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Civil War – Knights of Pythias Name Tag
Post Civil War 1860’s Silver Medal 28mm (4.41 grams)
K. P. W. E. SNIDER OSCEOLA NEB P.M., Inscribed banner below Knight with spears.
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 The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on 19 February 1864. The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been inspired by a play by the Irish poet John Banim about the legend of Damon and Pythias. This legend illustrates the ideals of loyalty, honor, and friendship that are the center of the order.
The order has over 2,000 lodges in the United States and around the world, with a total membership of over 50,000 in 2003. The order is headquartered in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Some lodges meet in structures referred to as Pythian Castles.
The structure of the Knights of Pythias is three-tiered. The local units used to be called “Castles,” but over time came to be called “Subordinate Lodges.” State and provincial organizations are called “Grand Lodges” and the national structure is called the “Supreme Lodge” and meets in convention biennially. The officers of the Supreme Lodge include the sitting Past Supreme Chancellor, Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Prelate, Secretary, Treasurer, Master at Arms, Inner Guard and Outer Guard.
The order’s auxiliaries are the Pythian Sisters, and two youth organizations: the Pythian Sunshine Girls and the Junior Order of Princes of Syracuse for boys.
Membership has historically been open to males in good health who believe in a Supreme Being. Maimed individuals were not admitted until 1875. Members are accepted by blackball ballot.
A member must be at least 18 years of age, and must take the following oath:
I declare upon honor that I believe in a Supreme Being, that I am not a professional gambler, or unlawfully engaged in the wholesale or retail sale of intoxicating liquors or narcotics, and that I believe in the maintenance of the order and the upholding of constituted authority in the government in which I live. Moreover, I declare upon honor that I am not a Communist or Fascist; that I do not advocate nor am I a member of any organization that advocates the overthrow of the Government of the Country of which I am a Citizen, by force or violence or other unlawful means; and that I do not seek by force or violence to deny to other persons their rights under the laws of such country.
By the end of the so-called “Golden Age of Fraternalism” in the early 1920s, the order had nearly a million members. By 1979, however, this number had declined to fewer than 200,000. The ranks of Pythian Knighthood in a subordinate lodge (or “Castle”) are:
- Page
- Esquire
- Knight
In 1877, the order adopted an optional rank, called the Endowment Rank, which provided fraternal insurance benefits. In 1930, this department split from the Knights of Pythias and became a mutual life insurance company, later known as the American United Insurance Company. 185
The Knights of Pythias also has a side degree, the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan, 184 which itself has a female auxiliary, the Nomads of Avrudaka.
Finally, members who obtained the rank of Knight were eligible to join the now-defunct Uniform Rank, which participated in parades and other processions.
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