Arkansas Fraternal Lodges

About Fraternal Organizations in Arkansas

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

History of Fraternal Organizations in Arkansas

Arkansas's fraternal heritage reaches back to the antebellum era, when the Independent Order of Odd Fellows brought mutual-aid lodges into towns along the Arkansas and Mississippi River corridors during the 1840s and 1850s. The Grand Lodge of Arkansas IOOF was organized in 1847, and by the eve of the Civil War, Odd Fellows lodges existed in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Helena, Fort Smith, Camden, and Washington. The Civil War devastated Arkansas fraternal infrastructure as it did the rest of Southern lodge culture, but Reconstruction produced a strong revival driven by Confederate veterans seeking the burial-benefit security and ritual fellowship that fraternal orders alone could provide. Many small Arkansas IOOF lodges traced their post-1865 founding to local Confederate veteran groups that had previously met as informal companies and reorganized as Odd Fellows after the war ended.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks reached Arkansas in 1888 with the chartering of Little Rock Elks Lodge No. 29 on October 14 of that year, making it one of the earliest BPOE lodges in the South and one of the lowest-numbered surviving lodges in the entire order. Fort Smith Elks Lodge No. 341 was chartered in 1896, Hot Springs Elks Lodge No.

380 in 1897, and Pine Bluff Elks Lodge No. 215 in 1893. The Hot Springs lodge held particular national prominence given the city's role as a destination resort for the American political and entertainment classes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries — it hosted visiting Elks delegations from across the country and served as a quasi-national meeting point. The Loyal Order of Moose arrived through the railroad and timber economies of southern and eastern Arkansas in the 1910s, with lodges established in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Fort Smith.

The Knights of Columbus established Arkansas presence through the Catholic communities of Little Rock, Fort Smith, and the German-Catholic settlements of the Arkansas River Valley, particularly around Subiaco. The Fraternal Order of Eagles found its strongest Arkansas footing in the railroad town of Pine Bluff and the bauxite-mining communities of Saline County. Together these orders built the civic infrastructure of community life across Arkansas, from the Delta cotton towns to the Ozark mountain settlements.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Arkansas

The Arkansas State Elks Association governs roughly 28 active Elks lodges across the state. Little Rock Lodge No. 29 holds particular distinction as the oldest BPOE lodge in Arkansas, the lowest-numbered Elks lodge in the South, and one of the oldest continuously operating fraternal organizations in the state. Its membership has historically included governors, U.S.

Senators, federal judges, business executives, and University of Arkansas trustees. Hot Springs Lodge No. 380 is similarly historically significant, having served the spa-resort era's political and entertainment elite — its records show visits from Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and numerous baseball legends who took the waters at Hot Springs during the off-season. Fort Smith Lodge No.

341 anchors fraternal life in western Arkansas, while Pine Bluff Lodge No. 215 has long served the Delta. Other significant Arkansas Elks lodges include Texarkana Lodge No. 399, Jonesboro Lodge No.

1573, Fayetteville Lodge No. 1987, El Dorado Lodge No. 1659, Camden Lodge No. 1099, Hot Springs Village Lodge No.

2735, Mountain Home Lodge No. 1714, Russellville Lodge No. 2186, and West Memphis Lodge No. 1748.

The Arkansas Elks Major Project supports the Arkansas Elks Children's Trust, which funds therapy and equipment for children with disabilities through grants distributed by lodge committees. The state association also maintains a strong scholarship program through the Most Valuable Student program and supports veterans' programming at the Little Rock and Fayetteville VA medical centers. Arkansas Elks have hosted multiple regional conventions and have produced several national Elks officers over the order's history.

Loyal Order of Moose in Arkansas

The Loyal Order of Moose in Arkansas operates roughly 22 lodges under the Arkansas Moose Association. Little Rock Moose Lodge No. 1064 is the oldest and largest Moose lodge in the state. Other prominent Arkansas Moose lodges include Pine Bluff Moose Lodge No.

1100, Fort Smith Moose Lodge No. 1483, Hot Springs Moose Lodge No. 686, Texarkana Moose Lodge No. 1311, Jonesboro Moose Lodge No.

1739, El Dorado Moose Lodge No. 991, and Mountain Home Moose Lodge No. 1953. Each Arkansas Moose lodge contributes per-member dues to Mooseheart in Illinois and Moosehaven in Florida, and many Arkansas Moose members have visited Mooseheart through state-sponsored bus tours.

The Women of the Moose chapters across Arkansas operate parallel to the men's lodges and have historically been substantial fundraisers for Mooseheart specifically — Arkansas WOTM chapters frequently rank in the top performers nationally for their fundraising relative to membership size. Arkansas Moose lodges have also been notable for their tornado-relief work, given the state's location in the heart of Tornado Alley; lodge halls regularly serve as temporary shelters and relief-distribution centers during severe weather. The Mooseheart bus pilgrimage tradition is particularly strong among Arkansas members, with several lodges organizing annual or biennial tours that combine the Mooseheart visit with stops at the national Moose convention.

