Alabama Fraternal Lodges

About Fraternal Organizations in Alabama

A deep look at the history, oldest lodges, membership process, and notable members of fraternal organizations across Alabama.

History of Fraternal Organizations in Alabama

Alabama's fraternal heritage runs deep through the cotton economy of the antebellum era, the wrenching upheaval of the Civil War, and the industrial reshaping of Birmingham at the close of the nineteenth century. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows planted some of the earliest fraternal roots in the state, with Alabama Lodge No. 1 IOOF chartered in Mobile in 1842, just three years after Alabama joined the national IOOF jurisdiction. By 1860, Odd Fellows lodges existed in Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, Tuscaloosa, and Huntsville, providing the burial insurance, sick benefits, and brotherly aid that pre-industrial America had no other mechanism to deliver.

The Civil War devastated these lodges, but Reconstruction brought a fraternal revival as veterans on both sides sought ritual fellowship and the practical death-benefit security that fraternal orders alone could provide. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks reached Alabama in 1888 when Birmingham Elks Lodge No. 79 was chartered on June 21 of that year, riding the wave of Birmingham's iron-and-steel boom. The Magic City lodge counted railroad executives, mine owners, and civic leaders among its founding members and quickly became a fixture of Birmingham's downtown business culture.

Mobile Elks Lodge No. 108 followed in 1889, and Montgomery Elks Lodge No. 596 chartered in 1900 to serve the state capital. The Loyal Order of Moose arrived later, with Birmingham Moose Lodge No.

246 organizing in 1913 as the Moose national membership campaign reached the South. The Knights of Columbus found particular strength in Alabama's Catholic enclaves, especially Mobile, where French and Spanish colonial heritage produced one of the densest Catholic populations in the Deep South. The Fraternal Order of Eagles came to Alabama through railroad workers and industrial mechanics, establishing aeries in Bessemer, Anniston, and Gadsden during the 1910s. Together these orders built lodge halls that doubled as meeting spaces, dance venues, and emergency relief centers — a civic infrastructure that pre-dated public welfare and shaped community life across all 67 Alabama counties.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Alabama

The BPOE in Alabama is governed by the Alabama Elks Association, which holds an annual state convention that rotates among major lodges. Birmingham Lodge No. 79 remains the flagship — its 1888 charter makes it one of the oldest Elks lodges in the Deep South, and the lodge has continuously occupied a downtown clubhouse for over 130 years, longer than any other private club in Birmingham. The lodge raised funds for the Birmingham Children's Hospital before it became a public institution and continues to fund pediatric programs through the Elks National Foundation.

Mobile Elks Lodge No. 108 is notable for its Mardi Gras involvement; the lodge has historically partnered with mystic societies and contributed to the parade infrastructure that defines Mobile civic life. Montgomery Lodge No. 596 has served Alabama's political class for over a century and traditionally hosts a reception during legislative sessions.

Other significant Alabama Elks lodges include Tuscaloosa Lodge No. 393, Huntsville Lodge No. 1648, Anniston Lodge No. 189, Gadsden Lodge No.

624, Decatur Lodge No. 1075, and Dothan Lodge No. 1887. The Alabama Elks Major Project funds scholarships through the Most Valuable Student program, supports veterans through the state Veterans Service program, and provides emergency assistance to children with disabilities through the Alabama Elks Therapy Program for Children, which delivers in-home occupational and physical therapy to families across rural Alabama who lack convenient access to pediatric specialists.

The state association also funds drug-awareness education in Alabama public schools and contributes substantially to the Elks National Foundation's Hoop Shoot free-throw contest, which begins at the local lodge level and culminates in a national finals event each spring.

Loyal Order of Moose in Alabama

The Loyal Order of Moose in Alabama is overseen by the Alabama Moose Association, with chapters distributed primarily across the industrial and railroad corridors of the state. Birmingham Moose Lodge No. 246, chartered in 1913, was the first Alabama Moose lodge and historically anchored Moose activity in the Magic City. Other long-standing Alabama Moose lodges include Mobile Moose Lodge No.

1054, Huntsville Moose Lodge No. 1538, Montgomery Moose Lodge No. 1116, Gadsden Moose Lodge No. 559, Bessemer Moose Lodge No.

716, and Anniston Moose Lodge No. 1645. Each Alabama Moose lodge contributes per-member to Mooseheart, the residential community for children in need located in Mooseheart, Illinois, and Moosehaven, the retirement community for senior Moose members in Orange Park, Florida. Alabama Moose members have historically been over-represented at Moosehaven owing to Florida's proximity, and the state association sponsors an annual bus pilgrimage so members can visit residents.

The Women of the Moose chapters across Alabama operate parallel to the men's lodges and frequently exceed them in fundraising for both Mooseheart and local community projects, including school-supply drives, Christmas-toy collections, and senior-meal programs. Tornado-relief fundraising is a recurring Alabama Moose priority given the state's location in Dixie Alley, and lodges have historically opened their halls as Red Cross shelters during severe-weather events.

