide and 60 feet deep with a courtyard at the entrance. It had a clay tile roof and was estimated to have approximately 300,000 bricks. Its three floors housed 125 students, a dining hall, and a matron’s apartment. It was used first as a boys’ dorm, then as a girls’ dorm, and then again as a boys’ dorm at the end. The building was vacated in 1970 and sat empty for three years before it was razed.
