FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One of the University of Arkansas' oldest landmarks, Spoofer's Stone, was heavily damaged in a construction-related accident Tuesday, February 25.
According to a post on Facebook by the University of Arkansas, the limestone rock broke apart into several sections, but a primary part, including the plaque, remains intact.
“It is one of our oldest historical landmarks, so it’s as old as Old Main itself,” Amy Allen said.
The stone was leftover from the construction of Old Main, completed in 1875.
“The story is as the limestone was being transported on ox-cart to old main, this piece fell off and broke, so it was unable to be used for building material and the builders just left it there and it ended up becoming part of our heritage,” Allen said.
During the early history of the University, students sometimes left love notes tucked into the crevices of the rock, according to the post.
Since then, Spoofer's Stone became a popular site for marriage proposals.
Barbara Holt and her husband are one of the those couples who got engaged at the stone more than 30 years ago. She says her husband is from Oklahoma, so he didn’t know the significance of where he was going to propose.
“We walked and walked around campus while he tried to find the perfect place to and that was where we ended up. He got down on one knee and proposed to me and afterwards was when I told him the history of the stone and everything and so that became a really special place for us,” Holt said.
"While hearts are broken, plans to repair the stone are already being discussed."
Allen says this isn't the first time the stone has been damaged.
“The female class of 1933 was very distraught that the stone was starting to crumble, so they actually raised money to build a base for it and a commemorative plaque so that it would stay on campus for years to come," she said.