A Fraternal History of Marin County California - Knights of the Golden Eagle KGE

Knights of the Golden Eagle KGE

Knights of the Golden Eagle (KGE)

Knights of the Golden Eagle - Our Castle

It is unknown whether there were sufficient members of this fraternity in Marin to open a Castle. In nearby San Francisco, California Castle No. 1 met at 421 Post Street. In August 2001, the current Supreme Master of Records, George W. Carver, Jr., indicated that he no longer has an extant copy of the records of the Knights of the Golden Eagle for California in the Supreme Lodge's archives.

Knights of the Golden Eagle - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

Knights of the Golden Eagle - District Grand Chief

The Knights of the Golden Eagle is a currently active, beneficial and semi-military, secret society that founded its ritual and ceremonies on the history and pageantry of the crusaders of old. Many fraternal historians erroneously believed and their histories have stated that the Knights of the Golden Eagle ended as a functioning fraternal organization in the 1960's or 1970's (i.e., The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders, Alan Axelrod (Facts on File, Inc., N.Y.: 1997).) This is not the case. As of August 2001, the KGE was still functioning in three States, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania; it is down to approximately 2,000 members. The Castles from the three states meet three times a year and still perform a host of good works, including the recent donation of $20,000 to various organizations and maintaining eighteen college students on four-year scholarships (a program started in 1930). At its height in 1900, the KGE was active in twenty states, with approximately 20,000 Golden Eagle Knights. KGE membership began to decline in 1943-1944 with the onset of World War II. The KGE sold its big Philadelphia office prior to 1970, after which the Secretary's Offices moved to Allentown, Cholfent, North Wales, and finally to its present location at 248 Avenue A, Doylestown, PA, 18901-3602. During these moves, much of the KGE's history was unfortunately lost. (Personal correspondence with Supreme Master of Records, George W. Carver, Jr., dated August 14, 2001; Mr. Carver has been Supreme Master of Records since 1970.)

John Emory Burbage founded the Knights of the Golden Eagle in the city of Baltimore, MD, February 6, 1873. It was founded with the objective of cultivating the social, moral and intellectual feelings of its members and promoting their welfare in all walks of life; providing kindness, relief against the trials and distress attendant upon death and sickness, to aid the members of the order who are out of work, to provide for the widows and orphans of deceased members.

There are three degrees: Pilgrims (or Golden Chain), Knights, and Crusaders. "The three degrees are symbolic of the soldier battling for his faith: He is first a Pilgrim, then a Knight, and finally a Crusader." The candidate enters the Order as a Pilgrim in search of knowledge, and is taught that Fidelity is the first requisite in imitation of ancient knights who were first sworn to be true to God and the cause that they had espoused. Subsequently, he is invested with the Order of Knighthood, and the necessity of Valor and Courtesy is inculcated, just as in olden time they were made the duty of true knights. "The ceremony of investiture is especially impressive and cannot fail to interest the applicant: As it was the crowning feature of ancient knighthood, so it is made the most important degree in this. He is then instructed in the lesson of Honor, which was, above all others, the glory of the ancient knight." The Bible is used as the foundation of the Order, and the Order's motto is, "Fidelity, Valor, and Honor," "a trinity of graces gleaned from the Holy Bible and taught in the beautiful ritual of the Order."

In the Pilgrims or Golden Chain degree, the lessons of Fidelity and purity of motive are impressively introduced at symbolic midnight by the Venerable Hermit at the entrance to his cave (styled a tomb) in which the candidate viewed the skeleton of the Eagle Knight, patron of mortality and its emblems, who, "in days of flesh and blood, gave constant proof of his valor...; whose courage was proof against all danger...; whose lance...was ever ready couched to uphold the cause of Right, to defend the helpless, and to save the innocent from Wrong." The motto of the Pilgrim is Fidelity.

