Fairhaven's Secret Society Debut
The local Knights of Pythias chapter officially forms as the largest lodge of its kind in Washington state, complete with an all-night induction ceremony.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Fairhaven Lodge Knights of Pythias No. 66 was instituted last evening at their castle hall in the DeFries building, corner of Eleventh and Larrabee streets. Delegations from Skagit Lodge No. 18, Mt. Vernon, Sunset Lodge No. 11, Whatcom and members of the order from Vancouver, B.C., Seattle and other points assisted in the installation ceremonies. The visiting Knights began to arrive early yesterday morning and in the evening, the Whatcom and Sehome delegation, fifteen strong, arrived in time to take part in the opening ceremonies. Over seventy members of the order, and an equal number of new candidates, participated and the result of their all-night session is one of the most prominent lodges of the Pacific Northwest, made up of the most influential men in this section. It boasts a larger charter membership than any lodge ever organized in the state of Washington. The members are very comfortably situated in their new hall and are well equipped for the work of building up the best and strongest lodge in the Northwest. After a hard all-night session, initiating the new members, and allowing them the privilege of 'riding the goat' to their hearts content, the installation of officers was held. It was broad daylight when the first meeting adjourned. About midnight an elegant banquet was spread in the vacant store room under the lodge hall, and all present did it full justice.
“After a hard all-night session, initiating the new members, and allowing them the privilege of 'riding the goat' to their hearts content, the installation of officers was held.”
In the 1890s, fraternal orders like the Knights of Pythias functioned as both a social safety net and a gatekeeping mechanism for the city's emerging business elite. The 'castle hall' is long gone, but the spirit of exclusive networking remains a persistent fixture of Fairhaven’s civic history.
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