Early History
The Mystical Seven was founded in 1837, just six years after the founding of Wesleyan University. It was officially recognized by the university on October 16, 1837. It was Wesleyan's first society, founded a half year before Eclectic (May 1838). Of the seven founding members, senior Hamilton Brewer was recognized as primus inter pares behind the establishment of the society. The members met each week at their meeting space in the furnished attic of Wesleyan's North College. The society began Wesleyan's first student publication, The Classic, in 1840.
The Mystical Seven is always referred to as a society, but it is one of the early college fraternities. Through the 1840s and 1850s it was a peer organization with Wesleyan's Eclectic Society, Psi Upsilon, Alpha Delta Phi and Chi Psi. However, instead of Greek references, it chose Hebraic. I.K.A. at Trinity (1829), and Skull and Bones at Yale (1832), were other nearby non-Greek inspired college fraternities.
From about 1856 to 1865 the Mystical Seven was partners in the Alpha Eating Club with the Eclectic Society.
The society was especially known for the quality of its arcana. "Never have I seen anything so original, so quaint, so completely unique, or irresistible in its solemn humor, as the Mystical Seven initiation and the ceremonies of its meetings." A similar commentator noted that the Mystical Seven, "in some respects among the most ambitious efforts at creating a college secret society with a good ritual."
The Mystical Seven also had a serious academic and philosophical aspect, including public events like bringing Ralph Waldo Emerson to speak at the campus, or later Orestes Brownson, whose address to the society was later published as "Social Reform: An Address Before the Society of the Mystical Seven".
The Mystical Seven was the first college fraternal organization to admit women, and initiated several during the 1840s. Later a law was enacted in the society that allowed the wife of a member to become initiated at that member's discretion.
The Mystical Seven expanded to several other universities. The chapters of the society were recognized as "temples", with the "Temple of the Wand" being the parent chapter at Wesleyan. In 1841, the first temple was founded outside of Wesleyan, when Mystical Seven was established at Emory University. Henry Branham brought the society from Wesleyan to Emory, and there interested in membership the president of the university, Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, the humorist author of Georgia Scenes. Branham later became Longstreet's son-in-law. Longstreet, his two daughters, and his two sons-in-law were all eventually made Mystics. When Longstreet moved his family to Oxford, Mississippi to become president of the University of Mississippi, they created the Temple of the Star at Mississippi. Historical accounts conflict as to whether or not the Temple of the Wand recognized the legitimacy of any of the other temples founded throughout southern universities. Most were established by one another, with Emory being the only one that may have had a direct tie back to the Wesleyan temple.
- Temple of the Wand - Wesleyan University - 1837
- Temple of the Sword - Emory University - 1841-1860
- Temple of the Wreath (first) - Transylvania University - 1843-1844
- Temple of the Skull - University of Georgia - 1846-1854
- Temple of the Star - University of Mississippi - 1848-1878
- Temple of the Wreath - Centenary College - 1849-1861
- Temple of the Scroll & Pen - Genesee College - 1855-1871
- Temple of the Hands and Torch - University of Virginia - 1868-1885
- Temple of the Serpent - Cumberland University - 1867-1873
- Temple of the Star and of the South - University of North Carolina - 1884-1885 (founded by Temple of the Hands and Torch)
- Temple of the Sword and Shield - Davidson College - 1884-1885 (founded by Temple of the Hands and Torch)
The Transylvania temple was destroyed in the Mexican War. The Wesleyan, Emory, Centenary, and Georgia temples did not survive the Civil War. The Genesee temple did not survive the closing of the college. The Mississippi temple did not survive campus politics.
The Mississippi temple did create the Virginia temple, but did not pass to it the traditions of the society.
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