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Knights of Pythias (K of P)

Marin County has seen two Knights of Pythias Lodges and Pythian Sister's Temples. They were: Muir Lodge No. 136, Knights of Pythias (Sausalito); Muir Temple, Sisters of Pythias (Sausalito); Tamalpais Lodge No. 60, Knights of Pythias (San Rafael); Tamalpais Temple No. 129, Sisters of Pythias (San Rafael).

In 1919, Muir Lodge No. 132, Knights of Pythias, met at the Pythian Castle, 763-771 Bridgeway, Sausalito (building no longer extant) and rented space to the Court Sausalito No. 150, Foresters of America and Sea Point Parlor No. 158, Native Sons of the Golden West. The Pythian Castle was a two story building facing the street, with 13 upstairs windows. The words "Pythian Castle" were written across the entire length of the building, separated by the emblem of the order (FCB overlaid by a skull and cross bones). Downstairs were businesses: a plumber and a garage and gas pump. It is believed that the Bridgeway building was destroyed in a fire in the 1920's, after which Muir Lodge was relocated to the upstairs of the Perry Building on Caledonia Street. Mr. Perry was an influential citizen of Sausalito and a member of the Lodge. The Sausalito structure on Bridgeway is now first floor businesses and upper floor apartments; the Caledonia Street building was converted into apartments. In 1968, Roma Lodge No. 147, KofP, from San Francisco, merged with Muir Lodge No. 136. Subsequently, Muir Lodge moved again, relocating to the Odd Fellows Temple in Mill Valley. In 1980, Muir Lodge consolidated with New Era Lodge No. 32, KofP, which met in Petaluma; New Era Lodge No. 32 surrendered its charter in 2001.

The San Rafael Lodge was located at various times at its own Pythian Castle at 833 4th Street in San Rafael and at the Woodmen of the World Hall at 1026 C Street in San Rafael. The 1026 C Street location is believed to have been the former location of Eden's Mortuary, a two story structure near the middle of the block; North of the Mortuary were several very small bungalows and to the South several early Victorians. The San Rafael Castle buildings are no longer extant, but the Marin Historical Society has a picture of the building with Mr. William Eden standing in the front doorway. The 4th Street location in San Rafael is now a florist shop; the letters "FC" from the motto "FCB" are still visible in a plaster-work ornament over the doorway to the shop. The Woodmen of the World Hall was demolished and the lot may have been incorporated into two story municipal parking structure now at the corner of 5th and C Streets. "The Knights of Pythias was organized in San Rafael in March, 1881, under the most favorable auspices, over sixty of the best citizens offering themselves as charter members. The list was rapidly enlarged; it swelled to a greater number than any lodge in Marin ever controlled at one time." (Marin County Tocsin, January 1886.) In 1889, eight years after joining Tamalpais Lodge No. 60 on March 19, 1881, Timothy Joseph Crowley (a lawyer by profession) became the 21st Grand Chancellor of the Domain of California. It was said of T.J. Crowley that, "During all his membership he has been most earnest and active in promoting the interests of the Order in California, always ready for the performance of any Pythian duty for which he may be assigned." (Pythian History, Wm. Kennedy, p. 386.)" In 1926, the Knights of Pythias bought the old 800 seat Star Theatre at the corner of Fourth and D Streets (once Gordon's Opera House) in San Rafael, which was renovated and operated for a period as the New Star Theatre, combining stage movie house and local community theatre. (Movie Studios & Movie Theaters in Marin: A History Since 1898, Lionel Ashcroft (Marin Historical Society Publication, 1998).)" Tamalpais Lodge No. 60 was still listed as an active lodge in 1931, the latest information available to this author. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1931.)

In California, the Knights of Pythias reached its height in terms of members in 1923 when membership peaked at 31,497 members in some 213 Lodges.

Knights of Pythias - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Knights of Pythias is a social brotherhood founded at Washington, D.C., February 19, 1864, by Justus Henry Rathbone and four others, to promote the principals of friendship, charity, and benevolence (FCB). The fundamental tenants of the order are "toleration in religion, obedience to law, and loyalty to government." Accepted candidates are advanced through the three ranks or degrees of Page, Esquire, and Knight. Justus Henry Rathbone, who had belonged to three other fraternities - the Sons of Malta, Red Men, and Masonic Lodge, initially prepared the ritual. In 1872, Right Reverend Bishop William Ussher of the Reformed Episcopalian Church, wrote an amplified version of the Knight Degree which featured a journey through Hades; by 1892, this otherworldly sojourn in the realm of Pluto had been translated into a philosophic discourse by Pythagoras.

