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Home • Athens • OHIO • Colleges • Ohio University
In 1803, Ohio became a state and on February 18, 1804, the Ohio General Assembly passed an act establishing "The Ohio University." The opened in 1808 with one building, three students, and its one professor, Jacob Lindley.
Location history

A full narrative history section

At the end of the war both Cutler and Putnam found they had "an abundance of liberty but no property, and their occupation gone." Hoping to emigrate to the vast Northwest Territory that the defeated British would have to forfeit, Putnam petitioned the Continental Congress to honor its promise to pay soldiers for their military service with grants of land. Three years later, Congress still had not drafted a satisfactory plan for distributing land and governing the Northwest Territory. Putnam decided on a new tactic. He would try to buy land in the Ohio territory, specifically in the Muskingum valley, which he had been told was fertile. Consequently, he placed an "Information" in Massachusetts newspapers, inviting veterans of the Revolution who had been promised land in "the delightful region" of the Ohio Country to send delegates to a meeting at Boston's Bunch of Grapes Tavern, where they would form an association to purchase lands from Congress.

Though seventeen years passed before the founding of the university, Manasseh Cutler and Rufus Putnam did not waver in their determination to see it become a reality. By the spring of 1788, Putnam had gathered fifty laborers, surveyors, and boat builders and proceeded to the mouth of the Muskingum River, near Fort Harmar, where he founded Marietta, the first settlement in Ohio. The following year, the Ohio Company's directors urged Putnam and Cutler to seek "the establishment of Instructors in the university," to "procure a charter for that Seminary," and to "Fix the townships which the Directors are obliged to Set apart for the support of a University." However, it was not until 1795, after General Anthony Wayne's devastating campaign against Ohio's Native Americans the Shawnee, the Miami, and the Delaware that Putnam could complete a survey and select the two centrally located townships for the university's land. When he persuaded about twenty "substantial men" to pole their way up the Hocking River in 1797, the slow settlement of the area began.

Source: LINK
Source: LINK
In 1786, 11 men gathered at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston to propose development of the area north of the Ohio River and west of the Allegheny Mountains known then as the Ohio Country. Led by Manasseh Cutler and Rufus Putnam, the Ohio Company petitioned Congress to take action on the proposed settlement. The eventual outcome was the enactment of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which provided for settlement and government of the territory and stated that.”…schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”

In 1803, Ohio became a state and on February 18, 1804, the Ohio General Assembly passed an act establishing “The Ohio University.” The University opened in 1808 with one building, three students, and its one professor, Jacob Lindley. One of the first two graduates of the University, Thomas Ewing, later became a United States senator and distinguished himself as cabinet member or advisor to four presidents.

Twenty-four years after its founding, in 1828, Ohio University conferred an A.B. degree on John Newton Templeton, its first black graduate and only the third black man to graduate from a college in the United States. In 1873, Margaret Boyd received her B.A. degree and became the first woman to graduate from the University. Soon after, the institution graduated it first international alumnus, Saki Taro Murayama of Japan, in 1895.
The College Green
The College Green is the center of Ohio University’s Athens campus. With its brick walkways and shade trees, it has provided a quiet respite to Ohio University students for over 190 years. The three oldest buildings on campus are located on the College Green. Cutler, McGuffey, and Wilson halls date from the 19th century and are fine examples of Georgian architecture. Cutler, which currently houses the administrative offices of the president and others, was built in 1816 and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Also on the College Green is Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Auditorium. The west portico of the auditorium faces the center of the Green and is the site of a series of plaques honoring famous individuals who have spoken on campus, including Teddy Roosevelt, Warren Harding, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and John Kennedy.

The Campus Gate is located at the northwest corner of the Green. At the corner of Court and Union Streets, it is where Ohio University and the City of Athens meet. The gate greets all who enter with an inscription that reads:

SO ENTER THAT DAILY THOU MAYEST GROW
IN KNOWLEDGE WISDOM AND LOVE

For those departing, another inscription reads:

SO DEPART THAT DAILY THOU MAYEST BETTER SERVE
THY FELLOWMEN THY COUNTRY AND THY GOD

Facing Cutler Hall, on the north side of the Green, is a second gate, the Class Gateway, also inscribed with a passage from the Ordinance of 1787 that reads: “Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” The gate was an alumni gift and commemorates the graduation of 1815, the first in the Old Northwest Territory.

Located between the two College Green gates is the Athens County Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It was erected in 1893 to honor the 2,610 citizens of Athens County who served during the Civil War. The brick and stone plaza was added to the monument in recent years.
The Colors
The green and white colors of Ohio University date back to 1896. Before that time, the University’s unofficial colors were blue and white. However, it soon became apparent that these colors would be unacceptable for the new football team to wear. Ohio’s newly hired football coach, Samuel McMillen, suggested that Ohio adopt as its colors olive green and white, which were worn at McMillen’s alma mater, Dartmouth College. The proposal was put before the student body for a vote, and green and white became the colors of the school’s uniforms in the fall of 1896. Down through the years, the olive green has evolved into a lighter “Hunter” green color. As a side note, McMillen never coached a game for Ohio University, as personal problems kept him from arriving in Athens in the fall of 1896.
The Ceremonial Mace
For centuries the mace has been used as a symbol of authority. Early maces were actually weapons of war similar to a club, and were often used by ecclesiastics who were forbidden to use other kinds of weapons. In the early days of Cambridge and Oxford, religious and/or educational officials use maces to shepherd unruly students. Today, the use of the mace is a representation of authority for royalty, legislatures, and universities around the world.

