Fulton in Callaway County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Alpha Delta of Beta Theta Pi
Historic Greek Chapter
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2017
1. Alpha Delta of Beta Theta Pi Historic Greek Chapter Marker
by its General Fraternity on March 5, 1868.
Alpha Delta Chapter of Beta Theta Pi is the oldest chapter of any
collegiate fraternity or sorority in continuous existence
west of the Mississippi River.
Charles Henry Hardin, “Of Ever Honored Memory,” one of the eight founders of Beta Theta Pi in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, lived in Fulton from 1843-1860. In 1858, he sponsored the petition for the charter of the Beta Theta Pi Chapter at Westminster College. Brother Hardin secured the approval of the General Fraternity for a chapter at Westminster in 1860, but the actual installation of the chapter was delayed until 1868 because of the local conditions surrounding the college during the Civil War and its aftermath.
Brother Hardin served as Governor of Missouri from 1875-1877. His gravesite is located in Jewell Cemetery in Columbia, Missouri.
Erected 2015.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. A significant historical date for this entry is March 5, 1868.
Location. 38° 50.895′
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. War Comes to Westminster College (within shouting distance of this marker); President Robert L. D. Davidson (within shouting distance of this marker); William Chrisman Swope Memorial Chapel (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Westminster College Columns (about 400 feet away); Robertson Historic District (about 500 feet away); Westminster Hall Threshold (about 500 feet away); Winston Churchill's “Iron Curtain” Speech (about 600 feet away); The National Winston Churchill Museum (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fulton.
Also see . . . The Founding of Beta Theta Pi. Fraternity website homepage:
At nine o’clock on the evening of the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 1839, eight earnest young men, all students at Miami University, held the first meeting of Beta Theta Pi in the Hall of the Union Literary Society, an upper room in the old college building (known as “Old Main”). The eight founders in the order in which their names appear
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2017
2. Alpha Delta of Beta Theta Pi Historic Greek Chapter Marker (tall view)
John Reily Knox, 1839 * Samuel Taylor Marshall, 1840 * David Linton, 1839 * James George Smith, 1840 * Charles Henry Hardin, 1841 * John Holt Duncan, 1840 * Michael Clarkson Ryan, 1839 * Thomas Boston Gordon, 1840 (Submitted on June 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 11, 2017
3. Alpha Delta of Beta Theta Pi Historic Greek Chapter Marker (wide view)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 275 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
