Scope and Contents:
In 1864, the Knights of Pythias fraternal organization was founded in Washington, D.C. with the goal of easing the hatreds created by the Civil War. Residents of Latham, Logan County, Illinois, founded Mortimer Lodge, No. 35, in 1873.
This collection contains five bound volumes of lodge records, including a cash book (1873-1901), two ledgers listing members and dues paid (1901-1910, 1927-1946), and two volumes of minutes (1907-1915, 1927-1944). There is also a folder of miscellaneous membership and financial materials, primarily receipts and other ephemeral items, dating from 1887 to 1940.
Volie E. Pyles, of Mahomet, Ill., donated the collection to the Illinois Historical Survey in 1989.