Mace and Chain is a senior society at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. It was originally established in 1956 and, after going defunct in 1970, was reestablished in 1993. The society has a house or "tomb" on Trumbull Street.

History

junior Thornton Marshall founded Mace and Chain in 1956 after he failed to receive an invitation to join a secret student society. Yale professor

Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, literary critic and professor at Yale University. He was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern ...

gave Marshall advice on structuring the society as "something which is a little closer to reality and that can exist in the sunlight". Thus, Marshall's goal was to create a senior society that would more representative of the campus community. Marshall recruited six friends to join his new society. The group met in an apartment on Wall Street and rotated the society's leadership every week. Mace and Chain went inactive in the 1960s when it lost its apartment lease, reportedly due to a lack of money. Mace and Chain reformed, then went dormant again in 1970. In 1993, Mace and Chain was revived by alumni members Tom Haines and William "Biff" Folberth. The first class of the reformed society included five male and five female seniors. Although sometimes called as a

secret society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

, the reformed Mace and Chain's membership is listed annually in campus publications. Mace and Chain is considered part of the “ancient eight consortium”, a name given to the eight most selective senior societies at Yale, also including Berzelius Society, Book and Snake, Elihu Club, St. Elmo’s Society,

Scroll and Key The Scroll and Key Society is a Collegiate secret societies in North America, secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the oldest Collegiate secret societies in North America#Yale University, Ya ...

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

, and Wolf’s Head Society. In 2007, the society had more than 300 alumni.

Symbols

The Mace and Chain emblem resulted from its founding members' discussions about

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of ...

Tomb

Mace and Chain is considered a "landed" society because it owns its meeting place or "tomb". When it was reestablished in 1993, the society initially occupied a condominium provided by alumni. In 2001, the alumni gave the society an historic house on Trumbull Street in downtown

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

. Its tomb is a late Colonial and early-Victorian style house that was in built in 1823 with salvage from

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

's home.

Notable members

* Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and author

References

{{Authority control Secret societies at Yale Student organizations established in 1956 1956 establishments in Connecticut Collegiate secret societies Secret societies in the United States Local fraternities and sororities

History

Symbols

Tomb

Notable members

See also

References