The Founding

     At nine o'clock in 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 regular 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."

     Beta Theta Pi became the sixth fraternity in order of founding and the first to originate west of the Allegheny Mountains. There is more significance to this fact than may appear. Beta Theta Pi, originating on the frontier, was in every sense a pioneer fraternity, with the enthusiasm, courage, hope, foresight and determination so characteristic of this untouched region. As the history of the Greek movement developed, Beta Theta Pi was the first fraternity to adopt a truly national point of view with a determination to be adequately represented in all sections of the U.S. and ultimately, now, throughout Canada as well.

     Among the top 20% of college fraternities in size, Beta Theta Pi was also the first fraternity to locate a chapter west of the Mississippi River. Today, Beta has some 140 chapters and colonies in Canada and the United States. In 34 instances, Beta Theta Pi has entered an institution with the first chapter of any fraternity. While Beta Theta Pi currently has some-140 chapters and colonies, it is projected that the number will increase to 175 by 2010.

     While brotherhood serves as the cornerstone of Beta Theta Pi, this lasting bond of friendship is cultivated by being a part of a group of individuals who share the same goals and values, constantly supporting each other in the pursuit of social, moral and cultural excellence. Founder John Reily Knox described it as, "What a few men who are united in common purpose and effort are determined to do, can be done. More than that, such associations teach us just how far human friendships can carry us."

Paraphrased from the Complete History of Beta Theta Pi.