Maryland Fraternal Lodges

About Fraternal Organizations in Maryland

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

History of Fraternal Organizations in Maryland

Maryland's fraternal history has the heft of a colony that helped invent American religious liberty. Freemasonry came to Maryland in the 1750s, with Annapolis as one of the early hubs and Baltimore close behind as the city outgrew its harbor. The Grand Lodge of Maryland was constituted in 1783, making it one of the oldest grand lodges in the new United States. Baltimore in particular became a fraternal city of the first rank: by the mid-nineteenth century, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows had its national headquarters there, and the city's mutual-aid associations were so dense that the Baltimore directories of the 1880s read like a catalog of secret societies.

The Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics all built strong Maryland followings, and the city's Black fraternal tradition — particularly Prince Hall Masonry — was among the strongest in the country. The Knights of Columbus arrived in Maryland in the 1890s and quickly took root in the heavily Catholic neighborhoods of Baltimore, the Eastern Shore Catholic enclaves around St. Mary's County, and the suburban Washington counties. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks established Baltimore Elks Lodge No.

7 in 1878, making it one of the three oldest Elks lodges in the entire country and the oldest in the South. Other Maryland Elks lodges followed in Annapolis, Cumberland, Hagerstown, Frederick, Salisbury, Easton, Frostburg, Westminster, and the Washington suburbs of Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Bowie. The Loyal Order of Moose, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Woodmen, and the Improved Order of Heptasophs all built durable Maryland followings, and the state's mix of urban industry, rural Eastern Shore farming, and government-employee suburbs produced a fraternal landscape that has aged better than most American states have managed to.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Maryland

Baltimore Elks Lodge No. 7 is one of the order's most important early lodges. Instituted in 1878, only ten years after the founding of the BPOE in New York, it ranks as the third-oldest Elks lodge in the country, after New York No. 1 and Philadelphia No.

2 (depending on how you count the lodges that came in between). Baltimore No. 7's early membership was drawn from the city's commercial and theatrical class — newspapermen, actors, lawyers, restaurateurs, and the kind of downtown professionals who liked an affordable club with a fixed-price dinner and a billiard room. The lodge's clubhouse, which over the years occupied several Baltimore addresses, was a downtown landmark for most of the twentieth century.

Annapolis Elks Lodge No. 622 served the state-government and Naval Academy communities and developed a particular tradition of supporting Maryland veterans. Cumberland Elks Lodge No. 63 in western Maryland was historically one of the larger lodges in the state, drawing from the railroad, glass, and tire-manufacturing economies of Allegany County.

Frederick, Hagerstown, Salisbury, Easton, and the suburbs of Washington and Baltimore all built sizable lodges. Maryland Elks have a deep tradition of supporting the Elks National Foundation scholarships and the Maryland-Delaware-DC State Major Project, which serves children with disabilities across the region. Baltimore No. 7's annual Flag Day ceremony has been a Baltimore tradition for more than a century, and the lodge has consistently produced state-level officers and national delegates.

Annapolis 622's clubhouse on the South River has long been a popular venue for Naval Academy events, retirement parties, and statewide Elks gatherings. The Maryland State Elks Association's annual convention rotates among the major lodges and remains a significant fraternal gathering. Maryland Elks veterans-service work at Perry Point and Fort Detrick has been particularly notable for decades.

Loyal Order of Moose in Maryland

The Loyal Order of Moose came into Maryland in the early twentieth century, with lodges in Baltimore, Annapolis, Cumberland, Hagerstown, Frederick, Salisbury, Aberdeen, Glen Burnie, Dundalk, Essex, and a string of smaller industrial towns along the I-95 and I-70 corridors. Mooseheart's promise to raise the children of deceased members carried real weight in Baltimore's working-class neighborhoods, where industrial accidents at Sparrows Point steel and the Bethlehem shipyards left a steady stream of widows. The Women of the Moose chapters did much of the actual charitable work, particularly cancer-fund drives and Christmas-basket distributions in Baltimore's row-house neighborhoods. The Maryland Moose Association also funded scholarships for the children of members and supported veterans-service programs.

Dundalk Moose Lodge in particular built a reputation as one of the larger lodges in the country during the postwar years, anchored by the Sparrows Point steel workforce and the Dundalk Marine Terminal. Cumberland Moose Lodge served the railroad and tire-manufacturing communities of western Maryland, and the Eastern Shore Moose lodges in Salisbury and Cambridge anchored fraternal life in the chicken-processing and seafood industries. Moosehaven, the order's retirement community in Florida, has long had a dedicated Maryland waiting list. Today Maryland retains roughly 30 active Moose lodges, mostly in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, the Eastern Shore, and the western Maryland mountains.

