Browse Items (45 total)

  • Collection: Inventing Traditions at Auburn

Image of the WESC after being demolished

The “War Eagle” tradition does not have one clear origin. Some stories trace it back to an 1892 football game

Photograph that shows the landscape of Auburn in the late 19th century

Shel Toomer, in bow tie, posed with employees of Toomer Drugstore in 1907, the year after he bought the building. The soda fountain attendant appears to be F. R. "Crow" Wright, and at right is Rufus Lee Jenkins, a longtime employee who retired in…

A photograph of S. L. Toomer's Account page with a description of the original business focus.

The Auburn Plainsman show how traditions like “War Eagle” are still actively used today and continue to shape student identity.

2015 Soccer Championship Ticker Tape Parade

A War Eagle Special taking Auburn fans to Atlanta for the 1939 Georgia Tech football game.

The original seal of Auburn University back when the University was still Alabama Polytechnic Institute

Ralph the stress tigers being hidden around the library

The seal of Auburn University that sits infront of Langdon Hall and was put there in the 70s.

Hundreds of students participated to protest the new edition of the yearbook, which they felt overrepresented the presence and influence of hippie culture at the school.

Article reporting on the state of both teams before Auburn plays Georgia Tech

Pile of Ralph stress toys in a cart for finals in fall 2019

Promotional Graphic for the ISO Peace Dinner 2018 (Original Graphic Created 2014)

Vol. I, No. 1, November 7, 1894 issue of the Orange and Blue, the student newspaper of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now known as Auburn University.

Group of people standing outside of the War Eagle Supper Club waiting to be allowed in.

1944 Opelika-Auburn Newspaper Article on Kirk Newell's perspective of where and how "War Eagle" originated for Auburn University.

Auburn-Opelika Newspaper article on the origin of "War Eagle"

Vol. 88, No. 9, November 18, 1960 issue of The Plainsman, the student newspaper of Auburn University.

The stadium added additions to the upper east side in 1961, making the stadium significantly larger.

Instagram Reel posted after the 2025 ISO Peace Dinner

The Birmingham News previews the Iron Bowl, focusing primary on the coaching matchup between Saban and Tuberville

Auburn International Students Gather for the 2024 ISO Peace Dinner

People dancing inside of WESC

Black greek life organizations (under the NPHC) honored through the creation of the Legacy Plaza

students interacting with each other

A golden eagle purchased for 10 dollars in 1930, this was Auburn's first ever live eagle

Chi Omega was founded at Auburn as the first sorority on campus in 1921

Photo of the first Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge class; the first fraternity on Auburn's campus founded in 1878

Drawn map of Downtown Auburn Alabama with labels for individual buildings and locations around Toomer's Corner.

Photo of Delta Gamma pledge class when it was founded in 1972

A picture of where the seal sits outside Langdon Hall

Pictured is a 1985 celebration, probably after Auburn's 17-14 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

A picture of Toomer's Drugs. The water tower behind the drug stor is being taken down.

This title page of the 1960 edition of The Glomerata describes the name change from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute to Auburn University.

This is a photo of a student gathering at Toomer's Corner. They are celebrating the wi

A picture of Toomer's Corner at the turn of the 20th century.

This is a picture of Toomer's Corner and the surrounding area. Toomer's is located to the right of the tree at center frame.

Poem by Oliver Goldsmith, where Auburn gets its name from

Sheet music for band preceded by a chant about the the warrior spirit of "the Southland."
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