Phi Kappa Sigma was founded by Samuel Brown Wylie Mitchell at the University of Pennsylvania on August 16, 1850. Fascinated by the prospect of fraternal relations with his fellowman, Mitchell set out to found a new, scret order in the restricted social life of the university at the time. His papers indicate that on August 16, 1850, he had determined to install a new order on campus in the fall of 1850. Between August 16 and
October 19, 1850, Mitchell sought out six other men, Duane Williams, Charles Hare Hutchinson, Andrew Adams Ripka, Alfred Victor Du Pont, James Bayard Hodge and John Thorn Stone, to constitute the Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma. The formal organization of Alpha Chapter occurred at the home of James Bayard Hodge on October 19, 1850. While the official founding date of the fraternity is August 16, 1850,
Phi Kappa Sigma began celebrating "Founder's Day" on October 19 as a commemoration of the establishment of Alpha Chapter.
Phi Kappa Sigma is the only fraternity in whose honor a college was founded and named. On the seventh day of February, 1859, the Phi Kappa Sigma Male College, located at Monticello, Arkansas, opened its doors for students. On the twenty-first of February, in the same year, the Legislature of Arkansas chartered this institution, making it the first institution of higher learning in Arkansas.
However, the Phi Kappa Sigma Male College was short-lived. After union troops occupied that section of the country, they took over the building and used it as a hospital until 1864, when they evacuated and burned it. Thus died the practical expression of a noble inspiration. Up until that time the college was the only institution giving work more advanced than that of high school grade Arkansas.
On May 27th, 1898, the Omicron Epsilon Eta Pi Society of the University of Maine became the Alpha Delta Chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma, the work of initiation being done in the City Hall, Bangor, by Brothers J. Hartley Merrick, Grand Alpha, and Stevenson H. Walsh, Past Grand Alpha. Twenty-two charter members assumed the responsibility of the new fraternal organization, of whom five were freshmen, six were sophomores, six juniors and five seniors.
Regular weekly meetings were held in the hall occupied by the Q.T.V. Society on the university campus and at nearly every meeting for over four years an extensive literary program was carried out. During the winter of 1900-01 the Q.T.V. Hall was burned and it was only due to the daring and persistent efforts of Brother F.M. Davis, '01, that the charter was not destroyed.
On November 4, 1898, the first action in regard to a chapter home was taken when it was voted, "To have a committee appointed to see what prospect we have of getting a chapter house." From this time on the efforts of the brothers were directed towards securing funds to build a chapter house. The chapter was fortunate in that the university authorities provided a site for a home on the university campus and were willing to endorse notes to the amount of about $10,000 for its erection. With this financial support money was borrowed from banks and individuals and in the college year of 1902-1903 work commenced.
In order to carry on the business of the Fraternity a charter was obtained from the State of Maine, and the organization was known as the Phi Kappa Sigma corporation with officers consisting of a president, vice-president, clerk, treasurer, assistant treasurer, auditor, and board of directors.
In November, 1903, the chapter moved into the new home, a house built to hold about thirty students, a matron and a chef. From this date on, as is universally the case, a new life began for Alpha Delta.
Early in the life of the chapter the custom was established of writing semi-annual chapter letters to alumni. This was in the nature of a circular letter and contained the chapter news of interest to alumni. In the fall of 1908 the chapter letter was changed to the Maine Phi Kap, and later changed to the current title, The Alpha Deltan.