Eagles, Knights of Columbus & Other Fraternal Orders in Maryland

Knights of Columbus is the dominant Catholic fraternal order in Maryland, with deep roots in the heavily Catholic city of Baltimore and the colonial Catholic communities of southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore. St. Mary's County, settled in 1634 as the original Catholic colony, has Knights of Columbus councils that overlap with the oldest Catholic parishes in English-speaking North America. Baltimore's Cathedral of the Assumption — the first Catholic cathedral in the United States — anchors a network of city KC councils, and the Maryland State Council oversees more than 200 active councils with strong representation in Annapolis, Frederick, Cumberland, Salisbury, and the suburban Washington counties.

The Maryland Council is known for one of the most active Tootsie Roll drives in the country, supporting citizens with intellectual disabilities. The Fraternal Order of Eagles arrived in Maryland shortly after its 1898 founding, planting aeries in Baltimore, Cumberland, and Hagerstown. The order's signature legislative work — old-age pensions, Mother's Day, fair labor laws — found a receptive audience among Maryland's industrial working class. Today FOE has a smaller Maryland footprint than the Elks or Moose, but several aeries remain active in Baltimore, western Maryland, and the Eastern Shore.

Combined with one of the country's strongest Prince Hall Masonic traditions and the active Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland, the KC and FOE presence completes a fraternal landscape that still defines a great deal of Maryland community life.

Maryland Fraternal Lodges by the Numbers

Maryland has approximately 50 active Elks lodges with combined membership of roughly 18,000 to 22,000. The Loyal Order of Moose maintains about 30 lodges with 10,000 to 12,000 members. Knights of Columbus reports more than 200 councils and approximately 30,000 to 35,000 members under the Maryland State Council. The Fraternal Order of Eagles operates roughly a dozen aeries with several thousand combined members.

The Grand Lodge of Maryland AF&AM reports roughly 14,000 Masons across about 100 lodges, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland maintains an additional active membership in the thousands. Odd Fellows membership has declined since the early twentieth-century peak, when Baltimore was the IOOF's national capital, but a number of Maryland IOOF lodges remain active. Lions Clubs International is widespread across Maryland, with the Maryland Lions Foundation supporting eye-care and diabetes-awareness programs statewide. Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs are anchored in the larger commercial cities.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians has a strong Baltimore presence reflecting the city's deep Irish-Catholic heritage.

How to Join a Fraternal Lodge in Maryland

Joining a Maryland fraternal organization usually starts with a phone call or a visit to a public dinner. Maryland Elks lodges require U.S. citizenship, age 21 or older, belief in a Supreme Being, sponsorship by a current member, and a favorable lodge vote. Annual Elks dues in Maryland typically run from $100 to $200, with a one-time initiation fee.

Baltimore Elks Lodge No. 7 has its own application process; like all Elks lodges, it interviews candidates and votes on admission. The Moose welcome members of good character at least 21 with a belief in a Supreme Being; dues are usually $40 to $80 a year. Knights of Columbus is open to practical Catholics 18 and over; dues run $30 to $50 plus per-capita assessments.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is open to people of any faith of good character; dues are typically $35 to $50. Most Maryland lodges have public events — crab feasts, bull roasts, oyster nights, fish fries, and Flag Day ceremonies — that are the easiest way to meet members and ask about membership. The Maryland-Delaware-DC State Elks Association maintains a directory of lodges, and the Maryland State Council of the Knights of Columbus has a comprehensive council finder.

Notable Maryland Fraternal Members in History

Maryland's fraternal rolls include a remarkable cross-section of American history. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived during a period before the Knights of Columbus existed but his descendants and family parishes anchored some of Maryland's earliest KC councils. President James Buchanan, although a Pennsylvanian, had Maryland Masonic ties. Babe Ruth, born in Baltimore, was an honorary member of Baltimore Elks Lodge No.

7 for much of his career. H.L. Mencken, the Baltimore newspaperman, wrote skeptically about fraternalism but maintained correspondences with Baltimore lodge officers throughout his career. Edgar Allan Poe's Baltimore years overlapped with the early Odd Fellows movement.

Senator Barbara Mikulski has spoken at Maryland Knights of Columbus events. Cal Ripken Jr. has been honored at Maryland Elks charity functions. Frederick Douglass, who lived in Baltimore as a young man, was associated with Black mutual-aid societies, and his later years included Prince Hall Masonic involvement.

Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice and a Baltimore native, had family connections to Maryland Prince Hall Masonry. Vice President Spiro Agnew, the Maryland governor before his vice presidency, was a Mason and a Knight of Columbus. Senator Paul Sarbanes was honored at Maryland Knights of Columbus events. Author Frederick Douglass's contemporary, Henry Highland Garnet, also had Maryland Black mutual-aid connections.

Brooks Robinson, the Hall of Fame Orioles third baseman, has appeared at Maryland Elks charity events. Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, who grew up in Palmer Park, has been honored at Maryland Prince Hall events.

Frequently Asked Questions: Maryland Fraternal Lodges

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.elks.org
• https://www.mddc-elks.org
• https://www.mooseintl.org
• https://www.kofc.org
• https://www.kofcmd.org
• https://www.foe.com
• https://www.mdmasons.org
• https://msa.maryland.gov