Ebook The Record of the Hampden-Sydney Alumni Association

Two fraternities at least had already been started at hampden-sydney before the 1866-67 session — Beta Theta Pi and Phi Kappa Psi. But others were soon to be added. Early college records reveal that during the fall ses sion of 1866 two students, Lennox B. Turnbull, who had just turned 17 years old, and John K. Mason, a Civil War veteran, together with several others, were attempting to start a new fraternity. They petitioned one of the national fraternities for a chapter charter, but evidently there was some delay in receiving an answer. In the meantime, Turnbull's brother, Henry C. Turn bull, who had transferred that fall from hampden-syd ney to the University of Virginia, became a member of Chi Phi's Delta chapter (now Alpha) in Charlottesville — Delta chapter having just been reactivated in the early fall of 1866. Actually the Southern Order Of Chi Phi had only been started at the University of North Carolina some few years before on August 21, 1858. Shortly thereafter the fraternity expanded to Davidson and the University of Virginia and to three other Southern colleges. But the Civil War brought a quick end to all of these except the parent chapter at Chapel Hill. At the start of the fall term of 1865-66 17 members of the North Carolina chapter returned from the Southern Army and almost at once began active efforts to revive the other chapters. The following year on October 26, 1866, Delta was reorganized at the University Of Vir gima. It was during those next few months — November and December — that Henry C. Turnbull must have be come interested in Chi Phi at the University of Vir ginia and was duly elected and initiated. Turnbull in turn suggested to his younger brother and his friend Mason at hampden-sydney that they consider Chi Phi. Mason, who was considerably Older than young Turnbull, reportedly looked with favor on the idea. Several months later, in February, 1867, W. S. Pear son, a member of the chapter at the University of North Carolina, received word of this interest at Hamp den-sydney and sent a copy of the constitution to Mason; the group then decided to unite its efforts be hind Mason and Turnbull and start a new Chi Phi chapter.