History of The Alpha-Sigma Chapter and the House on the Hill
Entrance to the Underground Railroad tunnel
On March 4th, 1895 Rennick W. Dunlap, D. Van Buren Burkett, Charles W. Burkett, Charles W. Sprague, Harley H. Brilsford, and Ernest J. Riggs founded the Alpha-Sigma Chapter of Kappa Sigma. But the house Alpha-Sigma calls home has a much longer history. Originally built in 1856 as a Swiss Chalet by Robert Neil, the son Stagecoach King William Neil, the house named "Indianola" as a corruption of the words "Indian" and "knoll" for its location atop an ancient Indian Burial Mound, was part of a property that consumed much of present day Columbus and what is now The Ohio State University. Robert Neil then named the road in front of his house Indianola after the house and the ravine next to it Iuka after a village in Mississippi where he was wounded three times in battle during the Civil War fighting for the Union. In 1862, Congress passed the Morrill Act which designated land for states to build institutions of higher learning and the Neil family property was chosen as the site for a small agricultural college which eventually became The Ohio State University in part because of the natural spring which is today known as Mirror Lake. Before that time the Neil family resided where Ohio State's main library, Thompson Library, now stands. The home was accessible by the family's private lane, Neil Avenue.
The house fell into the hands of Kappa Sigma after two brothers of the chapter were returning on the trolley one evening in 1908 when they came across their neighbor, Thomas Francis, being attacked by drunks. They warded of his attackers and soon after, a grateful Francis told them of a famous mansion he and a partner had recently bought and that he would lease it to their Fraternity for a modest rent of $120. In 1919, the chapter purchased it for $18,000. In 1937 the house was remodeled to a Virginia Colonial style and six pillars were added to represent the six founding fathers of Alpha-Sigma.
During the remodeling process in 1937, workers noticed a series of hollowed walls and secret passageways throughout the house including an underground tunnel beginning in the basement. They traced it back to the Neil family and ultimately back to the days of the Underground Railroad. The underground tunnel is now filled in with concrete, but it is known to run West and during the Winter months when it snows, a line running right down the middle of the front lawn heading West melts quicker than any other part from the warm air in the hollow ground below. It is said to run to one of the Sorority houses to the West. It is not known exactly which one, but through further investigation of the construction dates of the local Sorority houses, the only two possible houses are those of Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Delta, both constructed in the 1800s after the House on the Hill.
During World War I only three brothers remained at Ohio State while all others entered into the Armed Forces when the United States entered the War. For World War II, the draft had taken all the active brothers except two, which could not pass the physical. The Army also took over the Ohio State dorms for housing during which time the Kappa Sigma house was turned into girls dormitories for 2 ½ years. In all 150 brothers of the Alpha-Sigma Chapter fought in World War II, seven never returned. As the Fraternity grew the interior was remodeled in 1957 and then in 1966 the most current addition was made as a new wing was added on the South side of the house. This massive addition doubled the occupancy of the house.
In all, over two-thousand great men have been initiated into the Alpha-Sigma chapter in its 117 year history. Today the Alpha-Sigma Chapter continues to stand as one of the leaders of the Ohio State Greek Community as well as one of the elite chapters of the Kappa Sigma International Fraternity.
The house fell into the hands of Kappa Sigma after two brothers of the chapter were returning on the trolley one evening in 1908 when they came across their neighbor, Thomas Francis, being attacked by drunks. They warded of his attackers and soon after, a grateful Francis told them of a famous mansion he and a partner had recently bought and that he would lease it to their Fraternity for a modest rent of $120. In 1919, the chapter purchased it for $18,000. In 1937 the house was remodeled to a Virginia Colonial style and six pillars were added to represent the six founding fathers of Alpha-Sigma.
During the remodeling process in 1937, workers noticed a series of hollowed walls and secret passageways throughout the house including an underground tunnel beginning in the basement. They traced it back to the Neil family and ultimately back to the days of the Underground Railroad. The underground tunnel is now filled in with concrete, but it is known to run West and during the Winter months when it snows, a line running right down the middle of the front lawn heading West melts quicker than any other part from the warm air in the hollow ground below. It is said to run to one of the Sorority houses to the West. It is not known exactly which one, but through further investigation of the construction dates of the local Sorority houses, the only two possible houses are those of Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Delta, both constructed in the 1800s after the House on the Hill.
During World War I only three brothers remained at Ohio State while all others entered into the Armed Forces when the United States entered the War. For World War II, the draft had taken all the active brothers except two, which could not pass the physical. The Army also took over the Ohio State dorms for housing during which time the Kappa Sigma house was turned into girls dormitories for 2 ½ years. In all 150 brothers of the Alpha-Sigma Chapter fought in World War II, seven never returned. As the Fraternity grew the interior was remodeled in 1957 and then in 1966 the most current addition was made as a new wing was added on the South side of the house. This massive addition doubled the occupancy of the house.
In all, over two-thousand great men have been initiated into the Alpha-Sigma chapter in its 117 year history. Today the Alpha-Sigma Chapter continues to stand as one of the leaders of the Ohio State Greek Community as well as one of the elite chapters of the Kappa Sigma International Fraternity.
The Original House on the Hill viewed from the North
Viewed from the Northwest
A rendering of the House on the Hill after remodeling and before 1960s expansion
The House on the Hill today
Alpha-Sigma Chapter, 1896
Alpha-Sigma Chapter, 1981