In the Second or Knights' Degree, after the Noble Chief extols the chivalric duties of Veneration for Religion, Fidelity, Valor, Courtesy, Charity, Temperance, and Hospitality, the candidate is obligated on the bible, skull, and swords. Thereafter, he is sent on a journey on which he was tempted by "the prince of the powers of the world," Satan or Lucifer, disguised as a Knight and offering pleasures unalloyed and unrestrained for a lease upon the soul. Lucifer is successfully driven away by the Cross and the Venerable Hermit again greets the candidate at symbolic midnight to teach solemn lesson in the form of a "false and craven Knight" who fell to the temptation of Satan and left him in a lake of fire without rest or solace. As the Venerable Hermit instructs, "It is not all of life to live, nor all of death to die." The ceremonies end with the dubbing of the candidate a Knight and presentation of Golden Spurs and a Sword. The motto of the Knights' Degree is Valor and Courtesy.

In the Third or Crusaders' Degree, in which the Venerable Hermit presents to the candidate the scene of the solemn tomb and mournful cross and recalled the struggles of the Crusaders, "whose grand object in life was to battle against those Moslems who had invaded the precincts hallowed by the remembrance of a life and death so dear, so sacred, so inexpressibly touching." The Venerable Hermit impresses upon the candidate that the first citadel that must be conquered is the candidate's own heart, which must be purified with God's help. The motto of the Crusaders' Degree is Honor.

The KGE also maintained Commanderies that were organized and followed tactical guides very similar to those of the Uniform Rank of the Knights of Pythias, except their drill work was limited to the use of swords. The KGE Commanderies held the exclusive right to confer the Degree of Chivalry. A Junior Military Branch also existed, composed of youths from twelve years of age upwards to 18 years old when they became eligible to join the adult group.

The fifteen officers of a Castle are a Past Chief, Noble Chief, Vice Chief, High Priest, Venerable Hermit, Master of Records, Keeper of Exchequer, Clerk of Exchequer, Sir Herald, Worthy Bard, Worthy Chamberlain, Ensign, Esquire, First Guardsman, and Second Guardsman. In the proscribed form for Castle rooms, each Castle has the option of utilizing the following canopies: The Noble Chief can sit at the head of the room under a canopy of scarlet and gold, surmounted by a golden eagle, on the front of which is the crest of the order; The Vice Chief's canopy at the opposite end of the room can be blue and gold with the crest; the Sitting Past Chief's station at the center right (north) of the room can be royal purple and gold with the crest; the High Priest's station immediately opposite the Sitting Past Chief (i.e., south) can be under a canopy of black and silver with the crest of the order. Additionally, the Castle room needs a "Cave" which is utilized during the Venerable Hermit's lectures during each of the three degrees.

Although its ritual and ceremonies are well written and thought provoking, its restrictions on eligibility have likely contributed to the organization's decline: The KGE restricted membership to only white males of the Christian faith, free from mental or bodily infirmity, competent to support himself and family, with "sufficient education to sign his own application for membership," and not engaged in the manufacture or sale of spirituous or malt liquors, which could not be served at any entertainment in Castle Halls or any occasion where the name of the Order was used.

An unhappy chapter in the KGE's history was its accidental association with the assassination of President William McKinley. When gunman Czolgosz was searched at the police station after shooting the President, on him was found a card showing that he was a member in good standing in a Cleveland Castle of the Knights of the Golden Eagle. Czolgosz had acted on his beliefs as an anarchist in a manner repugnant to the tenants and teachings of the Knights of the Golden Eagle. Ironically, President McKinley had been a committed fraternalist since being raised a Master Mason on May 3, 1865 in a Confederate Lodge, while he himself was a Union Army Major (brevetted for gallantry in battle by President Lincoln). McKinley had sought Masonic initiation in part to understand "the Masonic interactions between Confederate prisoners and Union doctors in a time of war and hatred." ("Brother William McKinley: Pillar of Masonry, War Hero, President," The Scottish Rite Journal, Julian E. Endsley, p. 28, Vol. CIX, No. 9, Sept. 2001.) McKinley remained actively involved in the full range of York Rite Masonic degrees through his assassination and was honored by the Masonic fraternity in death. "McKinley's remains were accompanied from the White House to the Capitol by five Commanderies of Knights Templar. He lay in state two days, and on September 19, 1901, uniformed Knights Templar, some two thousand strong, formed one full division of funeral escort." (Id.)