Showing results for "A Society" in State & Local

The history of secret societies is often a tapestry of myth, conjecture, and fragmented records, but few organizations carry the weight of mystery associated with the Sphinx Society. Founded on the principle that ancient architectural wonders were not merely monuments but repositories of pre-diluvian knowledge, the Society has operated in the shadows of academia and theology for centuries. To understand the Sphinx Society, one must first understand the symbol from which it takes its name.

The compelling, poignant true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal—some of whom learned the truth from Lisa Wingate’s bestselling novel Before We Were Yours and were reunited with birth family members as a result of its wide reach From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a...

Step behind the heavy iron doors of America’s most exclusive collegiate orders. For nearly two centuries, the "Ancient Eight" senior societies of Yale University have operated as a shadow government within the Ivy League, cultivating the future leaders of industry, law, and politics. This comprehensive volume offers an unprecedented look into the windowless tombs of New Haven, providing a meticulous examination of the rituals and legacies that define these institutions.

Dave Richards, an alum of Yale, sheds some light on the lesser known stories of Yale's secret societies. He takes us through the history from Phi Beta Kappa in the American Revolution (originally a social and drinking society) through Skull and Bones and its rivals in the 19th and 20th centuries. While there have been articles and books on some of those societies, there has never been a scholarly history of the system as a whole.

The history of the world is often written by the victors, but the true architecture of human progress is frequently designed in the shadows. For centuries, a clandestine thread has woven itself through the tapestry of Western civilization, connecting the stone laboratories of the seventeenth century to the fiber optic cables of the modern age.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an institution defined by its light, yet its most enduring legend is born of the shadows. To walk the brick paths of the oldest public university in the nation is to tread upon layers of history that are both academic and spectral. While the university officially prizes the transparency of research and the democratic ideal of public education, there exists on its eastern edge a silent contradiction. There, atop the ridge of Piney Prospect, sits a stone for-tress that has guarded the secrets of a select few for over a century.

The Seven Society stands as the most enigmatic and enduring secret organization within the University of Virginia. While many collegiate secret societies across the United States, such as Yale’s Skull and Bones or Princeton’s Ivy Club, have allowed their histories to be parsed through public records or published memoirs, the Seven Society remains shielded by a veil of strict anonymity and profound silence.

In the dense fabric of American history, the Rollin's Society re-mains one of the most enigmatic organizations to have navigated the shadows of political and social upheaval. While often mistaken for contemporary fraternal orders or civic clubs, this clandestine circle operated with a level of intentionality that bridged the gap between radical Reconstructionist activism and esoteric philosophy.

The history of the Yale University landscape is often characterized by its Gothic spires and the cloistered nature of its senior societies; however, few organizations occupy a space as unique as the Aurelian Honor Society. Established in 1910, the society was born from a desire to bridge the gap between the disparate factions of the student body, specifically within the Sheffield Scientific School.

To understand the history of the Stewards is to attempt to grasp the shape of the wind. For nearly four centuries, this silent collective has operated beneath the surface of official histories, leaving behind no monuments, no signed treaties, and no public martyrs. While other secret societies like the Freemasons or the Rosicrucians eventually allowed their rituals to be cataloged and their symbols to be sold in gift shops, the Stewards remained committed to a much more difficult path: absolute, functional invisibility. They did not seek to be known, they sought to be effective.

The history of secret societies is often a tapestry woven from threads of genuine civic duty, collegiate tradition, and the inevitable allure of mystique. Among these organizations, the Burning Spear Society at Florida State University stands as a unique case study in how institutional influence and student leadership can merge into a powerful, albeit often controversial, force.

The history of the Quill and Dagger secret society at Cornell University is a narrative of prestige, hidden influence, and the evolution of the American collegiate elite. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the society has occupied a unique position in the social hierarchy of Ithaca, New York, acting as both a guarded sanctuary for the university's most influential student leaders and a visible pillar of campus tradition.

The history of the Anak Society at the Georgia Institute of Technology is a narrative woven into the very red clay of Atlanta. To understand this organization, one must first understand the environment of the early twentieth century American South, a time when collegiate identity was being forged through a mixture of Victorian fraternal ideals and a burgeoning sense of industrial progress. Founded in 1908, the Anak Society was not merely a social club; it was designed as a vanguard of student leadership, intended to guide the campus through its formative decades.

In the autumn of 1890, the wind sweeping across the gorges of Ithaca, New York, carried with it the whispers of a new era. Cornell University, then a young but rapidly ascending institution founded on the principles of egalitarianism and practical education, was becoming a fertile ground for a different kind of tradition. While the university’s founder, Ezra Cornell, had famously declared an intent to found an institution where "any person can find instruction in any study," a group of ambitious seniors sought to create a more exclusive echelon within that democratic framework.

For listeners of the Ninth House series looking to discover the real history behind the Mace & Chain secret society... The architectural landscape of Yale University is famously punctuated by windowless, fortress-like structures that house some of the most secretive organizations in the Western world. These tombs, as they are colloquially known, represent a lineage of power and privilege that stretches back to the early nineteenth century.

A lively history of the Watch and Ward Society - New England's notorious literary censor for over eighty years. Banned in Boston is the first-ever history of the Watch and Ward Society - once Boston's unofficial moral guardian. An influential watchdog organization, bankrolled by society's upper crust, it actively suppressed vices like gambling and prostitution, and oversaw the mass censorship of books and plays.

An oral history of Dr. Evelyn Antonetty, Kingsbridge Vignettes, Allerton in the 1940s and 1950s, and more!

The history of the Porcellian Club is not merely the story of a collegiate social group; it is a narrative woven into the very fabric of the American elite. Founded in the late eighteenth century at Harvard University, this institution represents one of the old-est and most exclusive secret societies in the United States. Its longevity is a testament to the enduring power of tradition, social standing, and the bonds of brotherhood that transcend generations.

Beneath the arched elms of New Haven, a tradition of deliberate exclusion and quiet fraternity took root in the late nineteenth century; it shaped the minds of future leaders behind closed doors. The St. Elmo Society, known colloquially as Elmo's, stands as one of the "Ancient Eight" senior societies at Yale University. Founded in 1889, it emerged not as a direct rival to the established "tombs" of Skull and Bones or Scroll and Key, but as a specific refuge for students of the Sheffield Scientific School.

In the hallowed halls of academia, where tradition and mystery often intertwine, few organizations have maintained such a steadfast commitment to secrecy and social advocacy as the LSV society at the University of Missouri. Founded in 1908, this elusive sisterhood emerged during a period of significant social upheaval, providing a clandestine platform for women to challenge the patriarchal structures of higher education.