The Untold Story Of This North Carolina Castle And Its Secret Society Is Astounding

Castles, in general, have a mysterious intrigue. North Carolina has eight castles, all of which have a spellbinding affect upon the mind. One of them is home to a secret society founded in 1889 and as if housing a secret order isn’t baffling enough, the castle is also surrounded by a myriad of legends.

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First things first: the secret society. Flickr/Boston Public Library In 1889, a small group of college students at the University of North Carolina decided a secret club was in order. The new secret society eventually decided upon on a well-intended Arthurian mission based upon chivalry. Initially, they called themselves the Order of the Dromgoole. TripAdvisor/tsaylor79 There was (and still is) a legend circulating around Chapel Hill about a young college student named Dromgoole, who in 1833, fought to his death in a duel over the hand of a local girl with whom his dueling opponent was also in love. Several legends surround how that duel played out, but all of them end up with Dromgoole losing the face-off. The most heinous version places the body of Dromgoole under a rock (supposedly behind the castle) that's forever stained with his blood. As the secret society grew, it became clear that the Order of the Dromgoole would need a place to meet. Virtual Museum UNC In another twist, they eventually changed their name to the Order of the Gimgoole, which was later changed to Gimghoul. In 1924, $50,000 was spent on constructing their meeting place: Hippol Castle, now commonly referred to as Gimghoul Castle. During the construction, artisans from France were hired to break apart 1300 tons of stone that now cover the castle's beautiful exterior. TripAdvisor/Sburris65 As for the secret society, it's still active and new members are only added by invitation. It's said that it's only open to a select group of (very wealthy) juniors and seniors at UNC, as well as a few faculty members. Gimghoul Castle is reportedly still home to the secret meetings of a secret society of men formed in 1889. The photo below may or may not be an image depicting members of the secret society. The footnote with the photo indicates it was taken in 1954. It is housed in the University of North Carolina's digital library, a virtual museum of North Carolina history. The photo is in a collection of two digital images labeled "Order of Gimghoul." Virtual Museum UNC According to this link the UNC University Archives contains 4,000 items related to the Order of Gimghoul, a collection which occupies six linear feet of shelf space. The items are available for public browsing; however, there is a caveat: only items 50 years and older are available to the public. What do you know about the secret society at Chapel Hill known as the Order of Gimghoul? We'd love to know! TripAdvisor/jainsea

Today, Gimghoul Castle is on private property. Trespassing is not allowed.

For some fascinating North Carolina legends (of the scary kind… ), keep reading here!