Sphinx (senior society)
Encyclopedia
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Though sometimes also claimed to be the oldest all male secret society in the country, both the Flat Hat Club
Flat Hat Club
The Flat Hat Club is the popular name of a society founded after 1916 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and revived there in 1972. The organization was named after the F.H.C. Society, which had been founded at the College on November 11, 1750, and was itself known...
at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
and Sigma at Washington and Lee are known to be older. However, the Sphinx is the oldest continuously operating all-male secret society in the country.
History
The Sphinx was founded as a senior class society in 1885 by 14 male students of the class of 1886.The senior members of the Sphinx continue to select a small number of male students of the junior class during Winter Carnival Weekend in a process known as "tapping." Traditionally selecting 24 members per year, the delegation often is referred to as "twenty-fours" or the Krewe. The Sphinx originally published the names of its members in the annual Aegis, but the society has become more secretive in recent years. The identities of the members are now kept secret until Commencement, when graduating members carry identifying canes.
The Sphinx Tomb, constructed in 1903 on East Wheelock Street, was designed by Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
architect William M. Butterfield and reflects the Egyptian Revival architectural style popular during the mid-nineteenth century. In 1923 a significant addition was planned for the tomb; however, the proposed addition was never constructed. Instead a smaller rear addition was constructed in 1926. The interior of the Sphinx was replaced after a fire started in the building's furnace destroyed it in 1929. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2005.
Many rumors surround the Sphinx. Some have believed that the tomb routinely has the highest water bill of any building in town because it contains a swimming pool, although town records do not substantiate this persistent rumor. Another rumor is that a passageway connects the Sphinx to the basement of Alpha Delta fraternity next door. The group's clandestine operations are rumored to include everything from providing anonymous community service to long ago stealing artwork from the College in a traditional scavenger hunt.
The Sphinx attracted negative publicity in 1989, when thefts that took place during a scavenger hunt were traced back to the secret society. On April 27, 1989, 16 students took place in a scavenger hunt that resulted in the theft of numerous items across the Dartmouth campus, including paintings, photographs, mailboxes, life preservers, and signs. The school estimated the total value of missing items at nearly $12,000. The school announced that no questions would be asked if all items were returned undamaged, and within 24 hours most items were returned but several were still missing. The resulting investigation revealed that the Sphinx was responsible for the scavenger hunt, and Dartmouth revoked recognition of the Sphinx for one year, fined the organization $3,000 plus the cost of damages to the stolen items, and punished the members involved with probation or suspension.
See also
- Dartmouth College student groupsDartmouth College student groupsThis page contains detailed information on a number of student groups at Dartmouth College. For more information on athletic teams, please see Dartmouth College athletic teams...
- List of collegiate secret societies
- Secret societySecret societyA secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...