When Presbyterian minister Isaac J. Long came to Arkansasin 1866, his goal was to assess the needs of the state’s Presbyterian congregations. He took an appointment as minister at Batesville's First Presbyterian Church, and soon discovered that Arkansas offered few opportunities for higher education. Long determined that a church-related liberal arts college for both men and women would greatly benefit not only the Presbyterian churches of Arkansas, but also the region’s population in general. Acting on this belief, Long and his congregation helped organize efforts that led to the chartering of Arkansas College (now Lyon College) on October 24, 1872.
 

Under the guidance of the Presbyterian synod and with fiscal help from the people of Batesville, Lyon College was built near downtown Batesville. With Isaac Long as its first president, Lyon graduated its first class of eight students in 1876. The College’s first campus was on the current site of Batesville’s First Presbyterian Church. Campus landmarks included the Morrow building and the Long Memorial building.
 

During the 1912-1913 academic year, the College offered both college preparatory classes and a general Bachelor of Arts degree. Students could take courses in such subjects as Philosophy, Bible, Latin, Mathematics, English, History, Chemistry, Geology, Voice, Piano, Art, German, and French. There were ten faculty members, including president Eugene Long, who taught Bible and Political Science. To compare this to today, Lyon students now can choose from over twenty majors and concentrations, taught by a faculty of forty-three professors.

The 1912-13 academic year reveals several distinct traits that have contributed to Lyon’s special character. From the College’s earliest days, small class sizes have consistently provided easy and frequent interaction between students and professors. Additionally, the College has always boasted a strong liberal arts emphasis that is solidly grounded in Christian values and service. These things remain true today.

Cultural Life and Sports

Cultural opportunities have always been important at Lyon, as indicated by the College’s long tradition of organizations dedicated to artistic, literary, and musical programming and enjoyment. College bands, choirs, and musical quartets were active since the school’s earliest days. The Harlequin Theater has presented plays each year since the 1920s, while the Philomathean, Erosophic, and L’Etoile literary societies have produced orations, debates, plays and poetry readings since the 1890s. Student publications such as the newspaper and yearbook have flourished at the College.
 

Athletics have also held a central place in the life of Lyon College. For example, men’s intercollegiate programs in baseball and basketball go back to the 1890s, while women’s intercollegiate basketball dates from the 1920s. Students have enjoyed an active intramural program for over fifty years.
 

Expansion and the Depression

By the 1920s the College was outgrowing its original campus. The school began a period of expansion under presidents W.S. Lacy and E.B. Tucker through acquiring property in east Batesville, updating facilities such as science labs, and constructing new dormitories. This boom was halted by the Great Depression, when dire economic times almost forced the College to close its doors. Lyon was saved by intervention from the citizens of Batesville, who pledged more than $50,000 to keep it afloat, along with generous gifts from the family of Hot Springs trustee Allen Brown, his sister Jean, and his brother W. C. Jr. Coupled with belt-tightening measures by concerned trustees, faculty, students, and staff, Lyon College weathered the Depression years.
 

The Post-war Years, Scottish Heritage, and the Modern Campus

Veterans returning from World War II helped initiate a new era in the College’s history, sending enrollment figures to record numbers. Once again the campus grew, this time through the acquisition of the College’s current campus in east Batesville. This acreage was the site of a former Masonic Children’s Home.
 

A large, distinctive building, the Masonic Home became a central part of this new campus, housing classrooms, offices, and a snack bar. Around this building the College’s current campus took shape in the 1950s and 60s with the construction of Brown Chapel, Becknell Gym, the Smith science building, and many of the other structures that constitute the current campus.

The campus underwent another era of profound growth after a tornado ravaged several buildings in 1973. Miraculously, no one was seriously injured, but the Masonic Children’s Home building was destroyed.
 

Under the leadership of Presidents Dan C. West (1972-1988) and John V. Griffith (1989- 1997), the campus saw the addition of the Nichols Administration building, the Edwards Commons, the Mabee-Simpson Library, Holloway Theater, Young House, the Lyon Building, Bradley Manor, Edwards Commons, the Mabee-Simpson Library, and Scots Field.

During Dr. Dan West's administration a number of dedicated alumni, trustees, and friends of the College made significant gifts which dramatically increased the endowment, most notably a $14.6 million bequest from the same Jean Brown who had helped the College during the Depression. A new chairman of the board, Frank Lyon, Sr., brought keen business acumen to the management of the College's finances as the school's endowment grew to more than $40 million. Of even greater significance during this period was the development of a faculty of national stature who were dedicated to both teaching and scholarship.
 

It was during this time that Lyon College intensified its recognition of its Scottish heritage, which goes hand in hand with the College’s Presbyterian heritage. Lyon’s Pipe Band, part of its Scottish Heritage Program, has won international honors in Scotland.

Lyon’s sports teams are known as the Scots and Pipers, and Lyon proudly wears its own, specially designed tartan. Perhaps the most vibrant example of Lyon’s Scottish heritage is the Arkansas Scottish Festival, originally started in 1981 as the Ozark Scottish Festival. Each April pipe bands and clans gather on the campus in what has become a nationally famous event.
 

The College gained broader recognition as an outstanding liberal arts college during the administration of Dr. John Griffith. It implemented an ambitious strategic plan in 1990, undertook a major restructuring of its curriculum, reinstated an academic Honor System, and became primarily a residential college Alongside this rise to national prominence has been Lyon’s sustained and successful drive to increase the school’s endowment, giving it the resources to continue this tradition of excellence into the future. As part of a process of transforming the College into a liberal arts institution of national distinction, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of Arkansas College to Lyon College in February, 1994. That decision honored the outstanding service rendered to the College by trustee Frank Lyon, Sr., and his family.

Strong, visionary leadership continues today under the guidance of Robert A. Young, III, the current Board of Trustees chair, and Dr. Walter B. Roettger, who was inaugurated as Lyon's sixteenth president in October, 1998. Along with Lyon's faculty and staff, they are working to ensure that Lyon's tradition of excellence continues into the 21st century.