Spring Break
The Clintons' first house now a history-packed museum near campus
Jessica Powviriya
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: News
They were former UA faculty members and shared their first home on California Drive, a street directly off of the UA campus.
It sounds like it could be the ordinary lives of a lot of UA faculty, except that he was the 42nd president of the United States and she was the second woman to be the U.S. Secretary of State.
Former President William J. Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's first home together in Fayetteville opened in 2005 to be what is now known as the Clinton House Museum. It is a one-bedroom house with the history of the former president and first lady.
From 1973 to 1976, Clinton taught several classes at the UA School of Law, including the subjects of constitutional law, trade regulation and federal jurisdiction. Hillary Clinton joined her husband on the UA's faculty in 1974 and taught classes about criminal procedure and law and trial advocacy.
"The house is set up the same as it was when the Clintons lived in it," said Kelli Nixon, marketing director for the museum. "The working house makes the tour more interesting because you get to see how they lived."
A replica of Hillary Clinton's wedding dress stands in the living room where the Clintons were wed in 1975.
In May, the museum will expand exhibits to include more information on Hillary Clinton. There also will be a First Ladies Flower Garden in the backyard of the house, which will commemorate not only Hillary Clinton, but all of the first ladies of the United States.
The museum also is host to many local artists. Once a month, an artist is exhibited. If the artist wishes to sell his or her work, visitors can purchase those works through the museum's gift shop.
"The program has brought in many people who are interested in more than political memorabilia," Nixon said.
Nixon said that one of the most unique things about the museum is that it has the history of the beginning of the Clintons' political endeavors.
It sounds like it could be the ordinary lives of a lot of UA faculty, except that he was the 42nd president of the United States and she was the second woman to be the U.S. Secretary of State.
Former President William J. Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's first home together in Fayetteville opened in 2005 to be what is now known as the Clinton House Museum. It is a one-bedroom house with the history of the former president and first lady.
From 1973 to 1976, Clinton taught several classes at the UA School of Law, including the subjects of constitutional law, trade regulation and federal jurisdiction. Hillary Clinton joined her husband on the UA's faculty in 1974 and taught classes about criminal procedure and law and trial advocacy.
"The house is set up the same as it was when the Clintons lived in it," said Kelli Nixon, marketing director for the museum. "The working house makes the tour more interesting because you get to see how they lived."
A replica of Hillary Clinton's wedding dress stands in the living room where the Clintons were wed in 1975.
In May, the museum will expand exhibits to include more information on Hillary Clinton. There also will be a First Ladies Flower Garden in the backyard of the house, which will commemorate not only Hillary Clinton, but all of the first ladies of the United States.
The museum also is host to many local artists. Once a month, an artist is exhibited. If the artist wishes to sell his or her work, visitors can purchase those works through the museum's gift shop.
"The program has brought in many people who are interested in more than political memorabilia," Nixon said.
Nixon said that one of the most unique things about the museum is that it has the history of the beginning of the Clintons' political endeavors.
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