College of William & Mary secret societies

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A number of secret societies operate at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, dating back to the founding of the nation's first known collegiate secret society, The F. H. C. Society, founded on November 11, 1750. Today several secret societies are known (or believed) to exist at the college, including Bishop James Madison Society, the Flat Hat Club, the Ladies of Alpha, the Live Oak Society, the Phi Society, the Seven Society, the Society, the 13 Club, the W Society, the Wren Society, and the Zodiac Society. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Known inactive groups include the B.B. Club, which was active in the 1920s, and P.D.A., an 18th-century society. [1]

7 Society

The 7 Society is a senior-class society founded in 1826. [4] [3] It is believed to be the longest continuously run secret society at William & Mary. [4] Its seven members, selected in their junior year, work to honor and encourage those who help strengthen the university, often through gifts. [4] In 2003, the Sevens"left dozens of umbrellas for the Admissions Office to use during rainy campus tours; the umbrellas were decorated with the insignia of the Sevens. [4] [3] Historically, the society formally announced its members' identities as they graduated. [5] In recent years, however, membership has become steeped in mystery—being only revealed in the event of death.

There are several other secret societies with the word "seven" in their name, though there is no known evidence connecting the groups. One such society is the Seven Society at University of Virginia, founded in 1905, also noted for its philanthropic practices. [4]

13 Club

Given the society's name, the 13 Club, founded in 1890 and reactivated in 1994, is presumed to have thirteen members. [4] Little information has been made public regarding their campus activities. The society maintains such a high level of secrecy that even members' wives and children are unaware of their membership. Such was the case of Louise Kale, Director of William and Mary's Historic Campus, who only became aware of her father's membership after his death. Although club membership and activities are kept secret, the 13s have allowed for outside communication through their campaign "Be Here Now" and campus speaker series "One Last Thing." [4] In historical archives, a photo of their members was published in the 1939 edition of the W&M yearbook and presumably other years. [6]

Alpha

The all-female Alpha or Ladies of Alpha was likely created to counteract the college's male-dominated secret societies. [4] It was created by Martha Barksdale in 1918, a member of the first class of female students at William & Mary. [7] Their stated mission is that they are dedicated to empowering women and recognizing strong female leadership. They recognize female students and faculty monthly for their dedication to the college community by leaving yellow roses and notes for these individuals. Other details surrounding this society remain a mystery. [4]

Bishop James Madison Society

The Bishop James Madison Society reports its founding year as 1812. Named in honor of William & Mary's eighth president, the late Bishop James Madison. [4] The original society disbanded during the Civil War but it was reformed sometime in the 20th century. [4] The society's activities, which seek to further the reputation, pride, and mirth of the college community, include the promotion of a "Last Lecture" in which it invites a noted faculty member to speak on issues of current social and/or academic importance. [4] Membership in the society is confidential. During the college's annual commencement exercises, some graduating members identify their involvement by wearing medals featuring the society's symbol, an elongated quatrefoil.

The Cord

The Cord [4] is believed to have been founded in 1881 after the College was forced to close as a result of financial issues dating back to the Civil War, and would not reopen until 1888. [8] President Ewell continued to ring the College Bell at the beginning of each academic year for the duration of the College's closure. [9] The name "The Cord" is thought to have been taken from the cord that rings the College Bell as a symbol of the society's endurance through William and Mary's darkest years. The society is said to consist of 8 members, 4 seniors who then select 4 juniors during each academic year to replace them and choose the next year's juniors. [10] Little is known about the actions of The Cord, but they appear to take part in several ceremonies and rituals around campus each year, set up by the seniors but attended only by its juniors. [11]

Flat Hat Club

The original F. H. C. Society was founded on November 11, 1750, under a secret Latin name, possibly Fraternitas, Humanitas, et Cognitio, Fraternitas Humanitas Cognitioque, or variations thereof. [4] [1] The club was informally referred to as the Flat Hat Club. [4] Its members included St. George Tucker, Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe. [12] It was refored in 1920s and operated until the 19403. [1] In 1972, the society was reformed. [13] [1] According to The Flat Hat (a largely unaffiliated student newspaper), "new members are selected by those currently in the group. Historically, the group has tapped student government leaders, as well as several members of The Flat Hat [newspaper], which took its name from the historic group." [2]

Life Oak Society

The Life Oak Society is associated the quote "There is no limit to the good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit” by George C. Marshall. [14]

P.D.A.