The late David R. Klahn, professor of art, designed the Ohio University Ceremonial Mace. It is modeled after one of the balustrades of an original stairway of Cutler Hall, the University’s main administration building. Cast in bronze, the mace is 46" long and weighs 16 pounds, and features the University seal and a stylized representation of the Cutler Hall cupola.

The mace is carried and displayed at official University ceremonies including Commencement.
The University Seal
The Ohio University seal was adopted from the seal of the State of Ohio. The circle of the Ohio seal represents a shield. A sheaf of wheat represents Ohio’s agricultural heritage, and a bundle of seventeen arrows represents Ohio as the seventeenth state to join the Union. Behind these are mountains, symbolizing strength and grandeur, and the rising sun, symbolizing eternal life and the dawn of a new day.

There are three inscriptions on the Ohio University seal which are translated as follows:

• Sigillum Universitatis Ohiensis: The Seal of Ohio University
• Prae Omnibus Virtus: Virtue Before All Things
• Religio Doctrina Civilitas: Religion, Learning, Civility
The University Ring
The University ring is features the Seal of the University in oval form. Students who have earned junior status are eligible to purchase and wear the ring. Prior to graduation, the ring is worn with the rising sun pointing away from the wearer, representing a guiding light on the path to graduation. After graduation, the ring is worn with the rising sun pointing toward the wearer, warming the heart and illuminating the accomplishment of graduating from Ohio University. More here.
The Fight Song
Ohio University’s fight song, entitled “Stand Up and Cheer,” has been sung as an “athletic song” since the early 1900s. The song’s words and theme were adapted from a previous melody, the author of which is unknown.

STAND UP AND CHEER

Stand up and cheer
Cheer loud and long for old Ohio
For today we raise
The Green and White above the rest

Our team is fighting,
And we are bound to win the fray
We’ve got the team,
We’ve got the steam,
For this is old Ohio’s day!

Rah! Rah! Rah!
The Alma Mater
Ohio University’s alma mater, entitled, “Alma Mater, Ohio,” was also created by a special contest. In 1915, Kenneth S. Clark, a graduate of Princeton University, entered the contest to create an “alma mater song” for Ohio University and won the $150 first prize. Entries for this contest were received from all parts of the United States.

ALMA MATER, OHIO

When e’er we take our book of mem’ries
And scan its pages through and through
We’ll find no days that glow so brightly
As those we spent at old O.U.
Within our Alma Mater’s portals
We meet her children hand to hand
And when there comes the day of parting,
Still firm and loyal we will stand

Our Alma Mater calls us ever,
And love of country has its claim,
The one but makes us prize the other,
And thus we cherish both the same.
When Alma Mater sends us forward,
And in her name we stand in line,
Then we will serve the nation better,
For having gathered at her shrine.

Chorus
Alma Mater, Ohio,
Alma Mater, brave and fair!
Alma Mater, we hail thee,
For we own thy kindly care.

Alma Mater, Ohio,
When we read thy story o’er,
We revere thee and cheer thee
As we sing thy praise once more.
The Mascot
Until 1925, or 29 years after the school colors changed from blue and white, the Ohio University athletic teams were called the "Green and White." At that time, however, the school's athletic board decided the teams needed a nickname and a campus-wide contest was initiated. Many animal nicknames were proposed but after great debate, the Bobcat won for its reputation as a sly, wily, scrappy animal.

Former student Hal H. Rowland of Athens earned the $10 first prize for proposing the winning entry. The new nickname was passed by the board on Dec. 7, 1925, and was officially adopted by President E.B. Bryan.

The Bobcat mascot first appeared at Ohio's Homecoming game against Miami on Oct. 22, 1960. Smartly clad in a bright green sweater and a baseball cap on top of its paper mache head, the Bobcat was a gift to all of Ohio University from the men of Lincoln Hall.

That day, the Ohio football squad smashed archrival Miami 21-0 and went on to arguably the university's greatest football season ever. The Bobcats finished 10-0 that year and were voted the NCAA National College Division Champion.

Dan Nichols, class of '63, was the first Bobcat mascot and set a precedent for several decades that the person donning the costume must live in Lincoln Hall. The Campus Affairs Committee decided that the Bobcat mascot would be a permanent member of the cheerleading squad and would cheer at all football and basketball games.

The Bobcat mascot has changed its appearance many times since 1960 but remains a beloved representative of Ohio Athletics. Nowadays, the Bobcat can be seen at numerous varsity athletic events and visits countless special events in the community.
The Marching 110
One of the finest marching bands in the country, the Marching 110 represents Ohio University at athletic events, parades and festivals around the nation.

