Many of the most prominent people in the world once belonged to an exclusive college society, from President Theodore Roosevelt to former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Some of these societies, based at the top universities, meet to debate issues of the day, while others focus on the literary, the philanthropic, fine dining, or hell-raising. One thing they all have in common: secrecy. Discovering the details of what goes on in their meetings or how to gain membership is fiendishly difficult, but what we know about 10 of the most exclusive college secret societies in the world is summarised below.
1. SEVEN SOCIETY, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA // GRAFFITI AND PHILANTHROPY
A Seven Society sign outside Old Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia. Image credit: Queerbubbles via Wikimedia // CC BY-SA 3.0
The Seven Society of the University of Virginia is so secretive that very little is known about its history, activities, or membership. It was rumoured to have been established around 1905 when eight students made plans to get together for two tables of the bridge but only seven turned up. It was probably originally based on a Masonic system, and its visibility is maintained by daubing the society’s symbol on college buildings. of Gimghoul has its headquarters in a spooky castle on campus and is said to have its basis in Arthurian traditions of chivalry and honour. But with its creepy castle, fondness for satanic iconography, and the veil of secrecy, the society’s reputation is more likely to send shivers down your spine than conjure images of noble knights.
5. FLAT HAT CLUB, WILLIAM AND MARY // AMERICA’S FIRST COLLEGE SECRET SOCIETY
The F.H.C. club, also known as the Flat Hat Club—although its initials are thought to actually stand for its stated aim of “fraternitas, humanitas et cognito” (brotherhood, humanity and knowledge)—was established way back in the 1750s and is thought to be America’s first secret college society. Thomas Jefferson was famously a member of the club in the 1760s, although he was said to have remarked that he felt the society served “no useful object.” Membership of the society lapsed during the Revolutionary War but has reportedly since been revived twice: in 1916 and again in 1972.
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