Two Hundred Years of History...Ohio University's Bicentennial
 

2003-2004 celebrates the Bicentennial of Ohio University at Athens, Ohio -- the oldest university in the original Northwest Territory.

The Beta Chapter of Delta Tau Delta, the oldest continuously existing chapter of the Fraternity was founded in 1862, and it's members have been instrumental in the leadership and history of the University. Two buildings, the Galbreath Chapel (http://www.ohiou.edu/athens/bldgs/gchapel.html) and the Konneker Alumni Center(http://www.ohiou.edu/athens/bldgs/konneker.html) were donated by, are named after Beta Delt brothers. Ohio Delts have served the university as everything from professors, to administrators to football coach -- a man who was also Chapter Advisor for many years.

As a proud alumni of both the University and the Chapter, I can't wait to attend Homecoming in about a month, as the year kicks off.

Here is an excerpt from the official Bicentennial book:

Ohio University, 1804–2004
The Spirit of a Singular Place

Author: Betty Hollow

Book Review

Collaborative history published in celebration of the university's bicentennial, Betty Hollow’s lively narrative depicts the historical, academic, and cultural events that shaped the school’s growth.


"In 1787, New Englanders Rufus Putnam and Manasseh Cutler were eager for better lives in the Northwest Territory, the country's new frontier. As members of the Ohio Company, they purchased a tract of land north of the Ohio River. The purchase as approved by the Continental Congress included the gift of two townships to support a university.

In 1804 the Ohio University was chartered; in 1808 it opened its door to three students. Over the next two centuries, this public institution in the small town of Athens, Ohio, became known as a place of beauty buoyed by a democratic spirit, unswerving individualism, and dynamic appeal."

To quote Ohio Alumn Matt Lauer on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (last year I believe), when the O.U. Marching 110 passed by, "Can I gloat?"

What a great school!

www.ohio.edu

DeltAlum~ I think the 110 went to Macy's in 2000. I know it was while i was still in high school.

OU is really pretty this year...they repaved a majority of the roads and they have new pretty signs up to commemorate the bicentennial. they even are issuing redesigned student ids to commemorate the anniversary. last night i heard more than one person (at a very small party) saying that they wanted to get the pretty new ids.

:cool: This is really great - you're really lucky to have such a fabulous enriching heritage to look back on at so many of your Alma Mater's!

School spirit is nice to see.
Way to go Ohio U! :) :)

And of course, long may the Beta chapter of DTD continue!

Decadence,

Thanks, it's a pretty special place.

Beta was founded in 1841 at Ohio University - first fraternity at OU.

That's true. Let's not confuse everybody, though. Beta Theta Pi was the first fraternity at O.U. The Beta chapter of Delta Tau Delta has been on campus since 1862 (I think I made a mistake above -- 1858 is when the fraternity was founded. -- I'm gonna check and go back and change it.)

When I was there, the Betas (not the Beta Delts) were a really good house.

I need a college to root for. I don't think Notre Dame has greek life :(

Didn't the Beta house at OU burn down within the last year, or was that a different school?

zz,

It didn't burn down, but was fairly substantially damaged in an early morning fire which was caused by an overheated lamp igniting the curtains in the formal living room as I recall.

There was one minor injury, a freshman woman who hurt her arm jumping from a second story room.

O.U. requires quarterly fire drills from all Greek housing units, and apparantely the Betas handled this one perfectly -- evacuating and accounting for everyone even before the Fire Department arrived.

It's a really impressive house which has housed the Betas since before I attended school here. I imagine that repairs are complete. I think the fire was just before Christmas Break.

Edited to add, again, as I recall the original story, the other fraternity chapters opened their houses to the Betas and sorority chapters fed those displaced.

Here's a link to the original thread:

http://www.greeksource.com/gcforums/...niversity+Fire

On February 18, 1804, the state's general assembly chartered the Ohio University in the clear conviction that "institutions for the liberal education of youth, are essential to the progress of arts and sciences, important to morality, virtue and religion; friendly to the peace, order and prosperity of society, and honorable to the government that encourages and patronizes them."

The idea for a university in the Ohio land had originated years earlier through Dr. Manasseh Cutler's association with General Rufus Putnam and the Ohio Company. Cutler was an educated New Englander who so appreciated "the value and pleasures of learning, [that] he regarded the diffusion of knowledge not merely as a source of individual happiness, but as a chief element of political liberty and a necessary part of the policy of a free state."

DeltAlum comment:

The above led to the following language in the Ordinance of 1787, which is engraved on the "Class Gateway" (http://www.ohiou.edu/athens/bldgs/clsgate.html) on the College Green:

"Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary for good government and the happiness of mankind; schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."

Another interesting fact:

"John Templeton
John Templeton was born a slave in 1805 and freed in 1813. He graduated from Ohio University, with an A.B. in 1828, being the first black man to do so and the fourth African-American to graduate from a U. S. college. He was an educator and co-edited "The Mystery" a black newspaper."