In 1923, an Ohio University student by the name of Homer Baird decided that Ohio needed a marching band. He organized the first meeting about such a group at Ewing Hall where over 40 musicians were in attendance. At this meeting, Baird was elected president and made arrangements with a local instrumental teacher named Raymond Connett to direct the band for free.

Gene Thrailkill took control of the marching band in 1966 and made drastic changes including the adoption of the athletic marching style, playing the popular music of the day and originating the "Diamond Ohio" formation to give the band its own trademark.

The name "Marching 110" originally referred to the number of band members in 1967 but the band has since expanded. The 110 now stands for the 110% effort expected of all members at all times.

In 1968, sophomore drum major David Fowler began the tradition of dancing to the new and popular rock tunes of the time. The first dance piece used by the entire band was called "Ain't Been Good" and the 110 still performs the song.

The band's history also includes being the first marching band ever to perform in New York's Carnegie Hall (October 28, 1976) and playing at the Presidential Inaugural Parade and Ball in 1993.

Under the current direction of Richard Suk, the 110 opened for First Lady Hillary Clinton's speech at Baker Center in October 1996. "The Most Exciting Band in the Land!" marched in the 2000 and the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades and has performed in numerous college and professional football stadiums. More info here.
Bobcat Athletics Traditions
As Ohio’s first and finest institution of higher learning, Ohio University’s athletic tradition is rich and storied. Ohio University currently fields 20 teams, the most recent additions being women’s lacrosse (1999), women’s soccer (1997) and women’s golf (1996). Ohio University was a charter member of the Mid-American Conference, which began in 1946. Other first-year members included Butler, Cincinnati, Wayne State and Western Reserve. Ohio’s primary rival, the Miami RedHawks, joined the following year. The MAC is the sixth oldest NCAA Division I conference.
Source: LINK
Ghost stories and folklore

Paranormal narrative section

Ohio University is known in state folklore as the most haunted college campus in the entire United States, if not the world. Established in 1804, the university is quite old by Ohio's standards, which only adds to its ghostly reputation. A large number of places on campus are said to be haunted, and numerous other popular tales are told about the university across Athens county.

The British Society for Psychical Research claims that Athens, Ohio, is one of the most haunted places in the world.  Fox at one point also taped an episode of its Scariest Places On Earth program at OU

Source: LINK

Many of the ghost stories associated with Athens and the University center around the former Athens Lunatic Asylum and the horrors that supposedly went on there. Two notable examples of alleged local hauntings are a statue of an angel in the cemetery on West State St which is said to be crying, and the spirit of a civil war veteran called Michael Ward, who chants names of the university's students.

Source: LINK
Paranormal claims
The statue of an angel in the cemetery on West State St which is said to be crying on occasions.
The spirit of a civil war veteran called Michael Ward, who chants names of the university's students.
There were reports at the Delta Tau Delta house of poltergeist after a tombstone was taken from Simms Cemetary. Once the stone was returned, the activity stopped.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon house located at 24 E. Washington used to be a stop for the Underground Railroad. It is reported that a former slave named Nicodemus, who was killed in the building, haunts this location.
At the Contemporary History Institute, which was formerly the Brown House, there is sometimes seen an apparition of Millie Brown looking out her window and the sounds of children splashing in her swimming pool which no longer exists.
In Jefferson Hall there was an apparition of a school teacher dressed in 1950s clothing spotted in the attic.
In Jefferson Hall lights turn on and off by themselves.
In Jefferson Hall toilets flush by themselves.
In Jefferson Hall toilet paper in bathroom stalls unroll by themselves.
In Jefferson Hall sounds of hundreds of marbles being dropped on the floor are heard.
In Washington Hall an entire basketball team haunts the whole building including the arch that connects Washington and Read Hall. It is said that a girls basketball team, which was killed in a bus accident, returns to one of their favorite locations.
In Bush Hall there is a poltergeist that pulls pranks such as turning on and off water faucets and playing with lights.
In Bush Hall there are the sounds of falling marbles and dripping liquid.
In Perkins Hall voices have been heard in the RA’s room.
In Perkins Hall lights have turned on and off by themselves.
In Perkins Hall a TV has turned on by itself.
In Perkins Hall a refrigerator door opens by itself.
In Perkins Hall, students have reported cold chills and the feelings of uneasiness.
In Voigt Hall students have reported seeing the apparition of a woman dressed in black standing in their room. Also, items on their desk were strewn all over the floor. One of the student’s even reported hearing the woman tying on her laptop computer… which was off.
In Crawford Hall an apparition of a student named Laura who fell to her death from her fourth floor window is seen late at night.
In Crawford Hall lights will flicker and doors will either slam or open.
In Crawford Hall CD and tape players will not play the Bob Marley song “Laura.”
In Wilson Hall there are several reports about shadowy ghostly figures in the hallways.
In the dorms of the “Convo”, a ghost of a student who died in her sleep embraced another student who slept in her same bed.
Another room in the “Convo” has a haunted closet, whose door opens and closes on its own and from which books and clothes fly.
On the West Green you can hear a river that once ran near and the chants of native Americans.
On the West Green, there are reports of a headless buffalo roaming the grounds.