Welch Military Academy
Encyclopedia
Welch Hall is a historic residence located at 24 E Stewart Rd on Oak Hill in Columbia, Missouri
. The residence is home to the University of Missouri
chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon
.
was chartered in 1894 and operated by John B. Welch. The academy advertised its mission to prepare young men with thorough preparation for Yale, Harvard, West Point or business. The academy originally occupied twenty acres centered on an elevated hilltop near the western edge of the University of Missouri
. It is believed that the Academy played football
in the 20th century. One game that is documented in the Missouri State Historical Society Newspaper
Archives was played between Columbia High School (now Hickman High School
) and the Academy in 1901. The final score documented is 24-0 in favor of Columbia High School. The academy's original building was destroyed by fire around 1907, but a new structure was built on same site, and the academy continued operations until around 1915.
Yearbook), Welch Hall was leased, remolded, and furnished by the Women's Student Government Association (W.S.G.A.) in the 1920-21 Academic year. It was able to be occupied by the holiday season that year. It was designed to be a co-operative house, the girls living there had direct control of the house under the supervision of the W.S.G.A.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
acquired the main building and a significant portion of the surrounding land of Oak Hill in 1929. Fire destroyed the roof and much of the interior of the structure in 1965 while in possession of SAE, but the house was rebuilt almost exactly and was rededicated in September 1966. SAE continued to occupy Welch Hall for the rest of the century. In 2008, SAE was suspended for 4 years and is renting out the building, Acacia Fraternity
took possession of the property on June 1 of that year. Tau Kappa Epsilon rented the property in 2009 through 2012 until Sigma Alpha Epsilon returns.
The site was recognized as a Boone County
Historical Society Notable Historic Property in 2004.
In keeping with the traditions, legends, and history of the building, Sigma Alpha Epsilon began transforming the property into a haunted house as an annual Halloween tradition beginning in 1995.
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
. The residence is home to the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
.
Early history
The original house on Oak Hill was platted in Columbia in 1820, and later served as a hospital during the Civil War era.Military Academy
In the late 19th century, Oak Hill became home to the University Military Academy, sometimes known as Welch Military Academy. The now defunct Military AcademyMilitary academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
was chartered in 1894 and operated by John B. Welch. The academy advertised its mission to prepare young men with thorough preparation for Yale, Harvard, West Point or business. The academy originally occupied twenty acres centered on an elevated hilltop near the western edge of the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. It is believed that the Academy played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
in the 20th century. One game that is documented in the Missouri State Historical Society Newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
Archives was played between Columbia High School (now Hickman High School
Hickman High School
David Henry Hickman High School is a coeducational public secondary school in Columbia, Missouri, United States, serving students in grades 10–12. The school is one of three high schools in the Columbia Public School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes...
) and the Academy in 1901. The final score documented is 24-0 in favor of Columbia High School. The academy's original building was destroyed by fire around 1907, but a new structure was built on same site, and the academy continued operations until around 1915.
Women's Dormitory
According to the 1922 Savitar (University of MissouriUniversity of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
Yearbook), Welch Hall was leased, remolded, and furnished by the Women's Student Government Association (W.S.G.A.) in the 1920-21 Academic year. It was able to be occupied by the holiday season that year. It was designed to be a co-operative house, the girls living there had direct control of the house under the supervision of the W.S.G.A.
Oak Hill Hotel
After its use as a women's dormitory, Welch Hall became the Oak Hill Hotel throughout the late 1920s until it was sold to Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1929.Fraternity
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
acquired the main building and a significant portion of the surrounding land of Oak Hill in 1929. Fire destroyed the roof and much of the interior of the structure in 1965 while in possession of SAE, but the house was rebuilt almost exactly and was rededicated in September 1966. SAE continued to occupy Welch Hall for the rest of the century. In 2008, SAE was suspended for 4 years and is renting out the building, Acacia Fraternity
Acacia Fraternity
Acacia Fraternity is a Greek social fraternity originally based out of Masonic tradition. At its founding in 1904, membership was originally restricted to those who had taken the Masonic obligations, and the organization was built on those ideals and principles. Within one year, four other Masonic...
took possession of the property on June 1 of that year. Tau Kappa Epsilon rented the property in 2009 through 2012 until Sigma Alpha Epsilon returns.
The site was recognized as a Boone County
Boone County, Missouri
Boone County is a county centrally located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the eighth most populous county in Missouri. In 2010, the population was 162,642. Its county seat, Columbia, is the fifth largest city in Missouri and the anchor city of the Columbia Metropolitan Area.-History:Boone...
Historical Society Notable Historic Property in 2004.
Haunting
Prior to the house's use as a military academy beginning in the early 1890s, the original structure once served as a Civil War hospital. Although fire destroyed much of the upper floors in 1907 and 1965, much of the basement remains original to the Civil War hospital, including areas that once housed a crematorium and morgue. According to legend, the bodies of dead soldiers were stored in the basement. One story of the supposed hauntings involves a 1947 SAE pledge class. According to the legend, the pledges "experienced supernatural things" within the house after they were forced to spend the night in the basement. Soon after the experience, they all dropped out of MU and never returned to Columbia.In keeping with the traditions, legends, and history of the building, Sigma Alpha Epsilon began transforming the property into a haunted house as an annual Halloween tradition beginning in 1995.