Delphic History

The Delphic Fraternity’s origins trace back to the early 19th century, beginning with the Gamma Phi Society, formed around 1833 at what is now Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. Gamma Phi was the first college literary society at Colgate and played a pivotal role in shaping the fraternity and sorority system at the institution. In 1840, Gamma Phi merged into the Adelphian Society, whose members later helped establish the Delphic Society at the University of Rochester in 1850.

The Delphic Society’s influence continued to spread, and by 1871, a group of students and a teacher from the Brockport Normal School relocated to Geneseo, New York, to help open a new normal school. There, they founded the Delphic Society at Geneseo, marking the official founding date of the Delphic Fraternity on October 13, 1871. Over the next several decades, the fraternity expanded across New York State, establishing chapters at seven normal schools, including Geneseo, Oneonta, Jamaica, Cortland, New Paltz, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, and one in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.

By the early 20th century, Delphic had become a prominent statewide fraternity. However, as the decades progressed, most chapters became inactive, with only the Zeta Chapter at SUNY New Paltz remaining active into the mid-20th century. In the early 1950s, this chapter briefly affiliated with the national Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity before returning to its local roots. The fraternity was officially incorporated as the Delphic Fraternity of New Paltz, Inc. in 1962, but went dormant in the 1970s.

A revival occurred in 1987 when the Zeta Chapter at SUNY New Paltz was re-established as Delphic of Gamma Sigma Tau, the first multicultural fraternity founded on the East Coast of the United States. Since then, Delphic has continued to evolve, establishing new undergraduate chapters at the University of Virginia (Kappa Chapter, 2009) and SUNY Delhi (Lambda Chapter, 2015) as well as expanding with graduate chapters representing New York City, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Today, the Delphic Fraternity stands as a historic and multicultural organization, with a legacy rooted in literary and academic excellence, embracing diversity and unity across its chapters. Its journey from a small literary society to a vibrant multi-chapter fraternity reflects nearly two centuries of adaptation, growth, and brotherhood.