Phi Sigma Collection, 1878-2012

On April 5, 1878, six young men, Gerald H. Beard, W. (William) Harrington Beard, Robert Jeneson, John W. Mabbs, C. (Charles) Herbert Small, and Henry B. Wilson, formed a literary society in Chicago, Illinois. Their first meeting was held at the Beard Brothers Book Store on 453 West Madison Street (now 1308 W. Madison St., between Ada and Throop Sts.). "In the corner of that store on a bench, two chairs, a stool and a keg (I think there was a keg - empty keg) the old Phi Sigma started!" (W. Harrington Beard). Initially, the group struggled with naming itself and members simply referred to themselves as the "Class." By March 1879, the name "Phi Sigma" was chosen as the Greek name for "Knowledge Seekers."

The group formed with the purpose to "devise ways to aid in the study of literature and history and to afford an opportunity for practice in debate." During its first few months, members devoted themselves to serious study, critique, and presentations. As time went on, the weekly "degenerated into a good deal of boys frolic." As a result, Mr. Beard proposed a disbandment of the group in January 1879. However, this proposal was "voted down and with a promise to do better in the future."

In February 1882, William Hulin proposed admitting female members to Phi Sigma. At the March 21, 1882 meeting, six women joined the group: Jennie H. Allen, Frederica Beard, Vivien Cowles, Minnie Hanley, May G. Harsha, and Alice G. Hinchliffe.

Phi Sigma regularly published a compilation of papers call "The Voice of the Phi Sigma," or "The Voice," and presented them at meetings. The first volume was issued on June 10, 1879 and every two weeks thereafter. Since the members of Phi Sigma dedicated themselves to "mental improvement," "The Voice" served as an outlet for debate, information, news, and study. An editor was picked by the Chairman (later, the President) of the organization four weeks prior to the release of the issue. Topics covered in "The Voice" spanned many subjects such as History, English Language and Literature, Travel, Current Events, Philosophy, Religion, Inventions, etc. Many issues also include announcements about members and "squibs" sections that include jokes, riddles, word puzzles, and quotations. Over time, the publications recurred less often and by 1900, "The Voice" was issued annually.

Although study was the priority of Phi Sigma, the group became a strong social organization as well. Many early members married one another and they held annual picnics in Lake Forest, Illinois. The Phi Sigma Camping Club was incorporated in 1891 after several members ventured to Twin Lakes, Wisconsin in July 1890 to visit Dr. Walter May Fitch's cottage. Phi Sigmites have also held many annual banquets for New Year's celebrations and anniversaries of the group.

Members and guests continue to gather monthly from October to May at the home of one of the members. A talk is featured at each meeting, presented by a group member, focused on a theme selected at the beginning of the season. There is discussion of the topic after each talk. Phi Sigma today continues in accordance with its long traditions first established in that Chicago bookstore. The May meeting traditionally has its members engaged in an outing, a party, or a field trip to wrap up the class or season of that particular year.

The Phi Sigma Collection dates from 1878 to 2012 in 11.0 cubic feet. The collection strength of the Phi Sigma Manuscript Collection consists of writings created by members, such as the Critics' Reports, Minutes, Presentation Papers, and their periodical "The Voice of Phi Sigma."

The collection also includes records about the history of the organization, some of its founding documents, records about anniversary celebrations, rosters of members, meeting minutes, annual programs, records and photographs from their 1890 Camping Club, records for events and outings, publicity materials, financial records, and multimedia materials.

