GC Virtual Tour Book of Fraternity and Sorority Heritage Sites and Landmarks
 

We have threads on badge trends, arms and symbols, chapter houses and headquarters. This thread is a place for us to post pictures of important places in Greek history. I'm thinking of things like places of founding, monuments or memorials commemorating foundings, graves of founders or original chapter rooms or chapter houses. It could also be something like a rock (Sigma Nu?) or a stream that once had a wooden bridge over it (Kappa Kappa Gamma?) -- anything that should be included in our virtual tour book of Greek heritage.

I'll start us out where we should start, the birthplace of the first GLO, Phi Beta Kappa -- the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia. Unfortunately, the original Raleigh Tavern burned in 1859. But with the reconstruction of Colonial Williamsburg, the Raleigh Tavern was reconstructed as well (in 1932). Here is the reconstructed Raleigh Tavern:

http://www.history.org/almanack/plac...eightavern.jpg

http://www.johnsmilitaryhistory.com/...urg_ralegh.jpg

You can make out the bust of Sir Walter Raleigh over the doorway.

And here is the reconstructed Apollo Room, the room at the back of the tavern, in which Phi Beta Kappa was founded:

http://p.vtourist.com/1837725-Apollo...lliamsburg.jpg

http://www.johnsmilitaryhistory.com/wmsburg20b.jpg

Over the mantle is written Hilaritas sapientiae et bonae vitae proles -- jollity is the offspring of wisdom and good living.

Oooh, great idea! I can't wait until I get back to Michigan... I can put up some picture of the house where Alpha Sigma Tau was founded :)

The Range at UVA. PI Kappa Alpha fraternity was founded in 47 West Range on March 1, 1868. Notable residents of the West Range include Edgar Allen Poe and Woodrow Wilson.
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...dietAu0crasyCA

47 West Range is still used as student housing and is occupied and maintained by a 3rd or 4th year member of our Alpha Chapter.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...3x9LKYvT6AvSso

That is so cool that you can do that.

http://www.google.com/url?source=img...aqnDOmpe3yfJJQ

The clock at Longwood University that commemorates the founding of the Farmville Four: Alpha Sigma Alpha+Kappa Delta+Sigma Sigma Sigma+Zeta Tau Alpha. It was installed in 2001, after the "newest" of the four (ASA) turned 100.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ngtonTriad.jpg

This is a marker in Lexington, VA, commemorating the Lexington Triad, Sigma Nu, Alpha Tao Omega and Kappa Alpha Order, all of which were founded in Lexington, VA.

http://www.duke.edu/web/sigmanu/imagessn/plaque.bmp

This plaque on the VMI Parade Grounds commemorates the founding of Sigma Nu, which took place on those grounds on an October night in 1868.

C'mon . . . tell your good story about it.

And don't I remember that all or part of "the rock" is now at Sigma Nu's HQ in Lexington?

Here's a picture of the Cannonball House, where both the Adelphean and the Philomathean Societies were founded:

http://www.cannonballhouse.org/Images/100_0345.jpg

These societies became Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu (the Macon Magnolias).

This is the Adelphean Room:

http://www.cannonballhouse.org/Images/ADPi1.jpg

and this is the Philomathean Room:

http://www.cannonballhouse.org/Images/100_2491.jpg

To see a picture of the Alpha Delta Pi fountain at Georgia Wesleyan, go to this page. It's too big to post here, and not the best picture of it.

These are located at Georgia Wesleyan College:

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/p...m/44612190.jpg

How's this?

http://hcap.artstor.org/collect/cic-...lege-large.jpg


And this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SeUyqurJUW...4g/s320/04.jpg

Should we have some way to organize this thread? Otherwise, we might end up having a giant train of random quoting and conversation. Maybe a few posts that contain everything and is edited by one person and then the rest of the thread is someone dropping what they know--kind of like the closings/expansions thread. Just a thought?

Well, if you've got a plan for doing that, go for it. But I don't see how this thread will be any more disorganized or random than the badge trends thread, the arms and symbols thread, the HQ thread, the houses thread or other similar threads.

Personally, I think it's more fun and in keeping with the usually terribly disorganized GC ethos to let people post things about their own orgs and let the thread grow instead of trying to have a few master posts. It'll still turn into a train.

That crossed my mind too, but there's a limit of 10 photos per post, which is a big wrench for this highly visual audience.