Local bodies are known as Lodges and meet in halls designated as Castles. The Governing body is the Supreme Lodge. Originally these were referred to as the Castle and Supreme Castle. The officers of the Lodge (or Castle) are: Chancellor Commander, Vice Commander, Prelate, Master of Work, Keeper of Records and Seal, Master of Finance, Master of Exchequer, Master at Arms, Inner Guard, and Outer Guard.

The first Pythian Lodge was organized in California on March 25, 1869 at Merriman's Hall on Mission Street with the near simultaneous formation of California Lodge No. 1 and Damon Lodge No. 2. Two men had received authority to institute Pythian Lodges in California. The first, John Stratman, Esq., was initiated and received appointment as Deputy Grand Chancellor of the State of California on July 13, 1868 in the District of Columbia. Stratman made the trip to California and waited on Lodge paraphernalia to arrive. When it did not arrive, Stratman traveled East to New York to procure a complete set of paraphernalia. However, in his absence, a San Francisco barber named George H. Chard (who had been instructed by Supreme Scribe Barton to work with Stratman) contacted Supreme Chancellor Read, informed him that Stratman had quit the State, and convinced Read to revoke Stratman's commission and appoint Chard in his stead. Chard went on to organize the first lodges, but within nine months of organizing California No. 1, "had been suspended for embezzling the funds of the Order, a charge to which he plead guilty." Under Chard's brief leadership, California Lodge No. 1 was instituted on April 8, 1869, Damon Lodge No. 2 was instituted on May 19, 1869, and Golden Gate Lodge No. 3 was instituted on May 28, 1869. The first lodge in California to be organized by Stratman, after his commission was reinstated, was Laurel Lodge No. 4, in San Francisco on June 12, 1869, which met first at Merriman's Hall and then moved to Tucker's Hall on the North West corner of Montgomery and Sutter Streets, until moving to the Pythian Castle at 909 Market Street in June of 1873. (Pythian History, Wm. Kennedy, pp. 371-372.)

The Pythian Grand Lodge for the Domain of California was organized at a preliminary meeting held at Congress Hall on Bush Street in San Francisco on September 5, 1869 followed by the formal institution of the Grand Domain on September 28, 1869 when there were eight Lodges. It was just the fourteenth Domain (i.e., State) to be instituted by the Supreme Lodge of the United States. By the first of January 1870, there were fifteen lodges in the State with a membership of 1,211. The Domain's publication, the Sprig of Myrtle reported the number of Lodges at seventeen by 1871. (History of the Knights of Pythias, Joseph D. Weeks (Jos. D. Weeks and Co., Burlington, Iowa, 1872).)  One of the moving forces behind the organization of the Grand Lodge and subordinate lodges in the State was William L. La Rose, who was initiated in California Lodge No. 1 in 1869 and proceeded to organize Our Lodge No. 5 (subsequently renamed Ivanhoe No. 5) the same year. (Knights of Pythias Complete Manual and Textbook, John Van Valkenburg (Moss and Co., Philadelphia, PA, 1878).) The first Grand Domain officers elected (under titles that were superceded in 1874) were: William C. Mead, Grand Venerable Patriarch; George H. Chard, Grand Chancellor; David Kerr, Grand Vice-Chancellor; R. W. Barclay, Grand Recording and Corresponding Secretary; George P. Fisher, Grand Banker. (History of the Knights of Pythias, Weeks.)

The "Pythian Press" in California included in the early history of the order in California the aforementioned Sprig of Myrtle. By 1928 it had been supplanted by three papers. In San Francisco there was a monthly publication called The Pythagorean. In Monrovia the monthly was called The Tri-Color. In Los Angeles the monthly was called The Pythian Herald. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 164.) In 1931, there were no Pythian publications reported in the Domain of California. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1931, p. 166.)

