Fraternitas Rosae Crucis (Fraternity of the Rosy Cross or FRC) is a
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking i ...
fraternal organization established in the United States by
Paschal Beverly Randolph
Paschal Beverly Randolph (October 8, 1825 – July 29, 1875) was an American medical doctor, occultist, spiritualist, trance medium, and writer. He is notable as perhaps the first person to introduce the principles of erotic alchemy to North ...
in 1856,
[Greer, page 194] and is the oldest Rosicrucian Order founded in the
US.
[Lewis, page 92] They also operate
Beverly Hall Corporation and the
Clymer Health Center in
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quakertown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2020, it had a population of 9,359. The borough is south of Allentown and Bethlehem and north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware V ...
.
History
The FRC's first lodge was established in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in 1861, and closed soon after. In 1871 they established another lodge in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
and in 1874, reestablished in San Francisco. In 1875 they finally settled in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
While Reuben Swinburne Clymer headed the order, the FRC established itself at Beverly Hall