The Bowling Alley and the Bronze Elk
Discover what happened to Queens’ lodge halls and fraternal organizations when buildings were sold, memberships merged, and meeting places changed. From the Elmhurst Elks building to a College Point council’s charitable gifts, this article separates institutional survival, adaptive reuse, demolition, and the records left behind.
A Cornerstone, a Dinner, and a Borough in a Hurry
Explore how lodges, civic associations, political clubs, developers, and the Queens Chamber of Commerce intersected during the borough’s rapid growth. Through Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, and Jackson Heights, this article distinguishes shared memberships and meeting spaces from documented influence.
Fellows, Not Brothers
Explore the learned societies, exploration clubs, and museum networks connected with New York—and a local natural-history tradition in Queens. Fellows, Not Brothers explains what membership titles actually meant and how to trace fellowships, lectures, expeditions, and patronage through historical records.
Second Floor, Near the Station
Discover where Queens’ lodges, councils, and clubs met—from purpose-built halls to rented rooms and shared addresses. Second Floor, Near the Station explains how to trace historic meeting places through old street names, maps, deeds, building records, and tax photographs.
The Door That Was Closed
Explore Prince Hall Freemasonry and Black fraternal history in Queens, from African Lodge’s origins to documented lodges and an Eastern Star chapter in Jamaica. The Door That Was Closed examines exclusion, institutional independence, and how to trace these organizations through newspapers, certificates, and archives.
Same Apron, Different Animal
A fraternal pin, apron, or badge can point to several different organizations—not all of them Masonic. Same Apron, Different Animal explains how to distinguish lodges, service clubs, benefit societies, and esoteric orders, with a practical guide to researching objects found in family collections.
The Other Mysteries
Explore the Golden Dawn, O.T.O., Rosicrucian traditions, and Theosophy in metropolitan New York. The Other Mysteries distinguishes documented history from lineage claims and explains how to investigate possible Queens connections through correspondence, publications, membership records, and archives.
In the Mother Tongue
Explore how language, migration, and ethnicity shaped the immigrant societies connected with Queens. With German-speaking New York as its leading case, In the Mother Tongue follows singing societies, benefit orders, and cultural institutions—and explains how to trace them through newspapers, cemetery records, and archives.
Mrs. John and the Committee on Refreshments
Discover the women behind Queens’ fraternal institutions—not only as volunteers, but as officers, organizers, fundraisers, and policyholders. This article explores Eastern Star chapters, auxiliaries, and women’s benefit societies, with practical guidance for tracing their members through newspapers, family papers, and archives.
Council and Parish
Explore the Knights of Columbus and Catholic civic life in Queens through councils, parishes, charity, and financial protection. Council and Parish explains the order’s origins, distinguishes related Catholic organizations, and shows how to trace membership through parish records, newspapers, and family papers.
The Weekly Lunch
Discover Rotary, Lions, and the service-club tradition in Queens. The Weekly Lunch explores how fellowship, occupational connections, and public service shaped club life—and how to research local members, charitable projects, and the changing boundaries of membership.
The Other Brotherhoods
Explore the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Royal Arcanum, Elks, Moose, and Knights of the Golden Eagle—and the questions their histories raise for Queens. The Other Brotherhoods examines mutual aid, insurance, membership boundaries, and how to identify fraternal connections in family papers and local records.
Raised in Queens
Explore Freemasonry in Queens through its lodges, meeting halls, rituals, and surviving records. Raised in Queens explains the three Masonic degrees, Prince Hall Freemasonry, the boundaries of membership, and how to trace Masonic connections in family and neighborhood history.
More Than a Meeting Night
Queens history includes more than bridges, railroads, and housing developments. Discover why lodges, fraternities, and service clubs belong in the borough’s story—and how halls, benefit records, funeral notices, and membership papers can reveal their roles in neighborhood life.
The Lodges That Built Queens
Explore the lodges, fraternities, benefit societies, and service clubs that helped shape Queens. This introduction to The Lodges That Built Queens explains their differences, their boundaries of belonging, and how to trace them through buildings, family papers, and local records.