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Book

Secret societies in Detroit

Call Numbers

  • 366 L8636 (CEN)
  • H 366 L8636 (CEN)

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Publication Information

Charleston, SC : The History Press, 2021.

Physical Description

175 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 23 cm

Summary

"Secret societies have operated in Detroit for most of the city's history. Many started for fun and companionship. Others had more serious ends in mind. The African American Mysteries: The Order of the Men of Oppression helped enslaved people escape the South for freedom in Canada. During the Civil War, so-called black lantern societies like the Knights of the Golden Circle and the Union League waged a covert war in Detroit and across the northern Midwest. In the last century, it wasn't uncommon for a sober suburbanite to catch the train to Detroit and don yellow silk pantaloons, a purple fez and embroidered vest to drink "Tarantula juice." Join Bill Loomis in this fascinating look into the secret world of these groups."--Back cover.

Contents

  • Part I. Before the Civil War
  • Part II. Victorian Detroit
  • Part III. Twentieth-Century Detroit.

Subjects