This collection has been arranged into fourteen series:Series 1: History of Phi Sigma, 1898-2001Series 2: Founding Documents, 1879-1896, 1986Series 3: Anniversaries, 1888-1978Series 4: Membership and Minutes, 1879-2012Series 5: Programs, 1888-2012Series 6: Critics' Reports, 1878-1896Series 7: Presentation Papers, 1892-2010Series 8: Writings, 1880s, 2003-2005Series 9: Camping Club, 1890-1891Series 10: May Outing/Party, 1923-2006Series 11: Publicity, 1979-2006Series 12: Financial, 1885-2000Series 13: Multimedia, 1989-1996Series 14: The Voice of Phi Sigma, 1879-2012

The first twelve and the fourteenth series have been arranged by subject, and materials within the Multimedia series (13) have been separated and arranged by format. Within each series, items have been arranged chronologically. In exception, the Resignations, Applications, and Member Obituaries in the Membership and Minutes series have been arranged alphabetically by surname.

Folder/Item Title, (date). Series Title, Phi Sigma Collection, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago.

While the entirety of this collection is available for research in person, portions of it have been digitized and made available online including:

Annual Programs, 1888-2012 | http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/phisimga_programs/ Phi Sigma annually published programs which contained membership rosters and the scheduled meetings' information. At each meeting, members would report papers, debate one another, present poetry, art, and/or music, or read their publication, The Voice. These programs include the information for each Phi Sigma meeting, such as the names of members who reported that evening, the topics discussed, and the titles of papers.

Camping Club Documents and Photographs, 1890-1891 | http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/phisigma_camping/ Prior to 1890, members of Phi Sigma held an annual picnic on the Fourth of July in Lake Forest, Illinois. In 1890, Dr. Walter M. Fitch, a member of the society, invited members to his cottage in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin for a camping trip instead of a picnic. By 1891, the campers officially incorporated a group called the Phi Sigma Camping Club in order to hold an encampment annually. Although the annual camping trip no longer takes place, Phi Sigma members still participate in an annual May Outing or May Party.

Selected Letters, 1888-1903 | http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/phisigma_letters/ The Selected Letters collection represents early writings and correspondence of Phi Sigma members. Papers range from 1888 to 1903, chronicling anniversaries and special events of the organization. Many of the papers document the history and founding of the organization.

The Voice of the Phi Sigma, 1879-1954 | http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/phisigma_voice/ The Voice of the Phi Sigma, also referred to as simply, The Voice, is a publication created by the social organization, Phi Sigma. The first volume was issued on June 10, 1879 and every two weeks thereafter. Since the members of Phi Sigma dedicated themselves to "mental improvement," The Voice served as an outlet for debate, information, news, and study.

The entirety of the Phi Sigma collection is available to all users. Any unprocessed items added to the collection that are not in this current inventory will become available for all users once the Archivist has updated the collection's description.

Materials are the property of Columbia College Chicago. Intellectual property rights of work belong to the original creators. Materials within the collection that are published and copyrighted maintain their copyright protections and must be used according to United States Copyright Law. Use of this collection and its materials is understood to be primarily for research, teaching, and creative study; additional uses, such as publication, exhibition, or other appropriate purposes may be considered upon consultation with the Archivist.

All physical materials and reformatted media must be viewed during a scheduled appointment time within the College Archives & Special Collections office. No materials are to be circulated unless otherwise consulted with the Archivist.

Access to some audiovisual media in the collection, such as VHS, audio cassette, or phonographic record, may be temporarily unavailable pending digital reformatting.

Researchers viewing digitized, online material (http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/phisigma/) from this collection may access these materials from home via the World Wide Web 24/7.

Access to reformatted media in the collection, such as VHS, audio cassette, or computer files, must be viewed within the College Archives & Special Collections office during a scheduled appointment. Although reformatted, these items cannot be sent electronically nor can be published in our online database due to copyright restrictions. A computer and other necessary equipment will be provided during the appointment to access these materials.

Phi Sigma donated the collection to the College Archives on April 8, 2011

• Subject
  • Social groups -- Illinois -- Chicago
  • Speeches, addresses, etc.
  • writing
  • educating
• Geographic CoverageChicago (Ill.)
• Names
  • Beard, W. Harrington (William Harrington)
  • Beard, Gerald H. (Gerald Harrington)