P.D.A. was the second fraternity after FHC to be established at William and Mary. Created in 1773. [1] P.D.A. as a secret Latin name, was composed of seven individuals. It continued in operation until 1976.

Phi Society

The Phi Society [4] [2] was created at the University of Virginia, but a chapter has been established at William & Mary. Little is known about this society at the college. Another similarly named organization, the Phi Society of 1883 exists at The University of the South. Outside of the fact that both organizations were created by former members of Phi Delta Theta, the two societies are unrelated. Both societies branched off from the main organization due to conflicts of interest with the national organization.

W Society

Little is known about the W Society. [2] [4] It honors one freshman every year for service to the Williamsburg community. The members are selected via secret invitation. The Society is service-focused and was founded by two students and Drew Stelljes, a former administrator and professor.

Wren Society

The Wren Society is said to have been founded in 1832 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of British architect Sir Christopher Wren's birth. [4] Sir Christopher Wren is the presumed designer of the Wren Building, which is the nation's oldest academic building. Like the Bishop James Madison Society, the Wren Society was forced to disband at the start of the Civil War and later restored by students. Taps are selected based on academic achievement, service to the campus community, and exceptional leadership. The society strives for the betterment of the college. It annually presents the 1832 Award to professors, seniors, staff, and student organizations. [4]

Zodiac Society

The Zodiac Society first revealed itself to the William & Mary campus by leaving a good luck note to students in Swem Library before the December 2013 final exams. [1]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of William & Mary</span> Public university in Virginia, US

The College of William & Mary in Virginia, is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the ninth-oldest in the English-speaking world. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity". In his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities, Richard Moll included William & Mary as one of the original eight "Public Ivies". The university is also one of the original nine colonial colleges.

The Bishop James Madison Society (BJMS) is a secret society of the College of William & Mary in Virginia. The society is best known through its Last Lecture Series, held each spring semester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Society</span> Secret society at University of Virginia, US

The Seven Society is the most secretive of the University of Virginia's secret societies. Members are only revealed after their death, when a wreath of black magnolias in the shape of a "7" is placed at the gravesite, the bell tower of the University Chapel chimes at seven-second intervals on the seventh dissonant chord when it is seven past the hour, and a notice is published in the university's Alumni News, and often in the Cavalier Daily. The most visible tradition of the society is the painting of the logo of the society, the number 7 surrounded by the signs for alpha (A), omega (Ω), and infinity (∞), and sometimes several stars, upon many buildings around the grounds of the university.

The Flat Hat Club is the popular name of a collegiate secret society and honor fraternity founded in 1750 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The fraternity, formally named the "F.H.C. Society," was founded at the College on November 11, 1750. The society maintains relationships with societies at the University of St. Andrews and Amherst College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wren Building</span> Historic building of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia

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<i>The Flat Hat</i> Newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia

The Flat Hat is the official student newspaper at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. It prints Tuesdays during the College's academic year. It began printing twice-weekly in 2007; since its inception in 1911, The Flat Hat had printed weekly. It returned to weekly printing in 2015. In fall 2020, The Flat Hat began printing biweekly due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Flat Hat staff operates out of its office in William and Mary's Sadler Center.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunken Garden (Virginia)</span> Landscaped area at the College of William & Mary in Virginia

The Sunken Garden is the central element of the Old Campus at the College of William & Mary. The garden consists of a long stretch of grass, about 2.7 acres (1.1 ha), lying lower than the surrounding area, that runs west from the rear of the Wren Building to Crim Dell pond. The area is very popular for students wanting to study outside or play games like Ultimate. Functionally, it is similar to a university quadrangle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Gregg Swem Library</span>

The Earl Gregg Swem Library is located on Landrum Drive at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The library is named for Earl Gregg Swem, College Librarian from 1920-1944. In 2008, the Princeton Review rated William & Mary's library system as the eighth best in the United States. The ranking was based on a survey of 120,000 students from 368 campuses nationwide.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the College of William & Mary</span>

