Kappa Delta's ideals of friendship, fellowship, and sisterly love began 106 years ago, when Lenora Ashmore, Mary Sommerville Sparks, Julia Gardiner Tyler, and Sara Turner began Kappa Delta at State Female Normal School, now known as Longwood College, in Farmville, Virginia. Kappa Delta is one of the "Farmville Four", the four NPC sororities founded at Longwood.

In 1912, Kappa Delta Sorority was the only sorority to become a member of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) immediately upon petition.

Kappa Delta has 200,000 members, 130 collegiate chapters, and 493 chartered alumnae associations, the most of any NPC group.

In 1997, Kappa Delta came to Washington & Lee.