Later this year, Alpha Delta Pi will move our historic artifacts from the Adelphean Room located at the Cannonball House in Macon, Georgia, to our Memorial Headquarters in Atlanta to become part of The History Center, a new museum space scheduled to open before our 175th Anniversary celebration. Phi Mu Fraternity will move their artifacts from the Philomathean Room to their Executive Office in Peachtree City, Georgia, at the same time.
Our Cannonball House story began in 1941 when distinguished scientist and Wesleyan trustee Dr. Sara Branham, Alpha—Wesleyan, proposed a restoration of the original Adelphean Hall where our earliest members gathered until 1913 when sororities were banned from campus. The restored room was dedicated in 1942 and updated over the next 20 years with additional items, including portraits of our founders. In 1962, the college moved all operations to new buildings and abandoned the originals, leaving Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu with no place to store their artifacts.
The Sidney Lanier Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy purchased the Cannonball House in 1962 to save it from destruction and serve as a museum and local headquarters. The building contained two parlors in need of content, and Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu recreated the Adelphean and Philomathean Rooms on the site. The timing worked out perfectly, as the Old Wesleyan buildings where the rooms were located were destroyed by fire in 1963.
Throughout the next six decades, the Cannonball House served as a stop on the “Macon Pilgrimage” taken by many Alpha Delta Pi sisters. Visitors enjoyed seeing our historic artifacts including Ella Pierce Turner’s writing desk, the original lighted transom, portraits of our founders, Adelphean-era furniture, Adelphean and Alpha Delta Pi jewelry, a diamond-shaped cake platter, and more.
“We look forward to welcoming these special pieces of our history to Memorial Headquarters,” said Alpha Delta Pi’s Executive Director Amanda Sloan, Alpha Beta—Iowa. “Alpha Delta Pi will always be grateful to the staff and volunteers of the Cannonball House—many of whom are ADPi alumnae—as well as the Friends of the Cannonball House for their dedication to sharing our history. We appreciate the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation for their many years of support for our Macon-area historic sites and displays and look forward to partnering on the next steps in our historic preservation efforts.”
Learn more about the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation’s Forever First campaign to preserve our collective history.
Published: February 10, 2023 
