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Lodges & Fraternal Orders

Lodges & Fraternal Orders

The Knights of Pythias, in both of the era's orders

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By 1880 — the twentieth century

Crusade Lodge and its parallel: The Knights of Pythias, founded in Washington in 1864 on the friendship of Damon and Pythias, was in South Bend by 1880: Chapman records Crusade Lodge No. 14 as the order's only representative, meeting every Tuesday evening in the Homer Block, with John Steele as Chancellor Commander. The lodge grew the order's full local shape over the next generation — a Uniform Rank company (South Bend Company No. 12), and the Pythian Sisters' Moonlight Temple, Rathbone Sisters No. 255 in Howard's roster of 1907, still Moonlight Temple No. 255 in the directory of 1921, meeting in the lodge's own K. of P. Hall at 234–236 South Michigan. Beside it, at a separate address and in a separate grand lodge, stood the Black order of the same name: the Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia kept St. Joseph Lodge No. 51 in South Bend, meeting the second and fourth Mondays at 210 North Main, with Edward Curtis as chancellor commander in 1921, and its women's auxiliary, Northern Star Court No. 23, meeting at the same hall with Rose Bell as worthy chancellor. The two Pythian orders, like the two Masonic grand lodges and the two Odd Fellow traditions, are one of the lodge age's plainest facts: the fraternal idea was universal in South Bend, and its institutions were built twice, once for each side of the color line the age enforced.

Sources:

  1. Chapman (1880), "Knights of Pythias" — Crusade Lodge No. 14, officers, Homer Block.
  2. Howard (1907), societies chapter — Uniform Rank Co. No. 12; Rathbone Sisters No. 255.
  3. Polk (1921), "Knights of Pythias" and "Knights of Pythias (Colored)" — Moonlight Temple No. 255; St. Joseph Lodge No. 51; Northern Star Court No. 23, with officers and halls.

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Source: The Knights of Pythias, in both of the era's orders, Moosed History by Project Moosed, https://history.projectmoosed.com/usa/midwest/indiana/south-bend/secret-societies/knights-of-pythias-in-both-of-the-era-s/