Yale University EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale Publications on Yale History Yale History 1-1961 Yale's Extracurricular & Social Organizations, 1780-1960 Loomis Havemeyer Follow this and additional works at: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/yale_history_pubs r 1 YALE'S EXTRACURRICULAR & SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS Loomis Havemeyer January 1961 Foreword Since the eighteenth century there has grown up at Yale a vast number of societies, fraternities and clubs; students have always been great njoinersu. Some of these have lasted a long time and are impor- tant while others existed only a brief period and died, leaving, perhaps, only a name with no date available. In going through the old copies of the Banner the names of many of these latter appear only to be omitted in later issues and so we assume that they passed from the scene. A group might get together for some purpose, select a name, be recorded in the Banner, and then in a short time cease to exist. These we have not included for while they may have been important to the founders, they made no impression on the Yale scene. We have not in- cluded athletics or the preparatory school and state clubs that as a rule meet infrequently, perhaps for one dinner a year, and usually have an ephemeral existence. After months of research we have compiled a list of the more important extracurricular activities, giving, where possible, the date, when they first appeared and if they dropped out, the year. In some cases there are no adequate records and so we have resorted to ques- tion marks. If only one date appears, it is the time of founding and the organization is still in existence. It is hoped that any graduate who goes over this list and finds important omissions will notify us. Loomis Havemeyer SENIOR SOCIETIES Name Founded Skull and Bones 1832 (Russell Trust Association) Quarters: 1. Back room of Courant Building on Chapel Street. 2. Present hall, 44 High Street, built in 1856. Enlar ed, 1883, 1903; 1918 Garden added J. W. Cross, architect. Scroll and Key (Kingsley Trust Association) Quarters: 1. 4th floor of Leffingwell Building on cor- ner of Church and Court Streets, 1847. 2. Built present building, 490 College Street, 1870. Richard M. Hunt, architect. Berzelius (Colony) 1848 (Berzelius Trust Association) (converted Quarters: 1. Whittlesey's Drug- Store, 744 Chapel to senior Street. society, 2. Yale National Bank, Chapel and State 1933) Streets. 3. 96 Prospect Street. (dormitory main- tained at 88 Wall Street), between old Canal Railroad Bridge and Prospect Place. (Alpha Sigma Phi bought build- ing in 1910.) 4. Built dormitory on Hillhouse Avenue in 1898. Sold it to Yale University in 1933. Noble Hoggson 1888-5 architect. 5. Tomb on Trumbull Street built in 1910. DOM Barber 1893-5 architect. Book and Snake (Cloister--Sigma Delta Chi) 1863 (Stone Trust Corporation) (converted Quarters: 1. Top floor of building on College and to senior Chapel Streets. society, 2. .Top floor of 953 Chapel Street. 1933) 3. 36 Elm Street, 1876. (First society dormitory at Yale.) 4. Built Dormitory at Hillhouse and Grove Streets, 1888. Enlarged in 1917 and given to the University in 1933. 5. Tomb on Grove and High Streets, built in 1901. Louis Metcalfe 1895-S arch- itect. Wolf's Head (The Phelps Association) Quarters: 1. Prospect and Trumbull Streets, built in 1883. 2. 210 York Street, built in 1924-6. Bertram B. Goodhue architect. SENIOR SOCIETIES (Cont.) Founded Elihu 1903 (Elihu Club, Inc.) Quarters: 175 Elm Street, occupied in 1911. Manuscript (Wrexham Trust Association) Quarters: 1, 270 College Street. 2. 344 Elm Street, (1956) OTHER SENIOR SOCIETIES Desmos Gamma Tau Phoenix Ring and Candle Spade and Grave St. Elmo Senior Society Sword and Gate SCHOLASTIC SOCIETIES Name Founded Phi Beta Kappa 1780 Quarters: 1. White Hall 2. Durfee Hall 3, Bingham Hall Sigma Chi Quarters: 1. 56 Hillhouse Avenue 2. 51 Prospect Street Tau Beta Pi HONOR SOCIETIES Name Founded Aurelian (originally Sheff) 1910 Quarters: 1. Houses of honorary members. 2. Old Music School. 3. Townsend House, Grove Street. 4. 405 Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall. Torch (originally Sheff) 1916 Quarters: 1. Rooms on Wall Street 2. 415 Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall. LITERARY SOCIETIES Chi Delta Theta 1821 (associated with the Yale Literary Ma azine and with Manuscript Society in the early 1950~~7 The Pundits 1884 Elizabethan Club Quarters: 459 College Street. .f Jared Eliot Book Collectors and Literary Society 1934 Quarters: Meets in membersf rooms and faculty homes. OTHER UNDERGRADUATE SOCIETIES AND CLUBS Name Founded Chess Club 1856 Sigma Delta Psi (Athletic Society) Outing Club Cannon & Castle (Military Society) Quarters: 51 Prospect Street. W.I. Y. 0. Radio Club 1931 Film Society 1936 Aviation Club A1 ha Phi Omega (Scouting) Oelta Nu Chapter) Fishing Club Mountaineering Club 1947 Yale Key Yale Film Society Franklin Society Photo Club Sports Car Club, Inc. ACTIVE FRATERNITIES Founded Psi Upsilon (Beta Chapter) 1838 Reorganized as the Fence Club (Trumbull Trust Association) in 1934. Quarters: 1. Townsend's Block on College and Chapel Streets in 1930's. 2. Former tomb erected at 120 High Street in 1870, enlarged in 1895-6. 