New Hampshire Fraternal Lodges

About Fraternal Organizations in New Hampshire

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

History of Fraternal Organizations in New Hampshire

New Hampshire's fraternal life is older than the republic. Masonic lodges chartered in Portsmouth in the 1730s placed the colony among the earliest in North America to organize formal fraternal activity, and by the time the state ratified the Constitution in 1788 the Masons of Portsmouth, Exeter, and Concord were already a substantial presence in civic and political life. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows arrived in the 1840s and grew quickly through the textile-mill towns of the Merrimack Valley, where Manchester, Nashua, and Concord became fraternal hubs as the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company and other mills drew French Canadian, Irish, Greek, and Polish immigrants into the state's industrial workforce. The mid-nineteenth-century Granite State developed an unusually wide range of fraternal benefit societies tied to the textile, shoemaking, and granite industries, and by 1880 nearly every county seat had Masonic, Odd Fellows, and Knights of Pythias lodges, often sharing buildings on the central square.

The Patrons of Husbandry, better known as the Grange, found a particularly strong base in New Hampshire's farming communities, and the New Hampshire State Grange remains one of the more durable Granges in the Northeast. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks reached the state in the late nineteenth century; Manchester Lodge No. 146 was chartered in 1890 and became the central Elks lodge of the Merrimack Valley, while Concord Lodge No. 1210 followed and serves the state capital today.

The Knights of Columbus took deep root in New Hampshire's heavily Catholic French Canadian, Irish, Polish, and Italian mill communities and grew to be one of the strongest fraternal forces in the state. fraternalfinder.com indexes the active Granite State lodges, councils, and clubs, and the order-by-order tour below traces how the colonial, industrial, and immigrant heritages have aged into modern New Hampshire civic life. The state's exceptionally early fraternal heritage and its dense population of mill-town and farming-village lodges give New Hampshire one of the most layered fraternal cultures in northern New England.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in New Hampshire

Manchester Lodge No. 146, chartered in 1890, is the senior Elks lodge in New Hampshire and one of the older BPOE lodges in northern New England. The lodge served Manchester at the height of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company's dominance, and its membership included mill superintendents, lawyers, journalists, and shopkeepers who shaped the city's civic life. Concord Lodge No.

1210 came later and serves the state capital, with its membership drawing from the legal and political community around the New Hampshire State House. Nashua Lodge No. 720, Portsmouth Lodge No. 97, Dover Lodge No.

184, Keene Lodge No. 927, Laconia Lodge No. 876, and Berlin Lodge No. 618 round out the older lodges, and several occupy substantial historic clubhouses on their downtown blocks.

The New Hampshire State Elks Association coordinates the lodges' charitable work, including the New Hampshire Special Children's Fund, which has provided therapy and equipment for children with disabilities for decades. Hoop Shoot tournaments, the Drug Awareness Program, scholarships through the Elks National Foundation, and substantial veterans' programs at the Manchester VA anchor the modern Elks calendar in the state. Several New Hampshire Elks lodges play a particularly active role in supporting the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton. New Hampshire Elks have been particularly active in supporting the Elks National Veterans Service Commission's volunteer programs at the Manchester VA, and the state association runs an annual scholarship competition that has supported hundreds of New Hampshire high school seniors heading to college.

The state's Hoop Shoot competitions feed into the regional and national finals each year.

Loyal Order of Moose in New Hampshire

The Loyal Order of Moose came to New Hampshire in the early twentieth century, with Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and Dover among the order's earliest New Hampshire lodges. The Moose found a strong base in the textile-mill working class, and by the 1920s lodges were active in Berlin, Claremont, Keene, Laconia, and Portsmouth as well. Mooseheart, the children's home in Illinois, has been a particular point of pride for New Hampshire Moose, and Moosehaven, the Florida retirement community, has likewise drawn members and contributions. The Women of the Moose chapters in New Hampshire have organized hospital volunteer programs, school clothing drives, and senior outreach for generations.

Modern New Hampshire Moose lodges remain centers of working-class fraternal social life, particularly in the Merrimack Valley, with steak nights, country music dances, and bingo programs that fund a steady drip of community charity. New Hampshire Moose lodges in Manchester, Nashua, and Concord have maintained substantial active memberships, and the order's family-oriented social calendar has helped sustain participation through generational changes. Annual fundraisers benefit Mooseheart, Moosehaven, and local children's services. Several New Hampshire Moose lodges have been particularly active in supporting youth sports leagues and school supply drives.

New Hampshire Moose lodges in Berlin and Laconia have also maintained active rolls, with the Berlin lodge serving the city's historically French Canadian Catholic working-class community alongside the parish and the local Knights of Columbus council.

