Mace and Chain

Last updated
Mace and Chain
Founded1956;68 years ago (1956)
Yale University
TypeSenior society
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
ScopeLocal
Chapters1
Members300+ lifetime
HeadquartersTrumbull Street
New Haven , Connecticut
United States

Mace and Chain is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. One of eight such groups that own their own clubhouse, or "tomb", it was founded in 1956 with the mission of providing fifteen rising seniors with the traditional senior society experience in a freer, more modern setting. [1]

Contents

History

Mace and Chain was founded by Yale student Thornton Marshall in 1956 after he failed to receive an invitation to join a secret society. [2] His goal was to create a group that would be "a more a representative and engaged community". [3] Yale professor Robert Penn Warren gave Marshall advice on structuring the society, starting off the tradition of the group seeking input from Yale faculty. [1] [2]

Marshall recruited six friends to join his new society, which met in an apartment on Wall Street. They chose the name Mace and Chain based on discussions about chivalry.

The society ran out of money, went inactive, [3] reformed, them went dormant on May 1, 1970, when it lost its lease. [3] [1] [4]

In 1993, Mace and Chain was revived by alumni Tom Haines and William "Biff" Folberth, who helped the club secure a house near campus for the group in 2001. [2] [3] [5] Mace and Chain is considered a "landed" society because it owns its meeting place. [6] Located on Trumbull Street in downtown New Haven, the six-bedroom Colonial-style house was in built in 1823 with salvage from Benedict Arnold's home. [7] [1] The society's alumni trust, the Knight's Trust Foundation, owns and operates the tomb.

The tomb contains military artifacts and Revolutionary War documents. As is tradition for Yale secret societies, the tomb is open only to club members and alumni. [1]

Activities

Each year, the society admits a new tap class of fifteen rising seniors.

Like other societies at Yale, Mace and Chain conducts meetings on Thursday and Sunday evenings. Among other activities and traditions, each member takes one evening to relay their life story and personal development to the rest of the group.

The group's leader rotates weekly. [1] Unique among Yale secret societies, it allows each delegation or new senior class to determine the society's by-laws, excluding a few secret guidelines. [1] [3]

Mace and Chain alumni have gone on to become journalists, authors, academics, filmmakers, and members of Congress. The society hosts Yale professors and outside guests during its weekly dinners. Past faculty advisors to Mace and Chain include Charlie Hill, a former senior advisor to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and John Wilkinson, a former vice president of Yale.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skull and Bones</span> Secret society at Yale University, US

Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class society at the university, Skull and Bones has become a cultural institution known for its powerful alumni and conspiracy theories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yale College</span> Undergraduate college of Yale University

Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, when its schools were confederated and the institution was renamed Yale University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berzelius (secret society)</span> Secret society at Yale University, US

Berzelius is a secret society at Yale University named for the Swedish scientist Jöns Jakob Berzelius, considered one of the founding fathers of modern chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scroll and Key</span> Secret society at Yale University, US

The Scroll and Key Society is a secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the oldest Yale secret societies and reputedly the wealthiest. The society is one of the reputed "Big Three" societies at Yale, along with Skull and Bones and Wolf's Head. Each spring the society admits 15 rising seniors to participate in its activities and carry on its traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elihu Club</span> Senior society at Yale University, US

Elihu Club or Elihu is the fourth oldest senior society at Yale University, New Haven, CT. It was founded in 1903 and takes its name from Elihu Yale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf's Head (secret society)</span> Secret society based at Yale University, New Haven

Wolf's Head Society is a senior secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The society is one of the reputed "Big Three" societies at Yale, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key. Active undergraduate membership is elected annually with sixteen Yale University students, typically rising seniors. Honorary members are elected.

Book and Snake or The Society ofBook and Snake is a secret society for seniors at Yale University. It was established in 1863 and is the fourth-oldest secret society at Yale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brothers in Unity</span> Literary society at Yale University, US

Brothers in Unity is an undergraduate literary and debating society at Yale University. Founded in 1768 as a literary and debating society that encompassed nearly half the student body at its 19th-century peak, the group disbanded in the late 1870s after donating its collection of books to help form Yale's central library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yale Glee Club</span> Chorus from Yale University

The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1858, and the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club, founded in 1859. The Glee Club performs several concerts each year in New Haven and goes on tour each January. According to music critic Zachary Woolfe of the New York Times, it is "one of the best collegiate singing ensembles, and one of the most adventurous." Its members are "world famous for their harmonic precision" per New York Times music critic Robert Sherman.

Sage and Chalice is a secret society for seniors at Yale University.

Manuscript Society is a senior society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. It is reputedly the arts and letters society at Yale.

There are many collegiate secret societies in North America. They vary greatly in their level of secrecy and the degree of independence from their universities. A collegiate secret society makes a significant effort to keep affairs, membership rolls, signs of recognition, initiation, or other aspects secret from the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skull & Keys</span> Honor society at the at the University of California, Berkeley

Skull & Keys was a men's honor society at the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California. The organization was started by Theta Nu Epsilon. Skull & Keys was the first of several collegiate secret societies that formed from the fraternity system at Berkeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Dragon Society</span> Secret society at New York University, US

The Red Dragon Society is a secret society based at New York University, in New York, New York. The Red Dragon has long held the title to the most selective society at NYU, and has been known for its secrecy since its founding in 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphinx Head</span> Honor society at Cornell University, US

The Sphinx Head Society is the oldest senior honor society at Cornell University. Sphinx Head recognizes Cornell senior men and women who have demonstrated respectable strength of character on top of dedication to leadership and service at Cornell University. In 1929 The New York Times held that election into Sphinx Head and similar societies constituted "the highest non-scholastic honor within reach of undergraduates."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Elmo Society</span> Secret society at Yale University, US

St. Elmo Society, or Elmo's, is a secret society for seniors at Yale University. It was founded in 1889 as part of the national fraternity, Delta Phi (ΔΦ). St. Elmo's is a member of the “ancient eight consortium” which includes the seven other original societies at Yale: Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key, Berzelius, Wolf's Head, Book and Snake, Elihu, and Mace and Chain.

Fire and Skoal is a senior society at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is the college's oldest co-ed senior society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torch Honor Society</span> Secret society at Yale University, US

The Torch Honor Society, also known as Torch, is a student secret society at Yale College that was initially established in 1916 and reformed in 1995. Its members include former President George H. W. Bush and William F. Buckley Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myth and Sword</span> Secret society at Yale University, US

Myth and Sword, also known as theOrder of Myth and Sword, is a co-ed secret society for seniors students at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. It was originally established in 1875 as a chapter of Phi Gamma Delta and, after going dormant in 1965, was reformed in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spade and Grave</span> Secret society at Yale University, US

Spade and Grave (S&G), also called S.L.M., is a senior secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1864, it is one of Yale's oldest societies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ron, Schachter (July 2007). "Light & Verity: The Youngest Secret Society". Yale Alumni Magazine. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  2. 1 2 3 Garza, Joe (2023-05-06). "Yale Has More Secret Societies Than You Realize. Here's The History". Grunge. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Schenkel, Ben (March 30, 2012). "Tapping in to Yale's secret societies". UWire. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  4. ↑ Richards, David Alan (2017-09-05). Skulls and Keys: The Hidden History of Yale's Secret Societies. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-68177-581-4.
  5. ↑ "William M. Folberth (Biff) to Receive the Yale Medal". My Hometown Bronxville. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  6. ↑ "Yale's secret social fabric". Yale Daily News. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  7. ↑ "Yale | History". Plexuss. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.