The Pythian Home of California was located within the historical Los Guilicos Rancho, which was founded by a Mexican land grant in the late 1700's to the wife of Don Juan Wilson, a famous sea captain, who bore the name Ramena. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 155.) The site of the Los Guilicos Rancho in the "Valley of the Moon" was formerly part of Senator Kearns' ranch and was the setting for part of a Jack London novel Valley of the Moon (1913) wherein his heroine exclaimed, "We have found our Valley!" In choosing the site for the home, the Pythian committee said: "In the selection of our fraternal home we must reckon with the centuries of a vast future. No ordinary, no perfunctory selection would suffice. Our requirements demand quantities of quality and in the glorious acreage herein presented we feel with all the ties that bind us and make of each Pythian a brother, that our Order shall attain a home of everlasting superiority, of eternal fitness. (History of the Order of the Pythian Sisters, Jayne-Weaver and Wood, p. 201.) The home was situated on 1,200 acres, must of which was undeveloped in 1929, but which included a dam with a holding capacity of 2-million gallons of water. The Home's administration building was the old ranch house, which dated to 1857 and included a dining-room table that had cost Senator Kearns over $5,000 and which had been used to entertain Ex-Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 155.) Ten other buildings on the property were used to feed and house the residents and guests of the Home. (Id.) In 1925, besides wood and abundant water there were 36.3 acres of two and three year old prunes, 14.9 acres of three and four year old peaches and apricots, 102.9 acres of full bearing Zinfalden and Alacante vineyard, and 162.5 acres of hay and grain. (History of the Order of the Pythian Sisters, p. 201.) In 1943 the California Youth Authority acquired the land and buildings of the California Pythian Home. The road into the ranch is still named Pythian Road. In 1946, a Pythian Youth Camp was started in the Sequoia National Park and another at Kings Canyon National Park. (Fourteen Decades of Brotherhood, Michael W. Carr (1996).)

One of the most interesting meeting places for a Pythian Lodge in California was the first home of Yreka Lodge No. 168, K of P, which met or at least held certain ranks in what was known as Pythian Cave from c.1925 until c.1945 when a Castle Hall was built in the town of Yreka. The cave may have been used thereafter by the Pythians until the cave and its 40-acre surrounding area was passed to the Yreka Odd Fellows Lodge No. 19, IOOF in 1962 for $10.00 with the Pythians retaining a right to use the cave at least once a year. [The Pythian Cave was used by Yreka Lodge No. 19, I.O.O.F. for the Odd Fellow Second Degree for the first time in 1940 and annually thereafter with only two interruptions of three years each: from 1943 through 1945, because of World War II, and 1991 through 1993, because of needed improvements in access to the cave site and to the cave platform. The Cave Degree was resumed in July of 1994 after improvements were made to the access and platform inside. The Cave is also used by the Masonic Order for degrees every other year: The Masons contributed to the refurbishing of the cave by building a second set of bleachers in 1995.]

An interesting example of cooperation between the Knights of Pythias and Freemasons is recorded in connection with the March 26, 1887 dedication of the new Masonic Temple in the city of Santa Cruz. The Pythian Band helped in the dedication parade for the new Masonic Temple. The Pythian Band formed up in cross-shaped formation, with the Masonic Knights Templar who were escorting Masonic Grand Lodge officers; these were followed by visiting Masons and Knights from Watsonville, Gilroy, Holister, San Jose, Salinas, Monterey, and other places who had arrived by train for the occasion. The parade marched from the Uptown Station that stood on Union Street across from Knight's Opera House to the new Masonic Temple, which became the home from the Masonic Lodge and six other orders (one of which we might assume was the Knights of Pythias). (From, "Mysteries of the Masonic Castle: A History of 'The Farrari Bldg.'," By Ross Eric Gibson.)

The jewel of the Pythian Order carries the abbreviation the three tenants of Pythianism - FCB: Friendship (blue), Charity (yellow), and Benevolence (red). The most typical emblems associated with the Knights of Pythias are: A sword laid on an open Bible; crossed swords; a skull and cross bones; a sprig of myrtle; spikes; and a knight's helmet with visor, headsman axe, and knight's sword. Birds figure in some emblems: The Knights of Pythias utilizes a falcon which signifies vigilance (the Uniform Rank used the dove as its official bird). Pythian swords sheaths also depict Samson pushing over the pillars of a building, a visible representation of strength and their pommels feature a knights helmet surmounted by a lion, representing full knighthood and leadership.

