It's a lodge that values friendship and charity
over the divisions caused by the Civil War.

On March 8, 1900, some men in Burlington were organizing a new lodge. They were becoming part of the international fraternity known as the Knights of Pythias.

The organization began during the Civil War, and appealed directly to Abraham Lincoln with a mission of "friendship, charity, and benevolence," believing such qualities could help rebuild America.

Lincoln embraced their mission, telling them to appeal to the United States Congress for a charter. They did just that, becoming the first American order chartered by an Act of the U.S. Congress.

In Burlington, the Knights of Pythias' Bethel Lodge would be lodge number 22.

Image courtesy Images of America: Burlington Volume Two by Mary Ann DiSpirito and David Robinson. Also, a special thanks to information and assistance by the Knights of Pythias Danville Lodge, the only remaining lodge in Vermont.

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