The Imperial Order of Muscovites was an unofficial, unrecognized appendant body to the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, founded in 1894 in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and lasting until about 1921.Oriental Order of Humility and Perfection
phoenixmasonry.org The order apparently stirred controversy within the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Minutes from the Grand Lodge of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in 1910, record that all odd fellows were commanded to abandon their membership in the Imperial Order of Muscovites, and that further membership in the body would result in expulsion from Independent Order of Odd Fellows itself.Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Illinois
73rd Annual Session, 15–17 November 1910, Springfield, IL The latest Kremlins were instituted in 1921.History of Natrona county, Wyoming, 1888-1922
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, Chicago, 1923 Many local bodies of the order were absorbed, along with those of other appendant Odd Fellow organizations into the

Ancient Mystic Order of Samaritans The Ancient Mystic Order of Samaritans (AMOS) is an unofficial appendant body of all Odd Fellows It is recognized as the "playground for Odd Fellowship" and is known for engaging in public and private hijinks and spectacle, all in the name of ...

., while others continued to exist independently as late as until 1934.Muscovites Have Big Ceremonial and Banquet ''Spirit Lake Beacon'' Spirit Lake: 8 Nov 1934, p 1. One chapter in Oregon survived under a new name until the 1960s. Klaus Scherer, a former member and former grand master of Oregon Odd Fellows, preserved their ceremonies until he and his son revived the degrees as a charity fundraiser open to anyone.

Organization

Although not under the jurisdiction of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, membership in the Muscovites was open only to Odd Fellows. The basic body or unit of the order was called a

Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...

, with officers styled as Czar, Patriarch, Regent, Commander, and so forth. The body governing the order was known as the Supreme Kremlin and included an Imperial Czar, Imperial Regent, Imperial Grand Duke, Imperial Governor, Imperial Counselor, Imperial Minister of Records, Imperial Minister of Finance, Imperial Custodian, Imperial Inspector, Imperial Inner Guard, Imperial Outer Guard, and multiple Chancellors.Muscovites End Meeting
''The Deseret News'' Salt Lake City: 17 July 1912, p 12.

Ceremonies

As described in 1933, the initiation for the group consisted of "obstacles met and overcome by exiles to Siberia" with the proceedings consisting of "a burlesque on the former Russian government." Live bears were known to be used in the order's ceremonies.

Regalia

The membership regalia of the order was a charcoal grey

fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

with a black band of fur around the brim, emblazoned with an emblem representing two bear heads flanking a banner of red and yellow, divided diagonally, with the legend "IOM" arranged vertically. It was referred to by the membership as a Russian busby.

Controversy and disbandment

The order apparently engendered controversy within Odd Fellowship, and it was eventually disbanded. Minutes from the Grand Lodge of

for 1910 record that all Odd Fellows were commanded to abandon their membership in the Imperial Order of Muscovites, and that further membership in the body would result in expulsion from the parent body. The latest Kremlins were instituted in 1921. Portions of the order were apparently absorbed, along with other appendant Odd Fellows bodies, into the

. Due to disagreements among the members, however, others remained separate and continued to hold social events as well as initiate new members as late as 1934. The remnants of the IOM experienced financial difficulties and went into receivership in 1933.

Revival

Klaus Scherer, a former member and former grand master of Oregon Odd Fellows, preserved their ceremonies in a Portland Odd Fellows lodge. He, his son David, and others adjusted the ritual to be appropriate to a modern audience and be inclusive of women. It was performed in April 2015 as a charity fundraising event. The revived order, renamed the Noble Order of Muscovites, now performs the degree for any organization that donates proceeds collected for the performance to charity. It has since been performed in front of charitable and

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

organizations, including virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

References