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- The Black Hat Society
- A Documented History - By SpringWolf
 Was the "original" meeting
of the Black Hat Society part of a novel written during the turn of the
1900s
when mysticism was popular in Victorian society? Was it a tongue in
cheek artistic rendering by an artist as a lark or fun spooky holiday
decoration? Sadly it's hard to tell. What I have found is information
about secret societies that meet in earlier centuries, but those
organizations disbanded or were destroyed in some fashion during those
eras. And none of those used the name "Black Hat" or "Black Hat
Society". -
- Do an online search and you can find a large number
of people claiming to be members of or linked to the original Black Hat
Society
which has been meeting since 1692. What is harder to find is historical
evidence that supports the claim, or the claim that the
Society has actually been in
existence since 1692.
-
- I have been researching the origins of the original
organization that supposedly meet in Salem behind closed doors since
the 17th century, but sadly I have found nothing of such a Society.
There are no historical records, family documents, or organizational
history to be found.
-
- The claim is more modern for commercial purposes,
than based in historical fact. But many want to create the 'link'
between
the date and the idea that such a Society really existed.
-
- In modern times there are many organizations
claiming to be the "official" site or group of the Black Hat Society.
But in searching these groups what I have found are people/businesses
who latched onto the title and have created social networks using the
Society name. I believe these organizations are doing a positive
service to the pagan community. But the claim to be the "official" this
or that in conjunction with the "Since 1692" claim, is rather
misleading. And that I think isn't a good thing.
-
- From my research thus far, I have found
organizations using this name since the late 1960s. But nothing prior
to that. Nearly all of those are commercial in nature. I was hoping to
find something relating to the Mystical
movement during the Victorian Era in the late 1800s, but that proved
unfounded as well. I have researched newspapers dating as far back as
the late 1700s with no mention of the Society favorable or not
favorable. No
periodicals of any kind mention the society in the Library of Congress
archives. At least none that I have found.
-
- I have written many people about vintage signs,
artistic paintings and written stories, but I have not been able to
find anyone who can give legitimate evidence to the claim that the
Society has been in existence since 1692.
-
- The result of this research make it highly unlikely
that this Society existed in 1692
and that it has continued in existence some 400+ years unabated and
uninterrupted. Anything is possible of course, but such an organization
would have come out of the broom closet at the very least in the 1890s
when mysticism was at it's height. Over time it would have shown it's
strength and power in numbers and even in politics through the
following decades. Or rumors of such a long standing organization would
have arisen earlier than the 1960s. Sadly it appears these claims of
17th century origins are unfounded.
-
 Meeting Since 1692
- So what is it about the date that causes people to
think there was actually a Witch's Society in the 17th Century. Well
that one is easy, 1692 is the year the Salem Witch Trials took place in
Massachusetts. From June through September of 1692, nineteen men and
women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were carted off to
Gallows Hill, a barren slope near Salem Village, for hanging. Another
man over eighty years old was pressed to death under heavy stones for
refusing to submit to a trial on witchcraft charges. Hundreds of others
faced accusations of witchcraft; dozens languished in jail for months
without trials until the hysteria that swept through Puritan
Massachusetts subsided. There is a very interesting set of articles at UM-KC
School of Law on this subject.
-
- The Salem Witch Trials are just part of history
that Witch's refer to as "The Burning Times" but to some degree that
isn't accurate either. The Burning Times began much earlier in Europe
and were actually slowly winding down. Historical records show trials
began from the 14th century to the mid 18th century, the vast majority
of heretics were tried from 1550 to 1650. In the new American Colony of
Puritans much of his hysteria was far away and for the most part didn't
affect Colonists. Except in Massachusetts and the perceptions of a few
influential men who terrorized the residents of Salem for several
months.
-
- But for Americans, Salem is closer to home and
therefore seemingly we feel more connected to this time and place.
Touring Salem you'll find many souvenirs with 1692 embroidered or
pasted on to a variety of objects. They're great tourist items and mark
a dark time in Salem's history.
-
- It's important to note however that the people who
were killed in Salem were not Witches. They were victims of prejudice
and hysteria and the majority of them claimed to be devout Christians.
The "meeting" of the witches in Salem was not truly a Society of
witches that joined forces for ritual or ceremony. The idea isn't part
of history, but rather part of the hype and story which in some ways
re-writes history for the purpose of selling or even misleading for
profit.
-
- I'm fascinated with pagan and witchcraft history,
so I'm still open to the idea that such a Society might have existed.
If you have any information to share about the Society and it's
origins, I welcome the information and hope you will contact me with new leads or
even better, any type of verifiable evidence.
-
- The Modern Black Hat Society
- At this time there isn't a global or even an
American sanctioning body called The Black Hat Society. What you will
find are many private groups or internet networks that attempt to
create social media sites or meet ups for their areas. Many are stores
anxious to gain customers others are grass roots organizations who are
attempting to link a "historical" name to their local groups. The name
and idea are not new, but individuals need to be careful and verify
organizations making claims before handing over any hard earned
money.
-
- One of the oldest organizations I found has nothing
to do with pagans, witches or charity. The "Black Hat" label is also
associated with a large organization for internet hackers.
There is also a Black Hat group in the mid-west that ties the name to
the American Cowboy and provides an outlet for charity work in their
area.
-
- In the end, the name itself has been over used and
in some situations mis-used through out the world. And the result still
remains, there is no national or international sanctioning body for
local chapters who wish to organize and perform charity work in their
areas.
 Order Of The Black Hat & Broom
- To provide an answer to the need for a
sanctioning body and national organization, Spring's Haven began the
process of establishing a charitable group in 2008. At first we took on
the
name "Black Hat Society of Virginia". Sadly we receive less than
positive results with the name. Though we did peek the interest of
several people outside the commonwealth who wanted to join our
organization or become charter members and start their own chapters in
their home state.
-
- We began the process of rebranding in June of
2011 to the
 .
We have established copyright and trademark rights to the name and
papers have been filed to incorporate this as a national organization
and to establish the Central Virginia Chapter as the first chapter in
the Order.
-
- We still have more work to do,
but we hope by the fall of 2011 we'll be able to offer others
interested in establishing a local chapter in their area with the
necessary charter and membership sanctions. Stay tuned. There's much
more to come as the National Chapter gets rolling over the next
months.
- .
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