The Flat Hat Club, founded 1750, was the first collegiate secret societies founded in the United States. As the FHC Society, it remains one of at least five secret societies at the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1776, Phi Beta Kappa was also founded as a secret society at William and Mary. PBK, in turn, inspired the founding of the country's most famous student secret society, Yale's Skull and Bones. There are now at least five secret societies at William and Mary, including the 7 Society, the 13 Club, the Alpha Club, the FHC, and the Bishop James Madison Society.