MC- cool thread idea, I'm curious to see what else shows up! I've been to Monmouth but not for almost 10 years, back in the day of film instead of digital (yes digital existed, just not like it does today). I'm planning to go next fall, but I'm thinking another Kappa - or Pi Phi! - can step up before that happens.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1672237_n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._7883087_n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3385057_n.jpg

http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/o...astlehouse.jpg

Student rooming house on South College Avenue in Greencastle IN where Kappa Alpha Theta was founded. Two of our four founders resided in this house.


http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/o...calmarker1.jpg

Front of marker...



http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/o...calmarker2.jpg

...and back of marker.

Well, I had an idea with how to keep the information organized, but its off site:
I have created a Google Map, which I have called the "Register of Fraternal Landmarks." Here we can organize our information, for instance, I have located the reconstructed Raleigh Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg and have marked it as a landmark and added historical information and a link to the Phi Beta Kappa Wikipedia entry as a "For more information, see"

here is the link to the map and I have allowed for anyone with the link to edit the map.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...bfcd2d9f726531

A random question (and one that you might not know the answer to)... why is the word "the" missing on the marker - along with other smaller words like "a" and "in", where they should clearly be used?

The clock tower at Longwood was already up in 1997, because KD held its centennial convention in Norfolk that year and offered a bus trip up to Farmville to tour the campus and see sights significant to the sorority. I have a photo of the clock I took back then.

This is a flagpole donated to Union College by Psi Upsilon.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/...df760a9a_z.jpg


and a close up of the writing on it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/...7fbbcbc5_z.jpg

And also at Union, this was apparently donated for our 150th anniversary

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/...c239e16a_z.jpg.

Honestly, I am not sure. My best guess is that with all of the words the description would have been too long for the marker. Therefore, whoever wrote it opted to leave out of all the articles instead of having to condense the history part. But that is 100% pure speculation.

Is anyone familiar with other historical markers in Indiana? Is this omission format common or unique to just Theta's marker?

Sigma Chi Fraternity Monuments and Memorials -- Information and pictures of the Sigma Chi Monuments and Memorials may be found at the link.

"The work of the Monuments and Memorials Commission (originally the Runkle Monument Commission) began in 1921. Since then, the Commission has always adhered faithfully to its mission—to perpetuate our glorious heritage symbolized by Sigma Chi’s beautiful monuments and memorials.

Along with the huge undertaking of erecting monuments to the Seven Founders came our similar challenge of honoring others from our past, including Harry St. John Dixon, Constantine Chapter; John S. McMillin, DePauw 1876; and Joseph Cookman Nate, Illinois Wesleyan 1890; who have all carved an indelible place in our history. The Constantine Memorial signifies survival of our fledgling Fraternity during an unbelievably trying time in American history. Of simple but strong origin is the monument memorializing the all-too-short life of Samuel Clark, Miami (Ohio) 1858, the first Sigma Chi to enter the Chapter Eternal. Finally, we are indeed fortunate to have the Founding Site in Oxford, Ohio, and the Omicron Omicron Museum at Sigma Chi’s J. Dwight Peterson International Headquarters in Evanston, Ill."

http://history.sigmachi.org/images/p...ue-1955Big.jpg
The Founding Site

"Sigma Chi's most important historical monument is the site of the Fraternity's founding, located in Oxford, Ohio.

The small room, marked on the outside by a plaque between its two windows, is on the second floor of a building on the north side of High Street at the town square, and was the rooming place of Founders Runkle and Caldwell during their years of enrollment as undergraduates at Miami University. The badge of Sigma Chi was designed in this room and many of the earliest meetings of the Alpha Chapter were held here.

In 1973, the Founding Site was purchased and donated to the Sigma Chi Foundation by 41st Grand Consul William P. Huffman Denison 1911. It was renovated and rededicated in 1993."

+++

While no picture is shown on the website of the Samuel H. Clark Memorial Monument yet, I would like to share this information about it with y’all.

Samuel H. Clark Memorial Monument

"The Samuel H. Clark Memorial Monument was dedicated in December 1990, in Brookside Cemetery, West Chester, Ohio, and honors a Sigma Chi brother who had little chance on earth to develop a legacy of brotherhood that most of us share. Samuel H. Clark was the brother who unlocked the gates to the Chapter Eternal and became the first brother, at age 21, to pass away.

