Other Fraternal Organizations in Lavonia

Lavonia, Georgia, in its early days, seems to have been a hotbed of Fraternal Organizations.

As we've referenced previously, when Lavonia Lodge No. 241, F&AM, met in the Tugalo Grange Hall, somewhere in the City of Lavonia. Despite our best efforts, to day, we have no idea where the Tugalo Grange Hall was located. We do know, however, that the Tugalo Grange (also known as the Patrons of Husbandry), was founded in either 1882 or 1883, and quickly became a successful Chapter.

Briefly, the "National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry" was/is a "social organization..., founded after the Civil War in 1867..., that actively lobbied state legislatures and Congress for political goals." It was an organization for men and women, that "borrowed some of its rituals and symbols from Freemasonry, including oaths, secret meetings, and special passwords necessary to keep railroad spies out of their meetings." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Grange_of_the_Order_of_Patrons_of_Husbandry, accessed May 2, 2024).

Near the end of 1884, the Tugalo Grange paid over $76 for quarterly dues, and was noted for being "the largest amount ever paid for one quarter by any Grange in Georgia," and later noting that "in members, though dropping members for non payment of dues, etc... [numbers] membership by the hundreds." A later entry in the same publication notes that "Tugalo 734 wears the blue ribbon with its 245 membership" ("The Southern Cultivator and Dixie Farmer." W.J. Northern, Editor-in-Chief, VOL 43, 1885.) In an 1887 issue of the same periodical, "Tugalo Grange, of Franklin County" is again mentioned as having "175 members upon its roll." In both issues, the Secretary of the body is referenced as "Whitworth," but no other identifying information is available.

The next Fraternal organization in Lavonia was the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. According to the Wikipedia article, "[the] Independent Order of Odd Fellos (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship," that was "founded in 1819... in Baltimore, Maryland..." and evolved "from the Order of Odd Fellows" founded in England" during the previous century" (1730). We do have information regarding their location, as well as evidence that early members of Lavonia Lodge No. 241 were also involved in the IOOF.

In 1911, WB Thomas B. Bonner provided a piece of paper upon which Mr. Miles Henry Fulghum wrote out a Petition to join Lavonia Lodge No. 241, F&AM. The paper was the official letterhead of "Dr. Thos. B. Bonner, Division Deputy, Grand Master Tugalo Division No. 13," of the IOOF, and bore an address of "Lavonia, Ga."

In that same year (1911), the Sanborn Map Company released a series of maps of Downtown Lavonia. In the bottom portion of page 2 of the maps, and at a location corresponding with the present-day intersection of West Avenue and W. Main Street, a "Masonic Hall" is listed as having been located on the second floor of the building most recently occupying Alexander's Flowers. In the building adjacent, wherein "Mama Lynn's" restaurant was last located, the map indicates that the second floor is occupied by "I.O.O.F."

When Sanborn Map Company issued its 1924 edition of the map, the entries were both listed as "Lodge Hall."

The next Fraternal organization in Lavonia for which we can find evidence is the Knights of Pythias. According to the Wikipedia article under that name, it is "a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 1864," by Justus H. Rathbone, "who has been inspired by a play by the Irish poet John Banim about the legend of Damon and Pythias." Its structure and organization borrowed much from Freemasonry. In a minutes book that was recently found mixed in with Lavonia Lodge No. 241 early minutes books, the Lavonia "Castle" of this order met in the IOOF Hall in Lavonia, and had many members in common. Further research into the newly found minutes book is planned and notable entries will be shared. We have also reached out to the main office of the Knights of Pythias and informed them of our find, but we have had no luck in making contact with them in order to return this minutes book to them.

Finally, there are a number of Freemasonic appendant and concordant organizations that exist today. Of these, Lavonia Lodge No. 241, F&AM, hosted Fred E. Lee Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Franklin Council, Royal and Select Masters, and the Lavonia Order of the Eastern Star. These will be addressed in a future entry.

If you have any information or photos of the bodies referenced above in Lavonia, please share them with us. Lavonia Lodge No. 241, in its remodel project for the Lavonia Masonic Center, plans to have a museum-type display of the history of the Lodge in Lavonia.

If you are interested in getting a copy of the Sanborn Map Company's 1911 and 1924 maps of Lavonia, please contact us at LavoniaLodge241@gmail.com, and I'll be glad to send the files to you.