New Jersey Fraternal Lodges

About Fraternal Organizations in New Jersey

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

History of Fraternal Organizations in New Jersey

New Jersey's fraternal history sits at the crossroads of New York and Philadelphia, and the state's lodge culture reflects that geography. By the early nineteenth century Newark, Trenton, Camden, Paterson, and Jersey City had already developed substantial Masonic and early benefit-society memberships, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows took deep root by the 1840s in the textile, leather, and shipbuilding cities along the Hudson, the Passaic, and the Delaware. The waves of European immigration that filled New Jersey from 1850 through 1920 brought every imaginable mutual aid society: German Sons of Hermann lodges in Newark and Hoboken, Italian benevolent societies in Newark, Trenton, and Camden, Polish, Lithuanian, Slovak, and Hungarian fraternal benefit organizations in the industrial belts, Jewish landsmanshaftn in Newark and Jersey City, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians in nearly every Irish parish. The Knights of Columbus, founded just over the line in New Haven, Connecticut in 1882, expanded rapidly into New Jersey within a few years and became one of the dominant Catholic fraternal forces in the state.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks reached the state early; Newark Lodge No. 21 was chartered in 1881, only thirteen years after the order's founding in New York City, and it grew to be one of the largest Elks lodges in the country, with substantial influence in the eastern Grand Lodge. Jersey City Lodge No. 211 followed and developed a comparable urban presence.

Trenton, Camden, Paterson, Atlantic City, and Asbury Park all built substantial Elks lodges over the next several decades, and the Eagles, Moose, and Lions all developed strong New Jersey memberships in the early twentieth century. fraternalfinder.com indexes hundreds of New Jersey lodges, councils, and clubs, and the order-by-order tour below traces how the state's industrial, immigrant, and metropolitan heritages have aged into modern New Jersey civic life.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in New Jersey

Newark Lodge No. 21, chartered in 1881, is one of the most historically significant Elks lodges in the country. Coming just thirteen years after the founding of the BPOE in New York, Newark No. 21 grew rapidly with the city and became one of the largest Elks lodges in the order, with substantial influence on Grand Lodge affairs.

Its membership at the height of the early twentieth century included industrialists, journalists, and lawyers who shaped Newark's civic life during the city's manufacturing peak. Jersey City Lodge No. 211 followed and served the Hudson waterfront community of railroad and shipping workers, and Trenton Lodge No. 105 grew into the central Elks lodge of the state capital.

Camden Lodge No. 293, Paterson Lodge No. 60, Atlantic City Lodge No. 276, Asbury Park Lodge No.

128, and Elizabeth Lodge No. 289 round out the older New Jersey lodges, and several built monumental clubhouses in the 1910s and 1920s that still stand. The New Jersey State Elks Association coordinates a wide range of charitable work, including the New Jersey Elks Camp Moore, a summer camp for children with disabilities in High Point State Park that has been a flagship state major project for decades, and the New Jersey Elks Special Children's Committee, which provides Christmas parties, picnics, and equipment for children with disabilities at facilities around the state. Hoop Shoot tournaments, scholarships through the Elks National Foundation, and substantial veterans' programs at the East Orange and Lyons VA facilities anchor the modern New Jersey Elks calendar.

Loyal Order of Moose in New Jersey

The Loyal Order of Moose came to New Jersey in the early twentieth century, and the order grew quickly in the state's industrial cities. Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Camden, Paterson, and Elizabeth all developed substantial Moose lodges, and by the 1920s Moose halls were active in Bayonne, Hoboken, Perth Amboy, New Brunswick, Atlantic City, and Asbury Park as well. The order found a strong base in the working-class neighborhoods of New Jersey's manufacturing belt. Mooseheart, the children's home in Illinois, has been a particular point of pride for New Jersey Moose, and Moosehaven, the Florida retirement community, has likewise drawn members and contributions.

The Women of the Moose chapters across New Jersey organize hospital volunteer programs, holiday charity drives, and senior outreach. Modern New Jersey Moose lodges remain centers of working-class fraternal social life, particularly in the central and southern parts of the state, with steak nights, dance nights, and community fundraising calendars that feed back into local food pantries and youth programs. New Jersey Moose lodges have been particularly active in supporting hurricane and storm recovery along the Jersey Shore, with substantial fundraising and volunteer hours after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The Moose Riders motorcycle clubs at several New Jersey lodges have organized major charitable rides, and the Women of the Moose chapters across the state have maintained robust school supply, holiday charity, and senior outreach programs for generations.

