The Delphic Fraternity officially originates with the founding of the Delphic Society
at the Geneseo State Normal School in upstate New York (known today as
SUNY Geneseo.) The Delphic Society at Geneseo was founded on October
13, 1871. With the 1889 chapter expansion to the Oneonta Normal School
(today SUNY Oneonta,) the Delphic Society first became known as the
Delphic Fraternity.
We knew the origins of the Delphic Society at Geneseo predated that of the Alpha Chapter of the fraternity. Because of the historic popular mention of the Delphic Oracle and the City of Delphi, there were other college literary societies in the United States called the Delphic Society. However, there was no clear link to connect the Delphic Society at Geneseo with any other another organization until recently.
In late 2016, we were finally able to confirm the following: William J. Milne, the first principal of the Geneseo State Normal School, attended the University of Rochester as an undergraduate. Milne, who was instrumental in the founding of the Delphic Society at Geneseo, participated in the last public debate of the Delphic Society at the University of Rochester in 1866.
It is
now evident to us that William J. Milne wanted to provide students at
the Geneseo Normal School with a literary societal experience similar to
the one he was a part of while at Rochester. Therefore, the Delphic
Society at Rochester, which was founded in 1850 with history dating back to 1833, was the predecessor
organization to the Delphic Society at Geneseo founded in 1871. The
Delphic Society that originated in Geneseo exists today as the Delphic
Fraternity, also known as Delphic of Gamma Sigma Tau.
In summation, the Delphic Fraternity was originally founded as the Delphic Society in Geneseo in 1871. The seminal concept for the Delphic Society at Geneseo stems from the Delphic Society at Rochester, that was founded on November 2, 1850 (which can trace its history back to 1833 as the Gamma Phi Society at Colgate University.)