The Knights of Pythias primary auxiliary is currently the Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan, whose ritual was written in 1895 by John B. Powell. Referred to as the "Playground of the Order," The Knights of Khorassan was officially recognized as a part of the KofP at the Supreme Lodge Convention in 1914. The nearest Temple of the DOKK to Marin County were Zerin Kapi No. 52 in San Francisco and Abu Zaid No. 201 in Oakland. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1929, pp. 140-142.)The officers of a Divan of the DOKK are: Royal Vizier, Grand Emir, Sheik, Mahedi, Secretary, Treasurer, Satrap, Sahib, Mokanna, Saruk, Master of Ceremonies, and Escorts to the Royal Vizier. A member is referred to as a Votary and a candidate is a Tyro. Referred to as "Dokies" from the abbreviation of the proper name (D.O.K.K.), the group's motto is "Lift up the Fallen," which is practices though its charitable activities. The emblem of the Knights of Khorassan is a Tiger's face, to its left a waning crescent moon with three stars and behind it the shadow of the same, to the right of the Tiger are the initials D.O.K.K. 

The Knights of Khorassan eclipsed an earlier auxiliary organization, the Uniform Rank. Conceived in 1884 and made an official auxiliary in 1888, the Knights of Pythias Uniform Rank was denoted by the abbreviation "UR." It was also know as the "Army of the Lilly," owing to its use of the Lilly as its emblem and its identification with the virtues of Honesty and Purity; the two edges of the sword with which Knight/Officers were invested was to remind them that right and law supported Honesty and Purity. Another significant emblem of the Uniform Rank was the Double Triangle: Pythian's of the first three Ranks were said to have passed the Single Triangle of obedience, caution and bravery, while those of the UR passed the Double Triangle which was composed of all the tenants of the First Triangle with the addition of Purity and Honesty.

The Uniform Rank formed a semi-military parade corps for the Knights of Pythias. As stated by James R. Carnahan, early head of the UR, "It has been the purpose of those most deeply interested in the success of the Uniform Rank Knights of Pythias to make it the most thorough of any of the military branches of the fraternal societies in the United States, or in the world." To this end, and with consent, Carnahan adapted Upton's Infantry Tactics, then in use by the United States Army, for the UR. The Uniform Rank was drilled in the use of sword, axe and lance. On May 17, 1898, in connection with the war with Spain, "the Grand Lodge of California, tendered to the President of the United States a full regiment of volunteers to be composed of and officered by members of the Order." (Pythian History, Wm. Kennedy, p. 392.) Similarly, during World War I, the Supreme Lodge of the Knights of Pythias offered the "trained" militiamen of the Uniform Rank for military service.

The Divisions of the UR nearest to Marin were those located in San Francisco and those six were the Fairmont Division, S.F. German Division, Pythian Division, Pacific Division, Unity Division, and Justice Division. By 1928, the San Francisco Divisions were defunct: California was listed as a "Domain without Brigade Organization," with regiments still extant in Fresno (First Regiment) and Carlsbad (Third Regiment). (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 137.) By 1931, two years into the depression, California had nevertheless risen to brigade strength. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1931, p. 137.) In 1928 there were forty-three dealers licensed to provide paraphernalia and supplies to the UR, but in 1931 the number of licensed dealers shrank to just six. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 138; The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 138.) The seven officers of the Uniform Rank Division were: Sir Knight Captain, Sir Knight Lieutenant, Sir Knight Herald, Sir Knight Recorder, Sir Knight Treasurer, Sir Knight Guard, and Sir Knight Sentinel. Divisions met in a body styled an Armory. The UR's ceremonies did not involve the use of an Alter or a Bible, hence there being no Chaplain or Prelate. The UR was separated from the Knights of Pythias as a recognized branch of the Pythian Order in 1948.

