Curious Secret Society 18 carat gold Medusa pendant c.1900.
1.5cms.
This unusual little mask relates to The Order of the Gorgon's Head , a secret society at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founded in 1896 by  Darius Eatman, Edward Kidder Graham, Ralph Henry Graves, Samuel Selden Lamb, Richard Henry Lewis Jr., and Percy DePonceau Whitaker. to promote friendship, goodwill and fellowship among members in their junior, senior, or graduate years. The society is known for its secret meetings at the Gorgon's Head Lodge, a hidden building near Franklin Street, and has a rich history intertwined with other UNC secret societies. 
A rare piece of American history.