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- Documented History - By Lady SpringWolf D.D., Ph.D.
 So was the "original"
meeting of the 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".
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- Do an online search and you can find a large number of people
claiming to be members of or linked to The Black Hat Society
which has been meeting since 1692. What is harder to find is
historical evidence that supports the claim that the Society
has actually been in existence since 1692.
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- 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.
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- The claim is more modern for commercial purposes, than based
in historical fact. But many want create the 'link' between the
date and the idea that such a Society really existed.
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- 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 1962" claim,
is rather misleading. And that I think isn't a good thing.
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- From my research thus far, I have found organizations using
this name since the late 1960s. But nothing prior to that. 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. No
periodicals of any kind mention the society in the Library of
Congress archives. At least that I've found.
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- 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.
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- It is unlikely that this Society existed in 1692 and 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.
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 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- The 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 networks for their Community.
If you're looking for a group in your area, conduct a search
at Google for Black Hat Society and the name of your location
or state. You'll probably find several groups, but do your research
and find out what you can about the organization before you give
money or establish an affiliation with the group.
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