History
Our international fraternity was founded by twelve brave and innovative
leaders on April 28, 1867, in Monmouth, Illinois. Iowa Beta was the
third chapter established by Pi Beta Phi on October 13,1874, at Simpson
College in Indianola, Iowa.
For information on Pi Beta Phi click on the following link which will connect you to our international fraternity website: pibetaphi.org. Our international fraternity currently has 134 chapters with four in Canada.
On October 13, 1874, the tenth chartered
chapter of IC Sorosis, the Lambda Chapter, was chartered and installed
at Simpson Centenary College. The journey of the Lambda Chapter, which
is today the Iowa Beta Chapter, began in the fall of 1874 when Ida
Cheshire Barker was a sophomore at Simpson College. In a letter Mrs.
Barker wrote to the chapter in 1940, Mrs. Barker recalled the beginnings
of Iowa Beta.
"I was fifteen when I received the letter from Anna Porter of Monmouth
asking me to get together other young ladies and organize a chapter of
the fraternity. It was S. L. Lindsay who had gone from Indianola to
Monmouth, who gave my name to Anna Porter." - Ida Cheshire Barker
The following is an excerpt of the letter Ida Cheshire Barker received
from Anna Porter:
"Miss Ida Cheshire,
You will no doubt be surprised at receiving a letter from a person you
never heard of before, but I trust we will be very well acquainted
before long. . . . Your name has been handed to me with several
other ladies, as among the first class of Indianola, and as we are
desirous of starting a chapter of the fraternity in your college, to me
was given the privilege of writing.. . [The fraternity] is an old
fraternity and we always try and have the No.1 ladies of the college.
... We only take in the girls we can love, not only as friends, but as
sisters..." - Anna Porter
Ida Cheshire Barker talked to "her best friend," who later became her
sister-in-law, Kate Barker McCune and the two along with eight other
girls -- Nell Todhunter (Richey), Estella Walters (Ball), Emma Patton
(Noble), Louise Noble (Curtis), Bessie Guyer (Linn), Marie Morrison
(Samson), Fannie Andrew (Noble) and Elizabeth Cooke (Martin) -- met and
organized in the Cheshire house the first woman's national fraternity on
Simpson's campus. The Minute Book of Iowa Beta, containing the minutes
of the first meeting of the chapter, is the earliest minute book known
to be in existence in the fraternity. The members borrowed $20.00 from
the bank to buy their pins, large golden arrows, for $3.00 each and a
bolt of cloth to make long gingham aprons which they wore to chapel,
attending as a group, wearing their arrows for the first time.
The history of Pi Beta Phi parallels the progress of women during its
existence, particularly in the field of education. There were few women
in colleges in 1874. Higher education for women was just beginning to
be established. Iowa Beta's first association with the Woman Suffrage
Movement came when Carrie Chapman Catt, a Pi Phi from Iowa Gamma, came
to Indianola to speak at a lecture promoted by Iowa Beta.
In 1927 the Schee home was bought for a Pi Phi house through the efforts
of Sarah Eikenberry Sigler. The house has undergone many transformations
in the last eight decades. The House has been home to hundreds of young
collegians and will be your home for the duration of your college career and beyond. For over 125 years the Iowa Beta Chapter of Pi Beta
Phi has been "Cultivating Sincere Friendships". Welcome to Iowa Beta.
Pi Beta Phi is rich in tradition, but with an eye to the future, we are
always changing. Two of Pi Phi's newest programs are:
The Values Program
sharpens leadership skills for our
members while fostering:
Good Citizenship
Civility and Etiquette
Service and Philanthropy
Intellectual Development
Cultural and Horizons
Wellness and Safety
Mentoring
The Transition Program
prepares for the transition from being a senior in college to graduation
and beyond.