Here is a link to the building -- note in the lower left hand corner of the picture, you can see the colums of the Delt House.

http://www.ohiou.edu/athens/bldgs/memaud.html

(note: I know that a lot of GCers will have no interest in some of this stuff, but for some OU Alums this is an exciting time. I hope you will forgive me for the posts)

Congrats Ohio U! I visited there when I was 13 or 14 and I remember it being a really beautiful campus.

Thanks lionlove.

I see that you are in the Boston area.

One of our son's good young lady friend from high school goes to Harvard, and he was considering it. One of the pictures on their brochure looked exactly like the residence greens at Ohio.

More than the archeticture, though, is the location in the forrested rolling hills of Southeastern Ohio. It is absolutely breathtaking in the Spring and Fall.

It is a beautiful and an historic campus.

I thought that guests weren't allowed in the house, especially upstairs, after a certain hour? Oh wait, thats right, we're fraternities....my bad! haha

Maybe that's why Ohio U is the "Harvard on the Hocking" ;)

Another question, what is the connection between Ohio U and Boston? I remember my mom showed me a plaque in Boston that said something like "Here met the founders of Ohio University". Maybe there is a Harvard/Ohio U connection?

A good point, and an excellent question -- to which, remarkably, I just happen to know the answer.

The Revolutionary War veterans who were to form the "Ohio Company of Associates" and request the charter granted by the Ordinance of 1787 met in the "Bunch of Grapes" Tavern in Boston to write their proposal to the US government for the purchase of the land in the origional Northwest Territory. You can find their names on many campus buildings -- Cutler, Putnam, McGuffey.

I've often wondered if that tavern/room still existed. So thanks for that information. I'd love to try to find it next time I'm in Boston.

The bar/lounge at the Ohio University Inn, a hotel owned by the University is called "The Bunch of Grapes" room. Few people know the reason for that.

Another reason for the "Havard on the Hocking" line is that the president of O.U. when I was there, Dr. Vernon R. Alden, was a (Brown undergrad, I think) Harvard MBA, and tried to copy a lot of the traditions of the Ivy League schools. That wasn't always successful, and not always met with much enthusiasm. To be fair, though, the "Alden Years" (I narrated a documentary with that name when I was a student at the university TV station which is still in the University Archives!) were years of tremendous growth, both in student population and physical growth. Some would argue that the growth was too fast at that time.

He is still very active in university affairs, and the main library on the Athens Campus bears his name.

Aren't you sorry you asked?

I don't know if the Bunch of Grapes tavern still exists. I seem to remember the plaque being on the side of an office building. I'll have to ask my mom because it has been a number of years since she showed me the plaque.

Yeah, I'd be amazed if the tavern still exists, but it would be nice just to see the place or proximity.

In some ways, I guess, it would be like seeing George Washington's original axe that allegedly chopped down the cherry tree, even though it's had two new heads and eight new handles.

It's the spirit of the place that counts.

Out of curiousity, I did a Google Search on Bunch of Grapes Tavern, and to my surprize, found quite a few articles.

Apparantely, the very first Masonic Lodge in the United States was also organized at the Bunch of Grapes.

Here's an excerpt of one of the webpages:

"Answering to an advertisement that appeared in the newspapers of the state of Massachusetts on January 25, 1786, Manasseh Cutler met with ten highly decorated military men at an esteem Boston establishment known as the Bunch of Grapes Tavern on March 1, 1786. During a three day conference at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern, the eleven men established the Ohio Company of Associates, or the Ohio Company. From this esteemed tavern the history of Southeastern Ohio was forever changed."

Including, of course, the chartering of Ohio University.

to answer a question asked earlier, yes the Beta Theta Pi house has been repaired. I haven't seen the inside yet but the outside is back to being beautiful.

in other news....OU has a big ten game today at home!!!! first one ever! i'm really excited....even though i know we're going to lose.

Just read in the Post (Student newspaper) Online that a new Bi-Centennial Park on campus will feature a sculpture by Athens native Maya Lin, the designer of the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington, DC.

If memory serves me correctly, either one or both of Ms. Lin's parents were on the OU faculty.

edit:

NAME: Maya Ying Lin

BORN: October 5, 1959

COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS: born...Athens, Ohio (Athens County)

PARENTS: Henry Huan Lin (ceramist, dean of fine arts - Ohio University) and Julia Chang Lin (professor of literature)

Pretty cool...

My copy of the official bi-centennial book on the history of Ohio University arrived today, and I'm quoted in it!

Being part of the work feels really good.

Bumping up this old thread.

If any Ohio U people are in Boston, go to State Street (near Fanuel Hall and Park Street) and find the Citizens Bank building (also called the Exchange building) and you'll find a plaques that talk about the Bunch of Grapes tavern and Ohio University.

The address is either 35 or 53 State Street in Boston.

Lionlove,

Thanks so much for thinking about this. Don't know when I'll be in Boston again, but will try to make it a point to look this up.

I really apprciate the post.

You're welcome.