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).
The sign of the Seven Society on a plaque outside Old Cabell Hall
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]
^ abLadt, 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.
^Dabney, 305.
^Cooper, Patricia (2003-09-04). "A Mark to Remember". Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14.
^Hofler, Julie (2000-10-11). "Tall tales illuminate history of Jeffersonian landmark". Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on 2012-05-03.
The SevenSociety (founded 1905) is the most secretive of the University of Virginia's secret societies. Members are only revealed after their death,...
several newer societies and six societies that have been active for more than 100 years, including SevenSociety, Z Society, IMP Society, Eli Banana, T...
The Society of Seven (SOS) is a musical group that performs a variety show of the same name. Based in Hawaii, it was formed in 1969 from the pop group...
Children's literature portal The Secret Seven or Secret SevenSociety is a fictional group of child detectives created by Enid Blyton and based on the...
The Seven and Five Society was an art group of seven painters and five sculptors created in 1919 and based in London. The group was originally intended...
membership secret, for example SevenSociety and Gridiron, and some have not, like Skull and Bones (the Yale societies had published their membership...
every year. Like the SevenSociety and IMP Society, the Z Society is known to paint its symbol around university grounds. The Z Society was founded in 1892...
lists are presented below. In 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers compiled a list of Seven Wonders of the Modern World, paying tribute to the...
Pentecostal and evangelical Christianity. It holds that there are seven aspects of society that believers seek to influence: family, religion, education,...
theologians and the seven deadly sins". Scholarly Community at the Early University of Paris: Theologians, Education and Society. Cambridge University...
Oak Society as "Doby's Seven Sisters" (No. 200) because the Doby family owned the property where the tree was located and Mrs. Doby was one of seven sisters...
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. According...
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, also known as the Seven Wonders of the World or simply the Seven Wonders, is a list of seven notable structures...
death. He was a member of the Virginia Historical Society for fifty-two years, including forty-seven years on its executive committee and thirty-two as...
A society (/səˈsaɪəti/) is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social...
Seven Psychopaths is a 2012 satirical crime comedy-drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh and starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell...
Mercury Seven were the group of seven astronauts selected to fly spacecraft for Project Mercury. They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut...
1825, in Room Seven, West Lawn at the University of Virginia. Named for the founder of the University, Thomas Jefferson, the society regularly meets...
The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and the Seven Churches of Asia, are seven major churches of early...
number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, superstition and philosophy. The seven Classical planets resulted in seven being...
Seven Samurai (Japanese: 七人の侍, Hepburn: Shichinin no Samurai) is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai action film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa...
indicating their membership in the organization. Like the SevenSociety and Z Society, the IMP Society is known to paint its symbol around university grounds...
Scissor Seven (also known as Killer 7) is a Chinese animated series. It was released internationally under the name Scissor Seven on Netflix. A film sequel...
Eureka Seven, known in Japan as Psalms of Planets Eureka Seven (Japanese: 交響詩篇エウレカセブン, Hepburn: Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun, lit. "Symphonic Psalms Eureka...
Global Information