This image is the cover for the book Secret Societies in Detroit

Secret Societies in Detroit

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.

Bill Loomis

Motor City native Bill Loomis is the author of Detroit's Delectable Past, Detroit Food and On This Day in Detroit History, as well as numerous articles for the Detroit News, Michigan History Magazine, Hour Detroit, Crains Business Detroit and a variety of national media, such as the New York Times. He has been interviewed on the PBS radio show Splendid Table and is a regular contributor to Stateside with Cynthia Canty on PBS-WUOM in Ann Arbor. He also appears regularly on Detroit talk shows and history-based shows like Mysteries at the Museum. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and four children.

The History Press