Thirty-seven students graduated from Bowdoin College on September 7, 1825, the College’s twentieth commencement. Among them were future congressmen, a US senator, numerous state politicians, the president of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, a US marshal, the uncle by marriage to Emily Dickinson, a fiery, famous abolitionist who was jailed for his beliefs, and two of America’s foremost authors: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne. With their class often described as Bowdoin’s most famous, it is easy to forget that at Bowdoin they were just boys learning to navigate the world.

This site recreates an exhibition that was on view in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library from January-July 2025, marking the Class of 1825's 200th anniversary.  Select a case to explore the students' college days, from academics to pranks.