Project Scroll

    Tip: press / or Ctrl K anywhere to search.

    ← News and articles

    E Clampus Vitus · The series

    E Clampus Vitus, from the record

    E Clampus Vitus began as a joke on the solemn secret societies of the 1840s. It is first on record in Indiana in February 1846, followed the gold rush to California, nearly died out, came back twice, and today puts up plaques on forgotten places across the West. These pages tell its story from the records of the time: the first lodge with its charter members named, every place the old order is on record before 1905, and the documents in full.

    Start here: Part 1 › Open the register ›

    The story

    1. Howard S. Rogers, History of Cass County, from 1825 to 1875, page 253: the first secret society of which there is any recordPart 1A lodge of E Clampus Vitus, in Cassopolis, in 1846Four charter members, a ball of over two hundred badges, and the earliest lodge of the order yet found with its charter members named.55 min read ›
    2. Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County, California, in 1866Part 2E Clampus Vitus: the complete recordThe old order from Indiana in 1846 to the revival of 1931: the lodges, the lawmakers, the myths and the name.96 min read ›

    The evidence

    101 places, each with its earliest surviving source, sortable and free to download; the maps; the founding documents transcribed in full; and every source behind the series.

    Project Scroll is independent research. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by E Clampus Vitus, Inc. or any of its chapters, and it does not speak for the order. Corrections and additions are welcome at research@projectscroll.com, and every one is credited.