Eagles, Knights of Columbus & Other Fraternal Orders in Arkansas

The Fraternal Order of Eagles maintains roughly 14 active aeries in Arkansas, with Pine Bluff Aerie No. 1147, Little Rock Aerie No. 4307, Fort Smith Aerie No. 632, North Little Rock Aerie No.

4127, and Hot Springs Aerie No. 4014 among the most prominent. The Eagles' historical advocacy for Mother's Day, Social Security, and workers' compensation laws is celebrated in Arkansas aerie literature, and the order's national charity for diabetes and cancer research receives steady support. The Knights of Columbus in Arkansas is organized through the Arkansas State Council, which oversees approximately 75 councils across the Diocese of Little Rock — the diocese covers the entire state.

Little Rock Council No. 812 is the oldest and largest, while Fort Smith Council No. 996, Subiaco Council No. 4123, Texarkana Council No.

1153, Hot Springs Council No. 6419, and Jonesboro Council No. 5057 anchor regional activity. The German-Catholic communities of the Arkansas River Valley, especially around Subiaco Abbey and the towns of Paris, Charleston, and Altus, have produced unusually strong KC councils for their population size, reflecting the deep Catholic ancestry of the region.

The Arkansas KCs raise substantial funds for Special Olympics Arkansas through the annual Tootsie Roll Drive, support seminarian formation at the diocesan seminary, and have historically funded ultrasound machines for Arkansas pregnancy resource centers. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains roughly 8 active lodges in Arkansas, though IOOF membership has declined considerably from its early-twentieth-century peak.

Arkansas Fraternal Lodges by the Numbers

Arkansas's fraternal community is moderate in size, reflecting the state's largely rural population of approximately 3 million. The state hosts roughly 28 BPOE Elks lodges with combined membership of about 8,000 to 10,000. The Loyal Order of Moose operates approximately 22 lodges with combined male and female membership of 6,500 to 8,500. The Knights of Columbus maintain about 75 councils across the Diocese of Little Rock with combined membership estimated at 8,500 to 10,500.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles operates roughly 14 aeries with combined membership of 3,000 to 4,000. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains approximately 8 active lodges. Geographic concentration follows population: Pulaski County (Little Rock and North Little Rock), Sebastian County (Fort Smith), Garland County (Hot Springs), Washington and Benton counties (Fayetteville-Bentonville-Rogers), and Craighead County (Jonesboro) collectively host roughly 60 percent of all fraternal lodges in the state. Smaller communities throughout the Delta, Ozarks, Ouachitas, and Arkansas River Valley host the remainder, often with a single lodge serving as the principal social institution in towns of fewer than 5,000 residents.

How to Join a Fraternal Lodge in Arkansas

Joining a fraternal lodge in Arkansas follows national procedures with state-specific dues levels and customs. Arkansas Elks (BPOE) require U.S. citizenship, age 21 or older, good character, and belief in God; sponsorship by an existing member is required, and most lodges require a second seconder. Annual dues at Arkansas Elks lodges typically run $80 to $180, with initiation fees of $50 to $150.

The Loyal Order of Moose in Arkansas requires age 21 or older and good character, with dues running $35 to $70 annually. Knights of Columbus membership in Arkansas is restricted to practical Catholic men aged 18 and older — applicants complete a Form 100 through their parish and are inducted at a brief ceremony; Arkansas KC dues typically run $25 to $45 annually, among the most affordable in the country. The Fraternal Order of Eagles in Arkansas admits men 21 or older with belief in a Supreme Being; aerie dues run $35 to $60. Most Arkansas lodges welcome inquiries from prospective members and arrange visits to dinner nights, fish fries, or social events as the customary first step before formal application.

In small Arkansas towns, joining the local Elks, Moose, or KC lodge often serves as the principal mode of civic integration, particularly for newcomers seeking to establish roots in the community.

Notable Arkansas Fraternal Members in History

Arkansas's fraternal rolls include several nationally significant figures. Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, was an honorary member of Hot Springs Elks Lodge No. 380 during his Arkansas career — Hot Springs was his hometown and the lodge had been a fixture of the city's civic life since 1897. Senator J.

William Fulbright, who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for fifteen years and lent his name to the Fulbright Scholar program, was a member of Fayetteville Elks Lodge No. 1987 throughout his Arkansas career. Senator Dale Bumpers, two-term governor and four-term senator, was associated with Charleston-area Elks lodges. Senator John McClellan, who chaired the Senate Government Operations Committee during the famed labor-racketeering hearings of the 1950s, was a Little Rock Elks member.

In sports, Brooks Robinson, the Hall of Fame Baltimore Orioles third baseman from Little Rock, was an honorary member of Little Rock Lodge No. 29. Country music legend Johnny Cash, who grew up in Dyess, Arkansas, performed at multiple Arkansas Elks and Moose lodges in his early career and maintained honorary membership at several. Sam Walton, the Bentonville-based Walmart founder, supported the Bentonville-area Elks and Knights of Columbus charities throughout his life.

Bishop Andrew McDonald of the Diocese of Little Rock was a strong supporter of the Arkansas Knights of Columbus during his episcopate from 1972 to 2000.

Frequently Asked Questions: Arkansas 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.arelks.org/
• https://www.dolr.org/