Mission
The Stewart House Museum, birthplace of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity, in Monmouth, Illinois, is dedicated to educating members and the public about the heritage of Kappa Kappa Gamma and its importance to the women’s movement, and to preserving the 1865 prairie-style home.
History
The Stewart House is the prairie-style Victorian home of Mary “Minnie” Moore Stewart, one of Kappa Kappa Gamma’s six Founders. The home was built in 1865 by The Honorable James H. Stewart and is located on spacious grounds adjacent to the Monmouth College campus in Monmouth, Illinois. The Kappa Kappa Gamma Constitution was written and the Charter was signed in The Stewart House. The home was owned and occupied by the family’s descendants until 1989 when it was purchased with donations from Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae. The dining room, living room, parlor, library and sunroom have been restored to the time of the founding of Kappa Kappa Gamma in 1870.
Visiting Monmouth Today
A trip to Monmouth, Illinois, affords visitors the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the Founders of Kappa Kappa Gamma! The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation operates The Stewart House Museum, open to the public for tours and events. The home of Martha Louisa Stevenson still stands and Kappa Kappa Gamma placed an historical marker on the property in 2009. The marker recognizes the home as the location of many early meetings of Alpha Chapter. Another historical marker was placed at site of the "Kappa Bridge" where early Fraternity History tells the story of two Kappa Founders meeting to discuss their plans for a Greek letter organization.
The brochure Footsteps of the Founders is available at The Stewart House and includes a cemetery map and a map of town indicating the former locations of the homes of other Founders. Today only Minnie Stewart's home and Lou Stevenson's home are still standing.
