Museum Center at 5ive Points Announces “Secret Societies: Past and Present Fraternal Organizations in Bradley County” Exhibit

CLEVELAND, TN: The Museum Center is pleased to host an exhibition that looks at the history of the fraternal lodges in Bradley County and the impact that they have made on the development of our area. The exhibit, which is guest curated by local historian Mitchell Kinder with assistance from local historians Bob George and Jim Finley, will feature a wealth of fascinating objects, many never before seen by people outside of lodge halls. The exhibit, which is sponsored by the Odd Fellows Lodge of Cleveland, will be on view from July 17 – August 28th.

Within a few years of Bradley County’s formation in 1836, local men began to organize fraternal lodges. This trend continued throughout the 19^th century as more and more men came together to form many different kinds of lodges, among them the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Improved Order of Red Men, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and Woodmen of the World. In the 20^th century lodges such as the Elks and the Knights of Columbus were formed in the County.

The formation of these secret societies in Bradley Country reflected a similar trend throughout Victorian America, where by 1897 five-and-a-half million men out of a total male population of 19 million belonged to fraternal organizations. Some men belonged to more than one lodge.

All fraternal organizations had two elements in common: members in each organization took secret oaths that bound them together and members conducted their meetings using signs and secret rituals. Men formed their secret societies for many reasons – for example, to provide mutual aid such as life insurance and death insurance, for camaraderie, and for benevolence in the community.

Objects in the exhibitions will highlight fraternal rituals including a room set up like a Victorian lodge hall, costumes, ribbons, and other ritual paraphernalia including a mechanical goat. Other objects will illustrate the importance of benevolence such as helping orphans and education. Photographs and the many elaborate colored lithographs used to decorate Victorian-era lodge halls will also be on display. Almost all the items on loan come from Bradley County lodge halls – both past and present. 

In addition to the all-male lodges, women formed their own secret societies – such as the Rebekahs, the Eastern Star, and the Daughters of America -- as female-only auxiliaries to their all-male counterparts.  These will be represented in the exhibition as well with objects from the local chapters.