The history of the College of William & Mary can be traced back to a 1693 royal charter establishing "a perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and the good arts and sciences" in the British Colony of Virginia. It fulfilled an early colonial vision dating back to 1618 to construct a university level program modeled after Cambridge and Oxford at Henricus. A plaque on the Wren Building, the college's first structure, ascribes the institution's origin to "the college proposed at Henrico." It was named for the reigning joint monarchs of Great Britain, King William III and Queen Mary II. The selection of the new college's location on high ground at the center ridge of the Virginia Peninsula at the tiny community of Middle Plantation is credited to its first President, Reverend Dr. James Blair, who was also the Commissary of the Bishop of London in Virginia. A few years later, the favorable location and resources of the new school helped Dr. Blair and a committee of 5 students influence the House of Burgesses and Governor Francis Nicholson to move the capital there from Jamestown. The following year, 1699, the town was renamed Williamsburg.

WMTV is the student-run television station at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It plays syndicated television shows, movies and original student-created productions. It was founded in 2001 by Ross Johnston as a spin-off of the College's Student Information Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gentlemen of the College</span> American Tenor/Bass a cappella group

The Gentlemen of the College is a Tenor/Bass singing group, and the oldest Tenor/Bass a cappella group at the College of William & Mary. Founded in 1990 the Gentlemen started out as a men's choir that concentrated in barbershop and traditional pieces—a repertoire that has since evolved to encompass a large selection of contemporary music. Known for their navy blazers, khaki pants, and novelty ties, the Gentlemen perform at the collegiate, local, and national level. The Gentlemen usually field four 'fixed' concerts per year—a Homecoming concert in the Sadler Center, Two "Wren 10"s on the portico of the Wren Building, and a final concert in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall Additionally, the Gentlemen have performed on national television, at The White House, The Capitol the Waldorf Astoria, and for Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The Gentlemen have 21 studio CDs in their discography, having just released their most recent album, YuleTied, in 2023.

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  1. Secrecy
  2. Single-sex membership
  3. Selection of new members based on a two-part vetting and probationary process known as rushing and pledging
  4. Ownership and occupancy of a residential property where undergraduate members live
  5. A set of complex identification symbols that may include Greek letters, armorial achievements, ciphers, badges, grips, hand signs, passwords, flowers, and colors
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus of the College of William & Mary</span>

The College of William & Mary has maintained a campus in what is now Williamsburg, Virginia, since 1693. The cornerstone of the Wren Building, then known as the College Building and the oldest surviving academic building in the United States, was laid in 1695. The college's 18th-century campus includes the College Building, the President's House, and Brafferton–all of which were constructed using slave labor. These buildings were altered and damaged during the succeeding centuries before receiving significant restorations by the Colonial Williamsburg program during the 1920s and 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewell Hall</span> Academic hall at the College of William & Mary

Ewell Hall is an academic building on the campus of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The building was constructed in 1925–1926 on what is now Old Campus, across from Tucker Hall on the Sunken Garden. It was originally named Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall for Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society founded at the College of William & Mary and the oldest such society in the United States. John D. Rockefeller Jr. attended the hall's 1926 dedication; during this visit, W. A. R. Goodwin convinced Rockefeller to participate in a restoration program that became Colonial Williamsburg.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Secret Societies | Special Collections Knowledgebase". William & Mary Libraries. 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Chase (8 April 2008). "Peeking into closed societies" . Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Bracken, Alexandra (October 1, 2008). "Secret society donates Sadler plaque". William & Mary. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Herman, JR (April 23, 2021). "Campus Secret Societies". Flat Hat Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  5. ↑ "Secret Seven Reveals Current Graduates" (PDF). The Flat Hat. 12 January 1943. p. 1. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Millfeld, Becca (2 November 2004). "Shhh! The Secret Side to the College's Lesser Known Societies". The Dog Street Journal. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  7. ↑ Piepenbring, Dan (11 April 2008). "Surreptitious societies not a secret worth keeping". The Flat Hat. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  8. ↑ "William and Mary's The Cord". Secret Societies of. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  9. ↑ "William & Mary 1850 - 1899". 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  10. ↑ "For the curious: the (small) list of secret societies at Cal". 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  11. ↑ "William and Mary's The Cord". 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  12. ↑ The Flat Hat (2009). "About Us" . Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  13. ↑ "University Archives Subject File Collection, 1693-(ongoing)". Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary. Archived from the original on January 15, 2009. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  14. ↑ "Live Oak Society - Special Collections Research Center Wiki". William and Mary. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
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