The Golden Age of Fraternalism lasted from 1870 to 1920 and was a time when fraternal organizations in the US had the largest surge of popularity. These organizations included the Knights of Columbus, the Rotary Club, the Freemasons, the Shriners and the Odd Fellows. The Odd Fellows is one of the oldest orders and while they don't have a large membership today, they were very influential at one time. So influential, that the Catholic Church declared that anyone belonging to the organization was condemned. This meant that Odd Fellow members and their families couldn't be buried in Catholic cemeteries. They established their own cemeteries to fill the need and they are located across the country. Many of these cemeteries are black cemeteries and very significant for just that reason. On this Stones and Bones, we are going to explore a few of these cemeteries. 

Intro and Outro music "Stones and Bones" was written and produced by History Goes Bump and any use is strictly prohibited.

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Music: Flying Angels by Sascha Ende Link: https://ende.app/en/song/2934-flying-angels