Book and Snake 1888 delegation Yale College

The Society of Book and Snake (incorporated as the Stone Trust Corporation) is the fourth oldest

secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose 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 a ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and was the first society to induct women into its delegation. Book and Snake was founded at the

Sheffield Scientific School Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, ...

in 1863 as a three-year society bearing the Greek letters Sigma Delta Chi. As other "Sheff" societies, it was once residential and maintained a separate residential "cloister" at 1 Hillhouse Ave, which was built in 1888 and deeded to Yale after the institution of the

residential college A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship wi ...

system. Members who lived in the society residence, or "Cloister," become the Cloister Club. Today, the building is the Yale University Provost's Office. A plaque honoring the society can be found on the first floor of the building. The Book and Snake emblem is a book surrounded by the

ouroboros The ouroboros or uroboros () is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnost ...

. Like other landed Yale societies, Book and Snake owns its own meeting hall, or "tomb" at the corner of Grove St. and High St. As is tradition with the meeting places of Yale secret societies, the building is windowless and is usually available only to the current members and alumni. The society hosts invite-only parties for other members of the senior class to attend.

Architects of the Book & Snake Buildings

The Book and Snake Tomb stands at the corner of Grove St. and High St. in

New Haven, CT New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, adjacent to the

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

and the

Beinecke Plaza Hewitt University Quadrangle, commonly known as Beinecke Plaza, is a plaza at the center of the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the home of the university's administration, main auditorium, and dining facilities. The qu ...

. It was designed by Louis R. Metcalfe (1901), in

Greek Ionic The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric ...

style. The front door is modeled after the

Erechtheion The Erechtheion (latinized as Erechtheum /ɪˈrɛkθiəm, ˌɛrɪkˈθiːəm/; Ancient Greek: Ἐρέχθειον, Greek: Ερέχθειο) or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple-telesterion on the north side of the Acropoli ...

Temple on the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

in Athens. Passersby will notice wrought-iron snakes, or "

caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; la, cādūceus, from grc-gre, κηρύκειον "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was also ...

es" adorning the iron fence surrounding the property. The white marble temple, startling in its

Classical Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

verisimilitude, is deliberately situated with its back to the Yale campus; instead its orientation facing directly across the street to the massive Egyptian-revival gates of the

Grove Street Cemetery Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground is a cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, that is surrounded by the Yale University campus. It was organized in 1796 as the New Haven Burying Ground and incorporated in October 1797 to replace the ...

, makes for an impressive display of ancient, mortuary-themed solemnity. The building stands approximately long, wide and about feet high, including two stories and gable, the whole of Vermont marble, cut smooth. Four Ionic pillars, also of marble, shield the bronze doors. (Citation a

. The former meeting place of Book and Snake was a residential hall of the

known as the "Cloister". H. Edwards Ficken designed the building (1888). Today, the "Cloister" serves as the Yale University Provost's Office at 1 Hillhouse Ave. Citation and picture a

and a

)

Notable members

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flor ...

, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator (nominated by President Biden), former United States Senator from Florida Bill Nelson, official NASA photo

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the title of associate editor. While a young reporter for ''The Washingto ...

, journalist, ''The Washington Post'' * Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr, literary critic, Harvard professor *

Porter J. Goss Porter Johnston Goss (; born November 26, 1938) is an American politician and government official who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 until 2004, when he became the last Director of Central Intellige ...

, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Congressman *

John Campbell Greenway John Campbell Greenway (July 6, 1872 – January 19, 1926) was an American businessman and senior officer of the U.S. Army Reserve who served with Colonel Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish–American War and commanded infantry in World War I. H ...

, General, U.S. Army, Mining Executive, husband of

Isabella Greenway Isabella Dinsmore Greenway (née Selmes; born March 22, 1886 – December 18, 1953) was an American politician who was the first congresswoman in Arizona history, and as the founder of the Arizona Inn of Tucson. During her life she was also not ...

Les Aspin Leslie Aspin Jr. (July 21, 1938 – May 21, 1995) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district from 1971 to 1993 and as the 18th United States Secretary of Defens ...

, former Secretary of Defense *

Nicholas F. Brady Nicholas Frederick Brady (born April 11, 1930) is an American politician from the state of New Jersey, who was the United States Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and is also known for articulating ...

, former Secretary of the Treasury *

John Vernou Bouvier III John Vernou "Black Jack" Bouvier III ( ; May 19, 1891 – August 3, 1957) was an American Wall Street stockbroker and socialite. He was the father of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and of socialite Lee Radziwill, and was the father-in-law ...

, Father of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis *

Charles Rivkin Charles Hammerman Rivkin (born April 6, 1962) is an American media executive and former United States diplomat who is chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Rivkin served as Assistant Secretary of Stat ...

, former U.S.

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs is an office in the United States Department of State responsible for managing the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs The Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) is a ...

Reed Hundt Reed Eric Hundt (born March 3, 1948) is an American attorney who served as chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission from November 29, 1993 to November 3, 1997. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, he served for most of C ...

, former Chief Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission *

Sheila Ford Hamp Sheila Firestone Ford Hamp (born October 31, 1951) is an American businesswoman and football executive. A descendant of both the Ford and Firestone family fortunes, she is the principal owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions of the Nationa ...

, owner of the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

William T. Bull William Tinninghast Bull (November 10, 1865 – November 8, 1924) was an American college football player and coach, who later became a physician. Football career Bull attended William S. Rogers High School in his native Newport, Rhode Island, N ...

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coach and

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

External links

Information on Book and Snake provided Kris Millegan

Guide to the Stone Trust Corporation, Yale University, Records RU 856

YALE'S EXTRACURRICULAR & SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS 1780 - 1960

References

{{Authority control 1863 establishments in Connecticut Secret societies at Yale Student organizations established in 1863

Architects of the Book & Snake Buildings

Notable members

See also

External links

References