The building which is now Varsity house has seen nearly 100 years of college students from many organizations.
Timeline
- 1909 - The house was built.
- 1911-1912 - House used by Oregon Agricultural
College's Ahneek Club (Beaver Club). The club became the Alpha Sigma
chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
- 1914-1927 - Gamma Upsilon, a local
fraternity, reside in the house. The Gamma Upsilons joined the national
Sigma Nu fraternity as the Delta Tau chapter after a few years.
- 1928-1936 - The house is home to the Beta Kappa fraternity.
- 1936-1937 - A co-operative by the name of Beaver moved into the house for the school year.
- 1938-1939 - The house became home to an overflow of girls from Waldo and Snell Halls (called Kinland House and Lockwood House).
- 1940-1942 - From 1940 to 1942, the house was called "Lockwood Hall" and functioned as a girl's dorm.
- 1943-1944 - The house stayed Lockwood Hall but became a mens's dorm.
- 1944-1947 - The house may have been a boarding house.
- 1948-1953 - Lockwood Hall returned as a men's dorm once again.
- 1954-1956 - The house, known as Winston House was home to women.
- 1957-1962 - Pi Kappa Alpha (Beta Nu chapter), known as the "pikes" lived in the building.
- 1963 - No recorded history.
- 1964 - Bible Teaching, Incorporated, an interdenominational non-profit group based in Salem, purchased the building. Varsity House was founded.
The original board
of directors oversaw the house's start: Dr. John B. Houser, pastor of
First Baptist Church, Corvallis; Dr. E. R. Campbell, pastor of Salem
Bible Church and president of Bible Teaching, Inc.; Mr. J. A.
Carpenter, accountant, Corvallis; Mr. C. G. Lammers, State Highway
Department, Salem; Mr. D. A. Faber, public school teacher, Salem; and
Mr. Karl Gettmann, Director of Varsity House. Letters were sent to
pastors, youth directors, and other interested people throughout the
state giving information about Varsity House.
In the fall of 1964, sixteen students moved in.
The first year of the
house saw the students write up a constitution, elect student officers,
establishment of quiet hours, etc. Varsity House began leasing the
building from Bible Teaching Inc.
Photos
19131917
1969Credit
Cody Gielish - Former VH resident.
Information originally taken from a 1986 Varsity House Alumni Newsletter.
All photos courtesy Oregon State University Archives.
