The Loyal Order of Moose is a fraternal and service organization founded in 1888 and headquartered in Mooseheart, Illinois.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City.
Charles Harris Wesley was an American historian, educator, minister, and author. He published more than 15 books on African-American history, taught for decades at Howard University, and served as president of Wilberforce University, and founding president of Central State University, both in Ohio.
A fraternal order is a fraternity organised as an order, with traits alluding to religious, chivalric or pseudo-chivalric orders, guilds, or secret societies. Contemporary fraternal orders typically have secular purposes, including social, cultural and mutually beneficial or charitable aims. Many friendly societies, benefit societies and mutual organisations take the form of a fraternal order.
The Naval Lodge Elks Building, also known as Naval Lodge No. 353 BPOE Temple is a historic building located at 131 East First Street, Port Angeles, Washington. It was first envisioned on September 28, 1896 when the city leaders of Port Angeles, Washington met with members of the Navy to found Naval Lodge No. 353 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The lodge also received special approval from the national Grand Lodge of Elks to become the only Elks Lodge in the country whose name was not based on its location. The lodge was built in 1927 following designs by architect J. Charles Stanley. When dedicated in 1928, the building was the largest fraternal lodge in the city. It is still used today as an Elks Lodge.
A fraternity or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western concept developed in the Christian context, notably with the religious orders in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. The concept was eventually further extended with medieval confraternities and guilds. In the early modern era, these were followed by fraternal orders such as Freemasons and Odd Fellows, along with gentlemen's clubs, student fraternities, and fraternal service organizations. Members are occasionally referred to as a brother or – usually in a religious context – Frater or Friar.
The American Fraternal Alliance (AFA) is an umbrella group of fraternal orders in the United States. It was founded as the National Fraternal Congress of America in 1913, in Chicago and adopted its current name in 2011.
The Supreme Emblem Club of the United States of America is the unofficial auxiliary of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
The Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW) is an African-American fraternal order modeled on the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. It was established in 1897 in the United States. In the early 21st century, it has 500,000 members and 1500 lodges in the world.
The Daughters of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World are the female auxiliary of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World, an African American spin off of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Like the latter organization, which officially has female auxiliaries, the Daughters are also officially recognized and encouraged by its male counterpart.
The Order of Royal Purple was the female auxiliary of the Elks of Canada. Unlike their counterparts in the United States, who have never been officially recognized by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the ORP was officially recognized by the Elks of Canada.
The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, American Jurisdiction is a jurisdiction of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows in the United States, Jamaica, Canada, South America, and other locations. Since its founding in 1843, its membership has principally included African Americans, due to black people being discriminated against, as was the norm in fraternal orders in America during the 1700–1800s.
The Prince Hall Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic appendant body affiliated with Prince Hall Freemasonry. It functions as a predominantly African-American equivalent of the mainstream Order of the Eastern Star.
The Golden Age of Fraternalism is a term referring to a period when membership in the fraternal societies in the United States grew at a very rapid pace in the latter third of the 19th century and continuing into the first part of the 20th. At its peak, it was suggested that as much as 40% of the adult male population held membership in at least one fraternal order.
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 878 is a historic Elks lodge on Queens Boulevard in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The 3+1⁄2-story Italian Renaissance-style main building and two-story annex were both built in 1923–1924 and designed by the Ballinger Company. A three-story rear addition was added in 1930.
The Carver Center, formerly known as the Sunlight Elks Lodge, is a historic Colonial Revival style brick building located at 40 Fowler Street in the City of Trenton in Mercer County, New Jersey. It was named after George Washington Carver, African-American agricultural scientist and inventor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 7, 2022, for its significance in ethnic heritage.