Eagles, Knights of Columbus & Other Fraternal Orders in Alabama

The Fraternal Order of Eagles maintains a modest but durable presence in Alabama, with active aeries in Bessemer (Aerie No. 4093), Anniston, Gadsden, and Mobile. The Eagles' historical role in advocating for Mother's Day, Social Security, and workers' compensation resonates with Alabama's industrial heritage — Birmingham steel workers and Anniston iron-pipe workers were among the founding membership of state aeries. The Knights of Columbus, however, is the dominant Catholic fraternal force in Alabama.

Mobile Council No. 666 (chartered 1902) is the oldest KC council in the state and reflects Mobile's deep French-Catholic colonial roots. Birmingham Council No. 635, Montgomery Council No.

836, and Huntsville Council No. 6256 anchor the major metropolitan areas, while smaller councils dot every parish town across south Alabama. The Alabama State Council of the Knights of Columbus coordinates statewide charitable activity, including the annual Tootsie Roll Drive that funds services for citizens with intellectual disabilities through Special Olympics Alabama and Catholic-affiliated group homes. Alabama Knights have historically played a major role in Catholic seminary support, contributing to the formation of priests at St.

Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains a small Alabama footprint with the Grand Lodge of Alabama IOOF still chartering subordinate lodges in Birmingham, Mobile, and Huntsville, though membership has declined considerably from its early-twentieth-century peak.

Alabama Fraternal Lodges by the Numbers

Alabama hosts approximately 38 active Elks lodges with combined membership of roughly 9,500 to 11,000, distributed across all major metropolitan areas and concentrated most heavily in Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville, and the Tuscaloosa-Anniston-Gadsden industrial corridor. The Loyal Order of Moose operates roughly 22 lodges in Alabama with estimated combined male and female membership of 7,500 to 9,000. Knights of Columbus councils in Alabama number approximately 80, organized into the Alabama State Council, with combined membership estimated at 12,000 to 14,000 across the Archdiocese of Mobile and the Diocese of Birmingham. The Fraternal Order of Eagles maintains roughly 10 active aeries with about 2,500 members.

The IOOF in Alabama operates approximately 12 subordinate lodges with several hundred members. Geographic concentration follows population density: Jefferson County (Birmingham), Mobile County, Madison County (Huntsville), and Montgomery County collectively host roughly 60 percent of all fraternal lodges in the state, while rural Black Belt and Wiregrass counties typically have one or two lodges per county.

How to Join a Fraternal Lodge in Alabama

Joining a fraternal lodge in Alabama follows national procedures with state-specific dues and customs. To join the Alabama Elks (BPOE), an applicant must be a U.S. citizen at least 21 years old, of good character, and believe in God; applications require sponsorship by an existing member in good standing and a second seconder. Annual dues at Alabama Elks lodges typically range from $100 to $200 depending on lodge size and clubhouse amenities, with an additional initiation fee of $50 to $150 for first-year members.

The Loyal Order of Moose requires applicants to be at least 21 years old, of good character, and not a member of a subversive organization; Alabama Moose annual dues run $40 to $75 with a similar initiation fee, and applicants typically attend at least one lodge social before sponsorship. Knights of Columbus membership in Alabama is restricted to practical Catholic men aged 18 or older — meaning men who accept the teaching authority of the Catholic Church and live in accordance with its precepts; applicants must obtain a Form 100 from a Knight or parish priest, and dues at most Alabama councils run $30 to $50 annually. The Fraternal Order of Eagles in Alabama admits men 21 and older with no religious or citizenship requirement beyond belief in a Supreme Being; dues are typically $40 to $60. Most Alabama lodges welcome inquiries from prospective members and will arrange visits to dinner nights or open-house events, which is the customary first step before submitting a formal application.

Notable Alabama Fraternal Members in History

Alabama's fraternal rolls include several prominent figures whose membership records survive in lodge archives. George Wallace Jr., the four-term governor, was a longtime member of Montgomery Elks Lodge No. 596, as was his predecessor Big Jim Folsom — both governors used the Elks clubhouse for informal political gatherings. Hugo Black, the Alabama-born U.S.

Senator and Supreme Court Justice, was a member of Birmingham Elks Lodge No. 79 during his senatorial career in the 1930s. Bear Bryant, the legendary University of Alabama football coach, was an honorary member of Tuscaloosa Elks Lodge No. 393 and a frequent guest at lodge functions.

Hank Williams, the country-music pioneer from Mount Olive, performed at the Montgomery Eagles aerie early in his career, and his name appears in Aerie No. 1115 social-event records from the late 1940s. Helen Keller, while not a fraternal member herself (women were excluded from most orders during her lifetime), was the recipient of substantial Alabama Elks scholarship funding that supported her education at the Perkins School and later Radcliffe — the Birmingham lodge maintained a Keller-related charity for decades. Father Michael McGivney's Knights of Columbus reached Alabama through Mobile's Bishop Edward Allen, who personally sponsored Mobile Council No.

666 in 1902. More recently, country-music singer Jason Isbell's grandfather was a Decatur Elks member, and several current Alabama legislators maintain Elks or KC affiliations.

Frequently Asked Questions: Alabama Fraternal Lodges

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.elks.org/lodges/
• https://www.mooseintl.org/
• https://www.foe.com/
• https://www.kofc.org/en/who-we-are/our-history/
• https://www.alabamaelks.org/
• https://www.ioof.org/