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

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is well represented in New Jersey, with Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, and Camden Aeries among the older clubs. The Eagles' national campaigns for old-age pensions, Mother's Day recognition, and disability rights resonated with the urban industrial workforce that filled New Jersey's cities, and aeries across the state remain active social and charitable centers. The Knights of Columbus, however, are the heavyweight Catholic fraternal force in New Jersey. With the order's birthplace in New Haven only a short distance up the coast, KC councils took root in New Jersey in the late 1880s and grew rapidly through Catholic Italian, Irish, Polish, and Slovak parishes across the state.

Today the New Jersey State Council oversees nearly 400 councils with tens of thousands of members, placing the state firmly among the top KC states by council count. KC councils support seminarian education, Catholic schools, Special Olympics New Jersey, parish food drives, and significant post-9/11 and post-Hurricane Sandy relief work. The state's KC fourth-degree assemblies are highly visible at parish events and patriotic observances throughout the year. New Jersey Eagles aeries have also supported the FOE's national programs in Mother's Day recognition and old-age pensions, and several aeries operate substantial bingo programs that fund local charitable work.

The state's KC councils are also notable supporters of Catholic Charities of the various New Jersey dioceses, which provide significant social services across the state.

New Jersey Fraternal Lodges by the Numbers

New Jersey currently hosts roughly 200 Elks lodges, the largest state association in the order, with several hundred thousand cumulative members across the state's history. The state has approximately 80 Moose lodges, more than 50 Eagles aeries, and roughly 400 Knights of Columbus councils, the latter figure placing New Jersey among the top three states by KC council count. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains a presence in older industrial cities, with active lodges across the state. Lions Clubs International is well represented through New Jersey's multiple districts, with several hundred clubs and tens of thousands of members.

Rotary, Kiwanis, and Optimist clubs add additional members across the state. Given New Jersey's population of more than nine million, total active fraternal membership likely sits in the 250,000 to 350,000 range across all orders when ladies' auxiliaries, ethnic benefit societies, and Prince Hall Masons are counted, making New Jersey one of the most fraternally dense states in the country.

How to Join a Fraternal Lodge in New Jersey

Joining a New Jersey 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 Jersey Elks initiation fees commonly run from $75 to $200, with annual dues from $100 to $250 depending on the lodge.

The Moose welcome candidates 21 and over with a sponsor and a brief enrollment ceremony, with annual dues generally in the $40 to $90 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 Jersey's KC has widely adopted the Supreme Council's online enrollment system, which has helped recruit younger members in college towns and growing suburbs. Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, and Optimist clubs welcome guests and have straightforward application processes.

Most New Jersey lodges encourage prospects to attend a public dinner, charity event, or auxiliary function before formally applying, and the wide network of lodges across the state makes it easy to find a lodge that fits. Many New Jersey lodges hold open public dinners, weekly bingo programs, and charitable events as low-pressure introductions for prospective members. The state's wide network of lodges, councils, and aeries makes it easy to find one that matches a prospect's neighborhood, ethnic heritage, or charitable interests.

Notable New Jersey Fraternal Members in History

New Jersey's fraternal rolls have included a long list of public figures shaped by the state's industrial and political heritage. Frank Hague, the longtime mayor of Jersey City and a national Democratic power broker in the early twentieth century, operated through fraternal halls and Knights of Columbus councils as much as through ward clubs. Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, while a Minnesotan, drew significant New Jersey support through Lions and Eagles networks.

Senator Bill Bradley, the Princeton-educated former NBA star, came up through New Jersey civic culture that overlapped with fraternal circles. Frank Sinatra of Hoboken passed through the city's Italian-American mutual benefit and fraternal world in his early career. Bruce Springsteen of Freehold has played benefits at New Jersey Elks lodges and Eagles aeries throughout his career. Albert Einstein in Princeton was associated with civic and academic life that overlapped with fraternal circles.

Senators Pete Williams, Frank Lautenberg, and Bob Menendez all drew on fraternal and parish networks during their careers. Modern New Jersey governors and members of Congress across both parties have routinely come up through Knights of Columbus, Elks, Lions, or Rotary circles. Newark Mayor Sharpe James and his successors came up through Newark civic life that included substantial fraternal participation. New Jersey Supreme Court justices and U.S.

District Court judges from the state have routinely come from a fraternal background, often as Masons, Knights of Columbus, or Sons of Italy members.

Frequently Asked Questions: New Jersey 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.njelks.org
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus
• https://www.nj.gov