About the Department of History

The Department of History at the ��ϳԹ�� has been a central part of the University since its founding. Over the last century and a half, our historians have actively contributed to the development and furtherance of the field and of the humanities as a whole at the University. The department is committed to continuing to foster fruitful relationships with other programs and departments, to making history accessible to the public and to furthering historical scholarship through curiosity, analysis and academic rigor.

black and white image of wide view of old lincoln hall

History of the department

There has been a history program at the University of Nevada ever since its establishment in Reno in 1887. Initially, there was only one instructor, Hannah Clapp, who taught U.S. History, Ancient History and Mythology, and General History, alongside Rhetoric and English Literature, demonstrating early integration between History and the rest of the university’s Humanities programs. As the university grew, so did the Department of History and its offerings. By 1930, the Department of History and Political Science employed four faculty members. It offered a diverse array of courses that included “Russia and Her Neighbors,” “History and the Far East,” “Latin America,” and “Institutional Relations of Women in History.” Nevada History was already a priority, and “Research Course in Nevada History” was also on offer.

In the 1960s, the Department of History and Political Science divided into two departments, and the newly established Department of History, then with nine instructors, offered a robust and varied selection of courses with an increased focus on specificity in periodization and specialization. At the same time, the department published extensively on topics as diverse as communism, immigration, Japanese nationalism in Brazil and mining booms in twentieth-century Nevada. This period also saw an increase in the department’s support of graduate students; it awarded nineteen graduate degrees from 1961-1970, compared to thirteen between 1889 and 1960.

History of Lincoln Hall

Lincoln Hall was constructed in 1896 and served as a men’s dormitory for over a century, with a major renovation in the 1950s to update the plumbing and electrical systems. This renovation diminished some of the building’s historical character by removing its original grand staircase (replacing it with east and west wing staircases) and boarding up the west lounge fireplace. It continued to function as a men’s dormitory until 2015, when it was closed for an $8.5 million renovation project intended to improve its resilience to earthquakes, reduce the prevalence of sheering bricks and remodel the interior to facilitate its new purpose as office space for faculty members. Before its closure for renovation, it was the longest continuously operating residence hall on a college campus in the western United States.

Since its reopening in 2016, Lincoln Hall has been the home of the University's Department of History following the department’s move from its old home in the Mack Social Science building, and also houses the Department's Shared History gallery and exhibits.

Recent Department of History news

Three students and one professor, standing in front of Storey County Courthouse in Virginia City, Nevada.

'Spanish Town' Latin Americans on the Comstock exhibit

A group of Shared History Program students, led by Teaching Associate Professor and Program Head Christopher von Nagy, highlight their efforts to uncover the Latin history of Nevada’s Virginia City during the Comstock era