Editing Book and Snake (section)

== History ==
[[File:Book_and_Snake_1888_delegation_Yale_College.jpg|thumb|Book and Snake 1888 delegation ]]
'''Sigma Delta Chi Society''' was established by students at the [[Sheffield Scientific School]] of [[Yale College]] on November 17, 1863, as a three-year society.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Stone Trust Corporation. - Social Networks and Archival Context |url=https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w6j189fq |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=SNAC Cooperative}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Halls, Tombs and Houses: Student Society Architecture at Dartmouth. IV. View [index.html] for frames version |url=http://www.dartmo.com/halls/hallscontent4.html |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=www.Dartmoor.com}}</ref><ref name=":19">{{Cite book |last=Havemeyer |first=Loomis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgRPAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Book+and+Snake%22+-wikipedia |title=Sheff Days and Ways: Undergraduate Activities in the Sheffield Scientific School Yale University, 1847-1945 |date=1958 |page=55 |language=en |via=Google Books}}</ref> The society secured rooms on the top floor of a building on College Street and Chapel Street where they held weekly meetings.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Havemeyer |first=Loomis |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/304683561.pdf |title=Yale's Extracurricular & Social Organizations, 1780-1960 |date=January 1961 |publisher=Yale University |location=New Haven |page=1 |access-date=July 6, 2023 |via=EilScholar (Yale University)}}</ref> When it outgrew that space, the society moved to the top floor of 953 Chapel Street.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":19" />

In 1876, the society incorporated in Connecticut as the Stone Trust Corporation so that it could own property and hold money.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Tombs and Taps, An inside look at Yale's Fraternities, Sororities and Societies |url=https://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/Tombs_and_Taps.htm |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=www.conspiracy archive.com}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Collection: Stone Trust Corporation, Yale University, records |url=https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/12/resources/2839 |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Archives at Yale}}</ref><ref name=":18">{{Cite book |last=Richards |first=David Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HYYyDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Book+and+Snake%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT531 |title=Skulls and Keys: The Hidden History of Yale's Secret Societies |date=2017-09-05 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-68177-581-4 |language=en |via=Google Books}}</ref> This name honored Lewis Bridge Stone, an early member of the society.<ref name=":18" /> On campus, Sigma Delta Chi changed its name to Book and Snake because its members did not want to be confused with a national fraternity; the group already had the nickname Book and Snake because of its pin.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":15">{{Cite journal |date=May 1888 |title=Epsilon Deuteron: Yale University |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Od8SAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Book+and+Snake%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA92 |journal=The Shield |publisher=Theta Delta Chi Fraternity |volume=4 |issue=2 |page=92 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name=":18" /> In addition, the society moved to 36 Elm Street and created the first social dormitory at Yale.<ref name=":13" /> Member [[John Hays Hammond]] named the dormitory Cloister.<ref name=":18" />
[[File:Cloister_Hall_of_the_Society_of_Book_and_Snake,_Yale_University,_circa_1900.jpg|thumb|Cloister Hall, circa 1900]]
Because its house was called Cloister, the society received the nickname '''Cloister Club'''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Milstein |first=Larry |date=2015-09-02 |title=Warner House Sees Shake-Up |url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2015/09/02/warner-house-sees-shake-up/ |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=Yale Daily News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":16" /> The Cloister Club grew to include those who lived at the Cloister, alumni of the society, and honorary members.<ref name=":8" /> In 1888, Book and Snake built Cloister Hall, a combined chapter house and dormitory at 1 Hillhouse Avenue, at Grove Street.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite news |date=1900-08-08 |title=Yale University |pages=5 |work=Boston Evening Transcript |location=Boston, Massachusetts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-evening-transcript-yale-universit/127766459/ |access-date=2023-07-07 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Like other landed Yale societies, Book and Snake built a meeting hall or "tomb" in 1901 that is only accessible to members and alumni.<ref name=":13" /> The tomb cost $81,000, including $10,000 for its lot.<ref name=":18" /> The society enlarged its dormitory in 1917.<ref name=":13" /> However, when Yale started its [[residential college]] system in 1933, Book and Snake sold Cloister Hall to the university.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite news |last=Strahan |first=Derek |date=2019-08-16 |title=The Cloister, New Haven, Connecticut |language=en-US |work=Lost New England |url=https://lostnewengland.com/2019/08/the-cloister-new-haven-connecticut/ |access-date=2023-07-07}}</ref> Book and Snake also converted to a senior society in 1933.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":8" />

In 1987, Book and Snake alumni created the Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication or Research at Yale to honor Arthur Greer, Yale class of 1926.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web |title=Greer Prize Given to Shapiro |url=https://economics.yale.edu/news/171004/greer-prize-given-shapiro |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=Yale Department of Economics |language=en}}</ref> Given to one or two junior faculty members annually, the Greer Award comes with funding for future research and is one of Yale's highest honors.<ref name=":20" />

In 1999, the Stone Trust Corporation's assets totaled $2,474,165.<ref name=":4" /> In 2016, ''[[Business Insider]]'' ranked Book and Snake as the third wealthiest secret society at Yale, with $5,619,120 in assets.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Abby |date=January 5, 2016 |title=7 of Yale's super-elite secret societies ranked by wealth |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/yales-wealthiest-secret-societies-2015-12 |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> According to the ''[[Yale Daily News]]'', the society "has a party reputation, with a large number of athletes and fraternity and sorority members."<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |last3= |date=2002-06-30 |title=Secret societies: tombs and tradition |url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2002/06/30/secret-societies-tombs-and-tradition/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Yale Daily News |language=en}}</ref>