oldest fraternity chapters

[oldu]

Anyone interesting in knowing the ten oldest fraternity chapters?

11/26/1825, Kappa Alpha Society at Union College
3/4/1827, Sigma Phi at Union College
11/17/1825, Delta Phi at Union College
?/?/1829, Iota Kappa Alpha at Trinity College which became a Delta Phi chapter in 1817
7/?/1831, Sigma Phi at Hamilton College
1/?/1832, Alpha Delta Phi at Hamilton College
?/?/1833, Kappa Alpha Society at Williams College
Fall 1833, Phi Alpha at Williams College which became a Sigma Phi chapter in spring 1834
11/24/33, Psi Upsilon at Union College
11/4/1834, Delta Upsilon at Williams College

[DeltAlum]

Are these the oldest continuously operating chapters?

I ask because of two thoughts.

First, it is widely agreed that the first "fraternity" in the US was Phi Beta Kappa, founded at William and Mary in 1776. Of course it has since become a highly prestigous honorary.

The oldest chapter in Delta Tau Delta is Beta Chapter at Ohio University, continuously operating in Athens since 1862, the fifty-eighth year of the University. That's my Alma Mater and my chapter.

Even at that, we were not the first chapter at O.U.

Those things being said, this is still interesting information. Thanks.

[g41965]

The DU chapter at Williams closed in 1964 when Williams banned Greek Letter Societies.

[Tex1899]

Check Chi Phi's website. I think they claim to have started pretty early...maybe 3 diff. orgs were called Chi Phi and they merged or something. One or two of their chapters may fit into the time frame, too.

[dvs-dz]

Sigma Phi is still in existence at Union College. The Union website doesn't list Kappa Alpha Society nor Delta Phi on their list of current fraternities.

After checking the Kappa Alpha Society website, it appears they intend to recolonize at Union this fall.

The next oldest chapter on the above list still in existence is Alpha Delta Phi at Hamilton.

[tallgreekalum]

Here come the arguments

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by tallgreekalum

Here come the arguments

Perhaps.

I'm still interested in knowing what the list is supposed to represent.

First chapters? Continuous chapters? What?

Also, where did the list come from, and when was it written?

[oldu]

The list represents the first ten chapters of our modern day fraternity system. Phi Beta Kappa had long become an honor society by that date.

Only Sigma Phi at Union, and Alpha Delta Phi and Sigma Phi at Hamilton are active today. Kappa Alpha and Delta Phi at Union closed within the past five years. Delta Phi at Trinity closed in 2001. Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi and Delta Upsilon at Williams closed in 1964 when fraternities were banned.

The Chi Phi connection to a Society by the same name organized at Princeton in 1824 was thoroughly discussed in a well documented history of Chi Phi written in 1939 and the conclusion was that there was really no direct connection between the current Chi Phi Fraternity and the society at Princeton. The oldest of the three Chi Phi groups that make up the present fraternity was not founded until thirty years later. Only recently years has Chi Phi reclaimed any conenction to the earlier group.

[DeltAlum]

Thanks for the explanation.