3. 224 York Street, 1931. James Gamble Rogers architect. Delta Kappa Epsilon (Phi Chapter) 1844 (Winthrop Trust Association) Quarters: 1. Former tomb on east side of York street, south of Elm. 2. From 1917-192'5, in home on same site. 3. 232 York Street, built in 1930. James Gamble Rogers, architect. Delta Psi (St. Anthony) 1868 (Anthony Trust Association) Quarters: 1. 61 Grove Street. 2. 43 College Street, in 1881. 3. Present site on College and Wall Streets, in 1894, enlarged in 1895. 4. Built present building on same site in 1913. Half of building turned over to University for offices and classrooms in 1945. Charles C Haight, architect. Phi Gamma Delta (Vernon Hall) 1875 (Fowler Trust Association) (Mrst established in 1875; withdrawn, but renewed in 1888) Quarters: 1. 36 Elm Street. 2. Tomb on Temple Street, west side, north of Railroad bridge; maintained dormitory at 70 Trumbull Street. 3. 370 Temple Street, built in 1906. Satterlee & Boyd, architects. 4. Prospect and Trumbull Streets, (formerly Wolf's Head) in 1944. 5. 217 Park Street in 1950. Building bought and ~vento the Universitv which leases it to-the fraternity. Zeta Psi (Eta Chapter) 1888 (Zeta Psi Association) Quarters: 1. 307 York Street, built in 1890-91. 2. Rebuilt on same site, 1898-99. 3. 212 York Street in 1930. Everett V. Meeks, architect. ACTIVE FRATERNITIES (Cont.) Name Founded Delta Phi (St. Elmo) 1889 (Fthinelander Trust Association) Quarters: 1. Club House on site east of present building, built in 1895. 2, New Building at 111 Grove Street, 1912. Rented upper stories to University, 1945. Kenneth M. Murchison, architect. Beta Theta Pi (Phi Chi Chapter) 1892 (Covington Trust Association) Quarters: 1. Tomb at 264 Crown Street. 2. Tomb at 124 High Street, 1906. 3. 204 York Street, 1930. H. Herbert Wheeler, architect. Acquired by University in 1935. Chi Psi (Kappa Delta chapter) 1924 (Philip Spencer Memorial Trust) Quarters: 1. Tomb on northeast corner of Prospect and Trurnbull Streets. (formerly Wolf's Head) 2. 211 Park Street in 1930, H, Herbert Wheeler, architect. Sold to University in 1960. 3. 1195 Chapel Street. SHE FFlELD SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL SOCIETIES NOW DEFUNCT BUT EXTANT AS SENIOR SOCIETIES -Name Founded Colony 1848 See: Berzelius Senior Society. Cloister (First called Sigma Delta Chi Fraternity) 1863 See: Book and Snake Senior Society. FRATERNITIES AND SOCIETIES NOW DEFUNCT -Name Founded Linonia (debating) 1735-1868.. Quarters: 1. Alumni Hall. 1878-1880 2. University Library. 1904-1906 Brothers in Unity (debating) Quarters: 1. Alumni Hall. 2. University Library. Name Founded Phoenix 1806-1807 Calliopean (Phi Epsilon Mu) (debating) 1819-1853 (The name was reactivated in 1950 as a conservative political society. See under "Other Undergraduate Societies") Quarters: Townsend's Block on Chapel Street oooosite Old Campus, 1819. When ~iumniHall was being built, a room was planned for Calliopean, but the latter dissolved before the hall was completed. A1 ha Delta Phi fiyler Trust Association) Quarters: 1. 15 Hillhouse Avenue, 1895. 2. 215 Park Street, 1930. Sold to University in 1934. James Gamble Rogers, architect. Kappa Sigma Theta (sophomore) 1838-1857 Quarters: Rooms in Townsend's Block, Chapel and College Streets. Kappa Sigma Epsilon (freshman) 1840-1880 Quarters: 1. Brewster Building, southeast corner of State and Chapel Streets. 2. Rooms in Collins Building, Chapel Street below State, 1870. A1 ha Sigma Phi (sophomore, later junior) gelven Club, Delta Beta Xi) Quarters: 1. Whitney Avenue and Trumbull Street, 1907-1924. 2. 96 Prospect Street, 1900-1907. 3. 217 Park Street, James Gamble Rogers, architect. Star and Dart (senior) 1843-1851 Sword and Crown (senior) 1844-1846 Delta Kappa (freshman) 1845-1880 Quarters: 1. Austin Building on Chapel Street near Church Street, 1846. 2. Rooms at 334 Chapel Street near Church Street, 1864. Sigma Delta (freshman) 1849-1860 Quarters: Utilized various Yale College rooms. FRATERNITIES AND SOCIETIES NOW DEFUNCT (Cont.) Name Founded Gamma Nu (freshman) Quarters: 1. Lyon Building, 1863. 2. Insurance Building, c. 1870. L and S (Literature and Science) (Scientific School) 1862-1864 Delta Beta Xi 1864-1875 Quarters: Townsend's Block, Corner Chapel and College Streets. Phi Theta Psi (sophomore) 1864-1875 (Scientific School) Quarters: 1. Cutler Building, corner Church and Chapel Streets, 1864. 2. Lyon Building, 1870. Spade and Grave (senior) Quarters: Lyon Building, 1864. Theta Xi (Sheff) (Franklin Hall) Quarters: 1. Cutler Block, 1865. 2. Lyon Building, 1870. 3. Fountain Street. 1905. 4. 5f ~1~ street, '1908. 5. 119 Collegestreet, built in1911 and sold to University in 1935. Alpha Chi (Sheff freshman) Quarters: Unknown Kappa Psi (sophomore) Quarters: Unknown H$ ~oule'(sophomore) Quarters: Rooms on Chapel Street, Nu Sigma Delta (sophomore) 1875-1876 Quarters: Used student rooms.