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.
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Over the years a number of very generous gifts have been donated by the society (often revealed in theatrical fashion). For example, during the commencement address in 1947, a small explosion interrupted the proceedings and all assembled were surprised to see a check for $177,777.77 float dramatically to the ground. The amount was used to create a fund to help bail out any faculty member or student who found themselves in financial difficulties. Members of the Seven Society are only revealed on their death; at one time, a wreath of black magnolias in the shape of a seven was always placed at their grave.
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2. THE BULLINGDON CLUB, OXFORD UNIVERSITY // DRUNKENNESS AND VANDALISM
One of the most notorious, riotous, and exclusive of the college secret societies in the United Kingdom is the Bullingdon Club of Oxford University, which was founded around 1780. Its members are selected from the aristocracy and the most prominent banking, business, and political families in Britain. Former members have gone on to form a network of individuals in the top seats of power.
With such a successful alumni one might think that the Bullingdon must be an intellectual society, but it is far more concerned with fine dining. The club meets regularly for elaborate dinners and it has been alleged that many of these affairs have ended with restaurants being
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trashed, mischief being made, and the police being called. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron, former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, and former Mayor of London Boris Johnson have been dogged by a famous photo of them all dressed up in their bow-ties and tails for a group photo of Bullingdon Club members in 1987—such was the toxicity of the photograph that it has been withdrawn from use as the politicians struggled to distance themselves from the hell-raising society.
It is rumoured that the initiation ceremony is to have your dorm room ransacked by fellow members, and tales abound of drunkenness, vandalism, and strippers (perhaps unsurprisingly, women are not allowed in the club). Despite its bawdy reputation, former members of this exclusive club have gone on to great things, perhaps proving that a misspent youth is no barrier to success.
3. SKULL AND BONES, YALE // PRESTIGIOUS POLITICAL ALUMNI
The Skull & Bones “tomb.” Image credit: Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain
One of the most famous (and infamous) secret college societies in the U.S. is the Skull and Bones at Yale. Previous alumni include such notables as George Bush senior, George W. Bush, and John Kerry. Established in 1832, the very secretive society has just 15 senior members at any one time, who they meet twice a week in their windowless private meeting room known as “The Tomb.” Each year 15 new members are chosen to join the select club, and it is rumoured new members each receives $15,000 and a grandfather clock. Prominent families often make up much of the membership and the subsequent success—both politically and in business—indicates the prestige and level of exclusivity that membership bestows. Many legends surround the group, the most famous perhaps being that in 1918 a team of Bonesmen (allegedly including Prescott Bush, father of George H. W. Bush) stationed near Fort Sill, Oklahoma dug up the skull of Apache leader Geronimo (who died there in 1909 after years as a prisoner of war) and took it back to their HQ as a trophy.
4. ORDER OF GIMGHOUL, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA // CREEPY …
Gimghoul Castle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Image credit:THE evil fluffy face via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
One of the spookiest college secret societies is the Order of Gimghoul, created in 1889 for students of the University of North Carolina. The society was originally called the Order of Droomgole after the mysterious disappearance of Peter Droomgole, who vanished from campus in 1833 after losing a duel with a love rival, but the name was later changed to Gimghoul because it sounded more sinister. The all-male Order
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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.
