Seven Society

This article is about a secret society at the University of Virginia. For the College of William & Mary secret society, see Seven Society (College of William & Mary). For other uses, see Seven Society (disambiguation).
Seven Society
The sign of the Seven Society on a plaque outside Old Cabell Hall
Seven Society sign on a plaque outside Old Cabell Hall
Founded1905; 119 years ago (1905)
University of Virginia
TypeSecret society
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
ScopeLocal
SymbolInfinity sign and the number 7
Chapters1
HeadquartersCharlottesville, Virginia
United States

The Seven Society (founded 1905)[1] 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.[2]

There is no clear history of the founding of the society. There is a legend that, of eight men who planned to meet for a card game, only seven showed up,[3] and they formed the society. Other histories claim that the misbehavior of other secret societies, specifically the Hot Feet (later the IMP Society), led University President Edwin A. Alderman to call both the Hot Feet and the Z Society into his office and suggest that a more "beneficial organization" was needed.[1]

The only known method to successfully contact the Seven Society is to place a letter at the Thomas Jefferson statue inside the university's historic Rotunda (accounts differ on the exact placement of the letter, either on the base or in the crook of the statue's arm).[4]

  1. ^ a b Ladt, Carroll (1968-02-07). "More Than $50,000 Awarded: Seven's History Of Gifts, Pranks Recalled". Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20.
  2. ^ Dabney, 305.
  3. ^ Cooper, Patricia (2003-09-04). "A Mark to Remember". Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14.
  4. ^ Hofler, Julie (2000-10-11). "Tall tales illuminate history of Jeffersonian landmark". Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on 2012-05-03.