History & Traditions

Founded: 1891, the first of the four class societies.

Inspiration: German and English history, with rituals patterned on Teutonic sagas and pageantry drawn from the Nibelungenlied.

Colors: Navy Blue and Gold.

Officer Titles: King, Queen, Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Duke, Duchess, Count, Countess, Prime Minister, Canon of Westminster, Court Fool, Class Historian.

Traditions:

• The Class of 1895 inaugurated Baker’s first annual, Orange Blossoms. Within it was Ida Ahlborn Weeks’ German poem Ein Lied für das Haus Hanover, cementing the House’s cultural tone.

• Class Day performances drew on German theatre, including plays staged at the president’s home.

• Members were known for their oratory skill and athletic prowess, positioning Hanover as both intellectual and physical leaders.

Gifts to the University: Reading lamps for the library, stained-glass windows in the church, and later, the athletic field’s west parking lot.

Class Gate: East side of campus. For many years Hanover had no physical gate — a symbolic absence compared to the other Houses. In 2014, students proposed and advocated for a Hanover gate to complete the four-gate tradition, underscoring the importance of architectural continuity for alumni identity.

Symbols & Yell: Ho für den König, Ho für den Hof, Hanover ein und neunzig.

Continuity of Classes: 1899, 1903, 1907 … continuing every four years through 2031.

Modern Context: Hanover represents the origin of Baker’s gate tradition, embodying the rebirth of campus memory when Traditions Walk was revived in the 2000s. Its missing gate became a rallying point for students and alumni to restore completeness to Baker’s landscape.

Founded: 1892, the second House.

Inspiration: The early American republic, drawing from the U.S. Constitution and Cabinet.

Colors: Red, White, and Blue.

Officer Titles: President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, Attorney General, and other civic positions.

Traditions:

• Their first annual, The Baker Hatchet (1893), featured class members in Washington-era costumes.

• Pageants drew on Revolutionary and frontier imagery, blending patriotism with campus culture.

• Their motto “Deeds, not dreams” emphasized pragmatism and service.

Gifts to the University: Case Library drinking fountains, the library clock, choir robes, the chapel pulpit desk, and the West Gate.

Class Gate: West side of campus. Its presence became a symbolic “entry from the frontier,” tying the House’s American theme to Baldwin City’s prairie setting. The West Gate today serves as a powerful anchor of the revived Traditions Walk.

Distinctions: Commonwealth students were recognized leaders in debate and athletics, embodying the House’s emphasis on civic life.

Continuity of Classes: 1896, 1900, 1904 … continuing every four years through 2028.

Modern Context: Columbian Commonwealth is often remembered as the most visibly patriotic House. Its West Gate is a physical marker for alumni gatherings and a key point in the ceremonial walk through campus.

Founded: 1893.

Inspiration: The Roman Senate, evoking authority, order, and classical republican ideals.

Colors: Purple and White.

Officer Titles: Consul Primus, Consul Secundus, Censor Primus, Censor Secundus, Quaestor, Praetor, Tribune, Augur, Pontifex Maximus, Aedile.

Traditions:

• First public act was a Roman banquet, announcing their founding.

• Commencement pageants drew on Roman history and mythology, connecting Baker students to the grandeur of antiquity.

• Early classes adopted a yell: Io! Ho! Nihil Umquam Vincet Classem Nonaginta Septem!

Gifts to the University: Gates at the southwest and north entrances, framed art for the library, stone borders for Lake Parmenter, and $465 toward the athletic field’s memorial fence.

Class Gate: Southwest corner of campus. Of all the gates, Senatus Romanus’ is the most classically symbolic, positioned as a dignified sentinel for the campus. It is frequently tied to graduation traditions, as students walk outward through it at Commencement.

Motto: Volens et Potens (“Willing and Able”).

Continuity of Classes: 1897, 1901, 1905 … continuing every four years through 2029.

Modern Context: Senatus Romanus has the strongest ties to symbolic permanence — their gates still stand as markers of endurance, visibly connecting Baker to both its own history and the universal tradition of civic duty and governance.

Founded: 1894.

Inspiration: The romance of Arthurian legend and Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, blended with classical Greek ideals.

Colors: White and Gold.

Officer Titles: King Arthur, Queen, Merlin the Wizard, Dagonet, Excalibur, and other roles tied to legend.

Traditions:

• Their annual, Excalibur, celebrated the imagery of the Round Table.

• Pageants dramatized Arthurian myth, infusing Baker’s commencement ceremonies with poetry and legend.

• Their class song, to the tune of “Canadian Maple Leaf,” begins Heigh ho! Ye Knights of old, King Arthur’s Court forever.

Gifts to the University: The large clock in the gymnasium tower, a bell tower near Old Science Hall, a cement tennis court, and a major gift to the 1930 Million Dollar Endowment Campaign.

Class Gate: Northeast corner of campus. Known for its romantic setting, this gate became an iconic gathering point. Walking through it at graduation symbolizes a knightly passage, aligning with Arthurian quests.

Distinctions: The Court’s legacy is one of imagination and artistry, with enduring gifts that blended functionality (tennis court, clock) and symbolic grandeur.

Continuity of Classes: 1898, 1902, 1906 … continuing every four years through 2026.

Modern Context: King Arthur’s Court embodies the mythic imagination of Baker — its gate and gifts emphasize timelessness, echoing both medieval ideals and the university’s own enduring character.