In the beginning...

It was 1858 at Bethany College in what is now northern West Virginia. The Neotrophian Literary Society, an organization that allowed students to practice and demonstrate their skills in poetry, public speaking and writing essays, voted to give a prize to an individual in the Society; however, the members of another organization held control over the Neotrophian Society, and they fixed the vote.

Eight men were not content to be idle and let this continue. Angered by these unscrupulous tactics, they responded by forming a secret society at the college. Its initial goal was to wrestle control from the Neotrophian Society away from a group of unjust students and return it to the control of the student population, as well as to bond the student body through respect and common values. These men were drawn together by common aims and brotherly regard. They came to be known on the campus only by the Greek letters Delta Tau Delta. They founded an organization based on the principles of truth, courage, faith and power. These principles guided the Fraternity through its beginnings.

Since 1858, the Fraternity has spread to nearly 200 campuses, with more than 130 active chapters and colonies comprised of roughly 10,000 students. More than 170,000 men have joined the brotherhood of Delta Tau Delta since its founding.