Dispatches From the University of Virginia (Patreon)

I found myself at the University of Virginia (or UVA, as its known locally) earlier in the month. My destination and purpose were the school library and the OG Fortean Society's papers, respectively. This was part of my efforts to do a banger presentation on said group at the Philosophical Research Society in LA on 4/24/24.

My trip to the UVA, despite less than ideal weather, proved to be a pleasant experience. And I won't deny nerding out over actually holding letters written by Charles Fort or the original manuscript of Lo! in my hands. I've gone to my fair share of archives now, but this is the first time I've gone to someone's I'm a fan of. Which is probably why I had a stupid grin on my face while photographing these documents.

As I was leaving the library, I encountered quite a sight:

My first thought was: "No way! The UVA has a Mothman statue!"

But upon closer inspection, I realized this was a horse of another color. Fittingly, this beauty is named "The Aviator." Officially, this thing is in honor of UVA alumnus James Rogers McConnell. He was an early pilot who served in World War One. As the story goes, he was the last American pilot to die under French colors before the US formally entered the war.

 What really caught my attention was the group that dedicated the statue:

As the marker states, McConnell was a member of the Seven Society. This is one of the oldest of the UVA's storied secret societies, and reputedly the most secretive of the bunch. As one would image, the Seven Society has counted some real characters among its ranks. Probably the most notorious was OSS veteran and early CIA grandmaster Frank Wisner.

While its never been confirmed, the Seven Society has long been rumored to be another chapter of the College of William and Mary 's Seven Society, Order of the Crown and Dagger. William and Mary is the second oldest college in these United States, and the Seven Society is its oldest secret society. Which means the Seven Society is probably the oldest collegial secret society in this country. Its believed to have been founded in 1826. By contrast, the much more well-known Skull and Bones wasn't founded until 1832. Officially, very little is known about the Seven Society's early history as it records were supposedly lost during the American Civil War.

Charles Fort would have no doubt loved that several of his letters and the Lo! manuscript are housed right next to this thing. With any luck, my presentation will be equally fitting for the society bearing his name. If you're in the LA area, consider taking in the show next week.