“In 1835 the state of Georgia chartered Oglethorpe University as a Presbyterian institution named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony. Before that, Georgia Presbyterian families sent their sons to the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). Oglethorpe University was one of the earliest denominational institutions in the region. The antebellum college began with four faculty members and about twenty-five students, and was originally located on a hill at Midway, a small community in Baldwin County near Milledgeville, then the capital of Georgia.
The original Oglethorpe curriculum consisted of courses in Greek, Latin, mathematics, theology, and the natural sciences. Notable faculty members included the college’s longtime president, Samuel Kennedy Talmage, an eminent minister; Nathaniel M. Crawford, professor of mathematics and son of Georgia statesman William Harris Crawford; Joseph LeConte, destined to earn distinction in geology and optics; and James Woodrow, an uncle of Woodrow Wilson and the first professor in Georgia to hold the Ph.D. degree. Oglethorpe’s most distinguished alumnus from the antebellum era was the poet, critic, and musician Sidney Lanier, who graduated in 1860. The following year he, with other Oglethorpe cadets, marched off to war.
Oglethorpe University ceased to exist during the Civil War (1861-65). Nearly all of its students fought for the South, the endowment was lost in Confederate bonds, and the buildings were used for barracks and hospitals. The school closed in 1862, and in 1870 it was briefly relocated to the Neal House in Atlanta, at the present site of Atlanta’s city hall. Oglethorpe at this time produced several educational innovations, expanding its curriculum to business courses and offering the first evening college classes in Georgia. The dislocations of the Reconstruction era proved insurmountable, however, and in 1872 Oglethorpe closed its doors for a second time.”
The Thalian Society was founded in 1839 by a group of students spearheaded by William J. Sasnett, as a secret society to promote literary pursuits. It was named after the ancient Greek philosopher Thales who introduced metaphysics and sought to discover the origin of the universe. The Thalians had their own hall on the Old Oglethorpe campus that was constructed in 1859. Famous honorary members included Florida Governor M.A. Perry, John Bell, the poet Henry Jackson, and Dr. John LeConte. The famed poet Sidney Lanier served as President of the Thalian Society when he was a student.
In this collection, you can find addresses to the Thalian literary society and correspondence between some of its members.
The Phi Delta Society was born out of student members who left the Thalian society, and their chosen Greek letters for their name mean "love of reasoning." The Phi Deltas sought to promote literary pursuits as well as practice debate and public speaking skills. Famous Phi Delta Society honorary members include Governor Herschel V. Johnson, Vice-Presidential candidate Stephen Douglas, Confederate John B. Gordon, and Dr. Joseph Le Conte.
In this collection, you can find addresses to the Phi Delta literary society and correspondence between some of its members.
Both literary societies were integral to life at Old Oglethorpe University giving out literary prizes, hosting debates, bringing in speakers to educate students, building out large libraries, and inducting honorary members. Literary society debates in particular were important social events on campus. The daily goings-on of campus life was built around the two societies' activities, meetings, and events. Almost all students were members of one or the other group.