The Knights of Pythias created an Endowment Rank in 1887. It was made a secret or ritualistic order to escape the insurance laws of the several states. (A History of the Order of Knights of Pythias in Indiana with the Story of Damon and Pythias, p. 244.) The ritual of the Endowment Rank was prepared by the founder of the Pythian Order, Justus Rathbone. He "reported a very elaborate ritual and ceremonial, which received at the hands of the committee considerable pruning; but even in the curtailed form it left the hands of the committee it was too extensive and generally disapproved, and at the Supreme Lodge session in 1880 in St. Louis, the ceremony, except the opening and closing, was declared no longer obligatory." (Id.) The Endowment Rank functioned well until the fraternal side of the Knights of Pythias became nervous in the wake of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 at which point they feared the still solvent insurance might become a liability. This Insurance Department (in Indianapolis, Ind.) was severed from the Knights of Pythias and reincorporated as United Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1930 and subsequently became the American United Life Insurance Company. In 1928, it was reported that the Insurance Department had since its inception paid $61,116,529 in settlement of claims. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 130.) By 1928, Pythian dependents in the Grand Domain of California had received a total of $1,959,088 in settlement of claims since 1887; $86,828 had been paid in 1927 alone. (Id.)

The Knights of Pythias's women's auxiliary was the Pythian Sisters. It was proposed as an auxiliary in 1877; it was not recognized as an official Pythian organization until 1904. The Pythian Sister's ritual and organization was an exception to the model followed by the Masonic Eastern Star and Odd Fellows Rebekahs. Unlike its rival organizations, the Pythian Sisters ritual included features more common to those followed by male fraternal organizations, detachment, testing, but without incorporation into a new and higher social category. (Constructing Brotherhood, Clawson, pp. 197-204.) Further, the Pythian Sisters retained greater autonomy in governing their Temples and Order than either the Eastern Star or Rebekahs; Pythian Sisters Temples had no male officers - men could not hold office, offer resolutions, or vote. Id. at 205. Under the leadership of suffragist Ida Jayne-Weaver, first Supreme Chief and influential Pythian Sister for over 30-years, the Pythian Sisters joined the National Council of Women, a federation of women's organizations instituted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to broaden support for suffrage. Id.

The Knights of Pythias created an auxiliary for boys aged 14-21 years old  called the Junior Order, Princes of Syracuse. It was founded by Franklin Butler at Oak Park, IL on February 20, 1923 and formally recognized by Proclamation of the Supreme Chancellor Richard S. Witte of Milwaukee, WI on August 24, 1927. (The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1928, p. 148.) "The aim of the order is to help the growing boy safely past the dangerous temptations that surround him in the years between the time he outgrows or tires of Boy Scouts and the time when he takes on a man's interests and activities, to substitute wholesome amusements and sports for the lure of the corner gang and poolroom and their usually vicious environment, to teach patriotism, respect for the law, regard for the rights of others, reverence for religion, and the virtue of an honest, truthful, upright life. The order is of almost incalculable value to the boy in his adult business life due to the experience he receives in the conduct of the affairs of his Palace, teaching him, as it does, self-confidence and initiativeness and developing his ability to think and talk on his feet." The Official Pythian Lodge Directory - 1931, p. 148) "Palaces" were under the direct control of the Supreme Palace, which exercised control through deputies. (Id.) As of 1928, the nearest Palaces to Marin County were in Pittsburg (Royal No. 14), Oakland (Oakland No. 17), and San Francisco (Golden Gate No. 26). (Id. at 148-149.) The officers were styled, Regent, Vice Regent, Monitor, Minister of Records, Minister of Finance, Captain General, Guard Captain, Guard Lieutenant, Governor General. The Princes of Syracuse have since been supplanted by the Junior Order Knights of Pythias.

In August 1930, the Supreme Lodge of the Knights of Pythias authorized a new degree and paraphernalia to perform the same. The degree was called, "The Pluto Degree." C.E. Ward Company of New London, OH was authorized to manufacture "Pluto Degree Equipment," which included, inter alia, Mephisto style costume, costumes for the "Masked Knight," cauldrons, tridents, and lycopodium flash torches. It is likely that the Pluto Degree was a reintroduction of the 1872 amplified version of the Knight Degree.

From 1925 to 1940, the Knights of Pythias lost approximately 550,000 members. Although, as of the year 2000, membership in the Knights of Pythias still exceeded 50,000, the Order (like most fraternal organizations) has experienced a substantial drop in membership over the last 50 years.

Was your California town the location of a Pythian Castle?
Knights of Pythias Appendix

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