During the summer of 1856, Clark was stricken with typhoid fever. Our Seven Founders provided their outstretched arms for comfort as their brother slipped away October 1, 1856. The final request Clark made was that the White Cross of Sigma Chi be placed upon the stone that marked his final resting place. With this accomplished, Sigma Chi had witnessed an even deeper meaning and growth to its brotherhood.

The original marker is on display at the Founding Site on High Street in Oxford, Ohio. The new memorial is an exact replica of the original."

Cool idea. Maybe we can keep that going as well. I have a feeling, though, that it won't take long for the US to be covered with laurel wreaths (although I see the latest addition has a simple "push pin" instead of the laurel wreath). And I for one still want to see the pictures. :D

My guess is that your speculation is correct. i don't think it is at all unusual for historical markers to omit articles, which will be naturally understood, so that there is room for the important information. I know it's very common on historical markers around here to do that.


I'm loving seeing all of this information and all of these places and monuments. Keep them coming.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ngtonTriad.jpg

A Sigma Nu was in charge of getting agreement from both other organizations as to the final design of the monument. He contacted Kappa Alpha Order and offered him the side closest to their founding school, Washington & Lee. The KA accepted. He then contacted Alpha Tau Omega and gained their approval for having the part of the monument closest to VMI, where they were founded. That left the top portion.

http://www.etaphialumni.org/uploads/...7/The_Rock.JPG

Yes, the Rock stands outside of our HQ. It is a piece of the original rock, a limestone outcropping at which Sigma Nu experienced its spiritual founding on an October night in 1868.

Thank you! Actually, the fountain's spray (plume? I don't know what it's called) is taller. Must be that pesky global warming!

Good plan!

I'll happily post about SigEp in a month or two once the Founders' Walk is completed in Richmond. It ought to be awesome. :D

I have an urge to bump this thread.

Sinfonia was founded at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1898. At the time, NEC occupied the former St. James Hotel on Franklin Square in Boston’s South End.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7108/oldnec.jpg


A chapter room was provided for the new fraternity in the basement of the building; I have read that the room had been the barbershop of the St. James. Here is the original Alpha Chapter Room.

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/893...hapterroom.jpg[/URL]


In 1903 or so, the Conservatory moved to its current location on Gainsborough Street in Boston. Again, a room was provided for Alpha Chapter. Here’s a picture of that room from the 1948-49 academic year:

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2...hapterroom.jpg


Unfortunately, the Alpha Chapter eventually went inactive after the Conservatory took the room over for administrative uses. Various items from the room are now at Lyrecrest, our Fraternity headquarters. We can no longer visit the sites of either chapter room, but we can at least go to Franklin Square and see the place where we were founded.


Fun aside: GCers around my age or older may remember the (really awesome) television show St. Elsewhere from the 1980s. The old NEC, which still stands on Franklin Square in Boston, served as the exterior of the show’s St. Eligius Hospital. You can see it in the opening theme from the show here. (From Season 3 -- check the cast.)

Coincidentally, the music for the opening was written by Dave Grusin, a 1953 initiate of our Beta Chi Chapter at the University of Colorado.

I drive past the Delta Gamma marker at least once a day in Oxford, MS...

http://www.oxfordheritage.org/images..._marker_02.jpg

Here is SAE's Levere Memorial Temple in Evanston, Illinois.
http://www.sae.net/page.aspx?pid=258

Here is Pi Beta Phi's Holt House.
http://www.pibetaphi.org/pibetaphi/aboutus.aspx?id=100

The P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded in a second-floor room in Old Main at Iowa Wesleyan College.
http://hcap.artstor.org/cgi-bin/library?a=d&d=i297

The Chi Omega Greek Theater, Fayetteville, Arkansas
 

The Chi Omega Greek Theatre is a structure on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was a gift to the university from Chi Omega, completed in 1930. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. It is a replica of the Theatre of Dionysus at the foot of the Acropolis in Greece. Chi Omega was founded at the University of Arkansas in 1895.
http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...ek_theatre.jpg

Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois has an archive of Alphi Xi Delta materials:

http://library.knox.edu/archives/MSS...phaXiDelta.htm

Lombard College is now Lombard Middle School in Galesburg, but I think it's due to be knocked down for new buildings for the middle school.

http://lombard205.org/default.aspx

Tri Delta was founded at Park Street Church in Boston

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/u...-street-church