Orange Order in the United States

The Orange Order in the United States, officially incorporated as the Loyal Orange Institution of the United States of America, is a Protestant fraternal organization and the American branch of the Orange Order. Established in the mid-19th century by Ulster Protestant and Irish Protestant immigrants, the organization is dedicated to promoting civil and religious liberty, upholding Protestant principles, and preserving and teaching Ulster-Scots and Orange heritage in the United States.^[1]^[2] The national governing body, the Supreme Grand Orange Lodge of the United States, was formally established in 1870.^[3]

The Orange Order faced a number of issues, including dealing with the Orange Riots and propaganda against the background of the fraternity.^[4] Despite early controversies, the Institution experienced significant growth during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It established thousands of local lodges across major industrial and mining states, including as Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Massachusetts, where it provided a sense of community, a place for holding meetings and as a political lobbying group.^[5]

Grand Black Chapter of the United States of America is an organisation similar to the Orange Order.^[6] Once a member progresses through the Orange Order, they can join the Royal Black Institution. It exclusively follows the Reformed faith and the Bible.^[7]

History

Origins

Protestant migration to the United States occurred in distinct waves shaped by religious and political shifts within Ulster and the British Empire. Following the initial large-scale settlement of Ulster Scots in the American colonies during the 18th century, significant migration continued into the post-colonial and post-Famine eras.^[8]

While early pioneers sought religious freedom and relief from high land rents, 19th-century migrants were increasingly driven by the rapid globalization of the Atlantic slave trade. For many Ulster Protestants, moving to the United States was less a flight from demographic crises and more a calculated economic choice, boosted by the country being English-speaking, work available for skilled industrial workers and family connection from across the water.^[9]

Geographical settlement

Nineteenth-century church records, particularly those of Presbyterian ministers, track clear geographic patterns of Irish Protestant settlement in America, as clergy naturally migrated to areas with established potential congregants.^[10]

While 18th-century migration concentrated heavily around the northern Chesapeake and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia), 19th-century migrants increasingly gravitated toward major urban centers. Pennsylvania emerged as the most frequented destination, followed by New York City and the Midwest, mainly Ohio. Historical data also reveals bidirectional migration patterns between the United States and Canada.^[11]

Formal Autonomy and Grand Lodge Chartering

The first Orange parade took place in 1824, in Boston, Massachusetts.

The movement began informally through early immigration waves but accelerated dramatically following the chartering of the first official American lodge in New York City in 1867.^[12]

Following the initial expansion of local lodges, the leadership of the United States movement petitioned the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland in 1869 to grant them formal autonomy and National Grand Lodge status. In January 1870, John H. Nunn, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ireland in Dublin, issued an official certificate signed by the Irish Grand Master, the Earl of Enniskillen.^[13]

The document declared that the Irish parent institution held no objection or impediment to the formal establishment of a completely sovereign and independent association of Orangemen within the United States.

On May 4, 1870, John H. Bond, the first Grand Master of the Loyal Orange Institution of the United States of America, formally acknowledged receipt of the warrant and returned correspondence expressing gratitude to the Irish Grand Lodge. This official transfer of authority paved the way for the formal convention later that year that established the Supreme Grand Orange Lodge of the United States.^[13]

Lamartine Hall, located on 290 Eighth Avenue, Manhattan, became the headquarters for the Grand Orange Lodge of the United States. The building was built in 1845, and was a four-story, federal-style red-brick building.^[14]^[15]

Orange Riots

Main article: Orange Riots

The Order's early history in the United States was heavily shaped by sectarian tensions transplanted from Ireland, most notably culminating in the fatal Orange Riots of 1870 and 1871 in Manhattan, which pitted Irish Protestant paraders against Irish Catholic counter-protesters and local militia. Protestants celebrated the 12th of July through Manhattan, an annual tradition and the biggest Orange parade, as it seen Protestant King William defeat Catholic King James in the Battle of the Boyne.^[16] This changed the politics and direction in Ulster for the centuries that followed, in favor of Unionism .^[17]

As a result of the 1870 riot, Police Commissioner James J. Kelso initially banned the Orange parade from taking place again. However, Governor John T. Hoffman overturned the ban and ordered that the march be protected. The orders were instructed that around 1,500 New York City policemen and about 5,000 state militia and troops from the National Guard would be deployed to escort the Orangemen from Lamartine Hall.^[18]^[19]