Eagles, Knights of Columbus & Other Fraternal Orders in New Hampshire

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is well represented in New Hampshire, with Manchester, Nashua, and Concord Aeries among the older clubs in the state. The Eagles' national campaigns for old-age pensions, mother's day recognition, and disability rights resonated with the textile-mill workforce of New Hampshire's industrial cities, and aerie clubhouses across the state continue to host community fundraising and social events. The Knights of Columbus, however, are arguably the dominant Catholic fraternal force in New Hampshire. The state's councils took root in the 1890s in heavily French Canadian Catholic communities along the Merrimack and the Androscoggin, and they grew rapidly through the early twentieth century in Manchester, Nashua, Berlin, and Concord.

Today the New Hampshire State Council oversees roughly 100 councils with thousands of members. KC councils support seminarian education, Catholic schools, Special Olympics New Hampshire, parish food drives, and a notable post-disaster relief network across northern New England. The state's KC fourth-degree assemblies are visible at Catholic feast days and patriotic observances throughout the year. Granges remain active in many New Hampshire towns, with the New Hampshire State Grange supporting agricultural education and rural community programs.

New Hampshire Eagles aeries have been active in supporting local hospitals and the FOE's national programs. New Hampshire KC councils have also been active in supporting the Catholic Diocese of Manchester's seminarian education program, in funding Catholic schools, and in coordinating substantial disaster-relief work after major New England storms.

New Hampshire Fraternal Lodges by the Numbers

New Hampshire currently has roughly 25 active Elks lodges, around 20 Moose lodges, approximately 20 Eagles aeries, and about 100 Knights of Columbus councils statewide. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains a presence in older mill and county-seat towns, with active lodges in Manchester, Concord, Nashua, Portsmouth, and several smaller communities. Lions Clubs International is well represented through Multiple District 44, with several dozen clubs and a few thousand members. Rotary, Kiwanis, and Optimist clubs add additional members in cities and college towns.

The New Hampshire State Grange retains active subordinate Granges in many farming communities. Given New Hampshire's population of about 1.4 million, fraternal density is moderate to high, and total active fraternal membership likely sits in the 30,000 to 45,000 range when ladies' auxiliaries, Granges, and Prince Hall Masons are counted alongside the mainstream orders. The Sons of Italy retain active lodges in several New Hampshire communities, particularly Manchester and Nashua, adding additional members to the state's fraternal totals.

How to Join a Fraternal Lodge in New Hampshire

Joining a New Hampshire lodge follows the standard procedures of each order. The Elks require candidates to be 21 or older, U.S. citizens, of good moral character, and willing to affirm a belief in God; sponsorship by an active member and lodge approval are required. New Hampshire Elks initiation fees commonly run from $50 to $150, with annual dues from $80 to $175.

The Moose admit candidates 21 and over with a sponsor and a brief enrollment ceremony, with annual dues generally in the $40 to $80 range. Eagles aeries follow the FOE's standard procedures, with men joining the Aerie and women joining the Auxiliary. The Knights of Columbus admits practical Catholic men 18 and older; New Hampshire's KC has widely adopted the online enrollment system, which has streamlined recruitment in college towns like Durham and Plymouth. Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimist, and Grange all welcome guests to meetings and have straightforward application processes.

Most New Hampshire lodges encourage prospects to attend a public dinner or charity event before formally applying. Many New Hampshire lodges hold open public dinners, fish fries, and pancake breakfasts as low-pressure introductions for prospective members. The state's college towns, including Durham, Hanover, and Plymouth, have seen steady KC growth among young Catholic men in recent years.

Notable New Hampshire Fraternal Members in History

New Hampshire's fraternal rolls reflect the state's long political and literary heritage. Daniel Webster, the great orator and senator, was a Mason associated with St. John's Lodge No. 1 in Portsmouth and remained an active fraternalist throughout his career.

President Franklin Pierce, the New Hampshire-born 14th president, was a Mason and a member of multiple civic and fraternal orders. Senator Styles Bridges, the Republican leader of the mid-twentieth century, was active in New Hampshire civic and fraternal life. Senator Warren Rudman, the Republican who shaped federal budgeting, came up through Nashua civic culture and overlapping fraternal circles. Robert Frost, the four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who farmed in Derry and Franconia, was a member of multiple civic organizations and a frequent guest at New Hampshire Grange and lodge events.

J.D. Salinger, who lived in Cornish for decades, kept a famously private life but participated in some local civic affairs. Modern New Hampshire governors, senators, and chief justices across both parties have routinely come up through Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, or Elks circles. The Grange tradition has produced several New Hampshire commissioners of agriculture and many state legislators.

Senator Judd Gregg came up through New Hampshire civic life that overlapped with fraternal circles. New Hampshire Supreme Court justices have routinely come from a fraternal background, often as Masons or Knights of Columbus.

Frequently Asked Questions: New Hampshire Fraternal Lodges

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.elks.org
• https://www.mooseintl.org
• https://www.foe.com
• https://www.kofc.org
• https://www.ioof.org
• https://www.lionsclubs.org
• https://www.rotary.org
• https://www.kiwanis.org
• https://www.nationalgrange.org
• https://www.nh.gov
• https://www.nhelks.org