First to 50: Middletown Campus History Resources

Miami University Middletown was founded in 1966 and was the first regional campus in the state of Ohio. Below you will find resources for exploring the history of the campus, first compiled in celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2016-17. The Gardner-Harvey Library also maintains a physical archive of historical materials related to the campus.

• First to 50 Miami University Middletown Digital Archives - A collection of oral history videos and transcripts, photographs, and documents representing the history of the Middletown Campus.
• Sweet MUMories Oral History Project - Watch videos on YouTube representing 49 individual interviews, 9 group interviews, 9 videos from campus events, and a two-hour video compilation of oral history interviews and images that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Miami University Middletown.
• KAOS Student Newspaper - A searchable database of the Middletown Campus student newspaper, including 240 issues that cover the years 1966-1985, 1987-1994, 1996, and 1998-2008 (sort the issues by "Date" to see them in chronological order, or search by keyword).
• MUM50: Historic Stories - A collection of stories on the founding of the campus. There is also a link to a timeline of major events in the history of the campus, and a series of MUM Alumni Stories.
• Miami University Middletown Publications - A collection of historical publications from the Middletown Campus for both internal and external audiences.
• The Forgotten Pool - a Miami Middletown Mystery - Try our digital escape room and learn about a historical mystery on campus!
• A collection of resources on the Middletown Campus Nature Trail and Woods
• WPFB MUM Dedication Ceremony - A recording of the Middletown Campus Dedication Ceremony, broadcast on WPFB Radio on on September 5, 1966, featuring a number of speakers and the narration of Bob Cordray (1 hour, 10 minutes). A guide to the dedication ceremony, with time signatures, was created by Rod Nimtz to help you access specific portions of the ceremony.
• Your Campus -- 10 Years Old - A special issue of the Middletown Journal, published on August 22, 1976, in recognition of the campus' 10th anniversary.
• MidPointe Library Digital Archives - A growing collection of thousands of digital images and publications related to the history of Middletown and the surrounding area. It includes a selection of images of Miami University Middletown. There are also several images of Armco Park, which occupied the space given to Miami University by the Middletown community for the construction of the campus. The park opened in 1922.
• Middletown Story Map - an interactive map-based collection of historical information about the city of Middletown, produced by Miami University Regionals in collaboration with MidPointe Library (read the full story here).
• Uncovering the History of MUM's Monuments - a story about campus sculptures from the Miami Regionals Pulse News (2024).
• Gardner-Harvey Library Through the Years, 1960s to 2020s - A collection of images from throughout GHL's history, showing the building, library staff members, and library patrons.

The image above is an artist's rendition of the Middletown Campus, prior to its opening in 1966.