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, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Odd Fellows, Order ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, founded in 1894 in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, 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. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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 Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early ...

., 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 Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

, 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 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 (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

organizations, including virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

References