Oldest fraternity

[ZetaAce]

Yes, Phi Beta Kappa was founded at William and Mary on December 5, 1776.

ZetaAce

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FinerWomanhood: Learn it, Live it, Love it!

[queequek]

Theta Delta Chi was founded October 30, 1847. It is the eleventh oldest campus fraternity in the nation.
Union College, Schenectady, NY, is the birth place of ours. The college is the birth place of A LOT of earlier fraternities ... they have "A fraternity gate" or something. You can check it out.

[TxTechChiO]

Kappa Alpha Order was founded in 1865 at Washington and Lee. Not the oldest but maybe one of the oldest?

[SAEalumnus]

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was founded on March 9, 1856. I know Sigma Chi was founded in 1855, but I'm not sure of the date (June?).

[UNFSigmaChi]

Its June 28th 1855.

[bitchanichs]

I was wondering what are some of the older fraternities in the country? Is there a list of the few oldest? Feel free to list founding year of your fraternity. I come from a local frat Omicron Pi Omicron that was founded in 1903.

[Miami1839]

My fraternity, Beta Theta Pi was founded August 8th, 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Beta Kappa was the first fraternity, now an honor society, to be founded. I forget what the year was but if I remember correctly they were founded in Williamsburg, Virginia. We didnt have Sigma Alpha Epsilon on my campus but I hear they're pretty old. I dont remember the exact year but Sigma Chi was founded about 10 years after ours was and Phi Delta Theta is pretty old too.

Kevin
Beta Theta Pi Alum
Epsilon Mu

[Siobhan]

I think Phi Beta Kappa was founded 1776. But I could be wrong.

[DeltAlum]

Delta Tau Delta, considered by some article I read somewhere to be the "last" of the "original" major fraternities was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Virginia (Now West Virginia)

I don't know what criteria the above mentioned article used to define the dividing line between "original" and later fraternities.

Fraternally,
DeltAlum

[Tom Earp]

While LXA is somewhat new, 1909, I think KS says they go back to Bolonga, It. The Miami Triad was the first major Fraternal organizations of this country that are still active. While I have been known to be wrong, there is someone out there who should know!

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Tom Earp LX Z#1
Pittsburg State U. (Kansas)

[UNFSigmaChi]

Its the Union Triad and Miami Triad that are the oldest. Miami Triad consists of Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta.
Union Triad consists of Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi and Delta Phi...i could be wrong on delta phi but i think im right.

[BrianMUDU]

Being a MU student, I'm familiar with the Miami Triad. Beta was 1839, Phi Delta in 1849, and Sigma Chi in 1855.

Delta Upsilon, the sixth oldest fraternity, was founded in 1834 at Williams College.

Our manual, The Cornerstone, has a chronological listing of general college fraternities. The first listed is Kappa Alpha Society, Nov 26 1825. Then Sigma Phi, Delta Phi, Alpha Delta Phi, Psi Upsilon, Delta Upsilon, Beta Theta Pi, Chi Psi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Alpha Sigma Phi, Delta Psi, Zeta Psi, Theta Delta Chi, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Sigma, Phi Kappa Psi, Chi Phi, Sigma Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Theta Chi, Delta Tau Delta in 1858, and so on...

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Brian Sejas
VP-Public Relations
The Miami Chapter of Delta Upsilon
http://www.mudeltau.org

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by UNFSigmaChi:
Its the Union Triad and Miami Triad that are the oldest. Miami Triad consists of Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta.
Union Triad consists of Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi and Delta Phi...i could be wrong on delta phi but i think im right.

you're right on delta phi - but it's the KA Society, not the Order usually referred to as KA nowadays - also, Kappa Sigma does date historically to 1400, but the american founding was in 1869, placing it with the other "2nd wave" fraternities around this time, later than the others.

[matthewg]

Originally posted by KSig RC:
- also, Kappa Sigma does date historically to 1400, but the american founding was in 1869, placing it with the other "2nd wave" fraternities around this time, later than the others.

I have heard this story with the origin of KS in the 1400 quite a few times now - but hey, just because you carry a possibly similar name doesn't really mean that that is the founding time of the fraternity (which you don't claim). You would need continuous documents to prove the direct line of connection.... should be kind of hard.
All the European fraternities see their roots in fraternity-like structures (called "bursarii") at Bologna, Prague and Paris universities but none claims to be a direct successor of them, which would be pretty bold.

I would just like to add something here for everybody interested in general fraternity history 101
- I recieved a nice e-mail clarifying things quite a bit and to share it with you:
Kappa Sigma is, if I got that right, sort of an American revival of a secret medieval society in Bologna with the same name and more (I wasn't told what, of course).

[This message has been edited by matthewg (edited March 14, 2001).]

[MrJello]

Just to let you know, I am a member of Phi Delta Theta... we were founded in 1848, not 1849 as previously stated.