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Delta Epsilon (ΔΕ) was an American regional college fraternity for men. It was founded in 1862 at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.

History

Delta Epsilon was established in 1862 at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. The founders intended to expand the fraternity to all Virginia colleges. Two additional chapter were established, including one at Hampden–Sydney College. The first edition of Baird's Manual suggests that all three chapters "were weak", ostensibly due to their formation in the tumultuous days leading up to the Civil War.

After establishing three chapters, Delta Epsilon became defunct in 1868. Alpha and one other chapter disbanded due to the Civil War. The chapter at Hampden–Sydney College survived the war but became the Zeta chapter of Beta Theta Pi in 1868. Baird's Manual 2nd edition describes the Zeta chapter of Beta Theta Pi as having been "killed by the War" but notes that it was revived with the adoption of Delta Epsilon's sole remaining chapter in 1869.

Chapters

1. ^ Chapter went inactive due to the American Civil War.
2. Delta Epsilon was formed with the aim of expanding within Virginia. There is a narrow list of possible schools this chapter could be: Washington and Lee College, the University of Virginia, Randolph-Macon College, and the Virginia Military Institute. None of the other Virginia institutions would fit what is known about this fraternity and its dates of operation. For example, the College of William & Mary and Emory and Henry College closed in 1861 due to the Civil War. It is also possible, but unlikely, that the chapter formed at Bethany College in West Virginia, a state that seceded from Virginia in 1861 and joined into the Union (North) as a separate state in June 1863.
3. This chapter became the Zeta chapter of Beta Theta Pi in 1868, reestablishing the chapter that went inactive during the Civil War. It survived for 140 years, but in 2012 was declared inactive.

References

1. ^ Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (October 20, 2024) "Deta Epsilon, Inactive Mens Organizations" Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed December 28, 2024.
2. ^ Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) . Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII-6. ISBN 978-0963715906.
3. American College Fraternities. J.B. Lippincott. 1890. p. 165.
4. ^ Robson, John, ed. (1963). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 720.
5. ^ William Raimond Baird (1912). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. p. 628.
6. American College Fraternities. J.B. Lippincott. 1883. p. 47.

• Defunct fraternities and sororities
• Fraternities and sororities in the United States
• 1862 establishments in Virginia
• Student organizations established in 1862