The 1871 riot saw more than 60 civilians, mostly working-class Irish Catholics and Ulster Scots Protestants, and three Guardsmen dead. Among the more than 150 individuals wounded were 22 militiamen and roughly 20 police officers injured by flying debris and projectiles, alongside four law enforcement officers who survived gunshot wounds.^[20]

Expansion

By 1873, the fraternity boasted around 100 active lodges with over 10,000 national members. As the society transitioned into a vital mutual-aid and philanthropic network, it achieved a major milestone in 1902 by founding the Orange Home in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, which initially served as an orphanage for the children of deceased members. By 1914, the Institution reached its historical peak, expanding to 364 lodges with over 30,000 active members.^[21]^[22]

21st century

In the modern era, membership in the Orange Order in the United States is not at the levels of its historical peak, mirroring broader trends in American fraternal organizations. Today, the Institution functions primarily as a historical, cultural, heritage focused and charitable fraternity. There are active lodges predominantly located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, most notably within the state of Pennsylvania.^[23]

Orange Lodges

California

California True Blues L.O.L. 118
Ulster-Scots L.O.L.

Connecticut

Washington L.O.L.

The Lodge is located in Manchester, Connecticut. It was formed by Northern Irish mill workers, who immigrated to the area in the 1880s.^[24]

Delaware

Jenkintown True Blue L.O.L.

The Lodge is located in Wilmington.

Kentucky

Land of Goshen L.O.L. 1517

Massachusetts

Bunker Hill L.O.L

Bunker Hill Orange Lodge refers to the Battle of Bunker Hill, fought in 1775.^[25] The hall is in Somerville, near Boston.

Michigan

Thomas A. Plunkett Boyne Defenders L.O.L.

This commemorates the influential past Supreme Grand Master of the U.S. Grand Lodge. "Boyne Defenders" refers to the Battle of the Boyne, similarly named to the likes of Ballyvea Boyne Defenders, an Orange Lodge in Kilkeel.^[26]

Nevada

Las Vegas Purple Star L.O.L 212

New York

New York State Grand Lodge L.O.L. (State governing body)
United L.O.L.

Ohio

Gideon’s Trust L.O.L.

In Ohio, the Northeast Ohio Orange Order is an appeal for Protestants and Ulster-Scots to join the Orange Institution.^[27]

Pennsylvania

Washington L.O.L.
Jenkintown True Blue L.O.L.

South Carolina

President Rutledge L.O.L. 1776

This honours John Rutledge, a signer of the U.S. Constitution and the first Governor of South Carolina.^[28]

Tennessee

Volunteer L.O.L. 9

Virginia

Patrick Henry L.O.L. 1105

The Virginia Lodge commemorates Patrick Henry, Founding Father famed for his "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech—an ethos that strongly resonated with the Order's stated dedication to civil and religious liberties.^[29]

Grand Black Chapter of the USA

Main article: Royal Black Institution

The Grand Black Chapter of the United States of America operates as a senior, appendant branch of the American Orange Order. While the primary Orange lodges follow the heritage, fraternity and cultural themes, the Royal Black Institution is strictly religious, focusing on the Holy Scripture and closer connection with God.^[30]

Membership in the institution is exclusive, as an applicant cannot join a local Preceptory without first being an active, third-degree member in good standing of a Loyal Orange Lodge and having attained the foundational Royal Arch Purple Degree.^[31]

Diminishment and resurgence

While historically maintaining dozens of local chapters across the American industrial belt during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the modern organization went through a major structural consolidation. The Grand Black Chapter of the United States was officially reformed in 2014 to revitalize the order.^[32]

In 2022, five top officers, including Sovereign Grand Master Rev William Anderson, travelled to partake in a series of meetings and workshops of the Grand Black Chapter of the United States of America. The growth since 2014 had seen growth in the Institution, including members with no connection to Northern Ireland.^[33]

In 2023, the American branch achieved a significant international milestone when it hosted the parent organization's annual conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia, marking the first time in the history of the Imperial Grand Black Chapter that the international gathering was held outside of the British Isles.^[34]

Active American Black Chapters

Old Dominion RBP 1607 (Virginia)
McKinley RBP 1690 (California)
Carolina RBP 1670 (South Carolina)
Sons of Liberty RBP 1776 (Pennsylvania)