The Maccabee Lodge met regularly in the hall over Ben Muncil's garage in Keese Mill. It seems unlikely that this would have been the Saranac Lake chapter, and there are no stories in the local newspaper archives attesting to a Brighton or Keese Mil chapter.
First row: Roy Otis, Maurice Muncil, Adrian Hyde, Joe Welch
Second row: Tom Burns, John Sawyer, Charles Simpson, Will Titus, B.A. Muncil, Levi Betters, Harry Otis, Jim Titus, Wortley Tyler, unknown, John Jaquis
Third row: unknown, Herb Newell. Photo courtesy of Gladys Blanchard
The Brighton Story, p. 118Knights of the Maccabees was founded in 1878 in London, Ontario by members of the Order of the Foresters.
Plattsburgh Sentinel, August 16, 1895
--About 500 availed themselves of the excursions given by Plattsburgh’s [illegible] K.O.T.M. [Knights of the Maccabees], to Saranac Lake Saturday and Sunday. The Maccabees desire to return thanks to their friends for their generous patronage.
Plattsburgh Daily Press, August 05, 1896
Plattsburgh Tent, No. 274, Knights of the Maccabees, have arranged for an excursion to Saranac Lake on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Aug, 15, 16 and 17, not 8, 9 and 10, as heretofore published, at the low rate of $1.25 for the round trip. A game of base ball has been arranged between the Plattsburghs and the Ampersands for Saturday, Aug. 15th. Tickets will be on sale by all members and at all railroad stations, and will be good going on any regular train Saturday, Sunday or Monday, and good returning until Monday night.
Plattsburgh Daily Press, October 19, 1912
MACCABEE DEGREE TEAM
From Local Tent Will Visit Saranac Lake
CONFER DEGREES ON LARGE CLASS
The degree team of Plattsburgh Tent No. 274 K. O. T. M, has accepted an invitation to visit Saranac Lake a week from next Wednesday evening a»d confer degrees of this popular order upon a large class of candidates. The degree team of the local tent is recognized ; as one of the best in the state and their services are much in demand for the secret work of -the order but as many of the members are working men who cannot afford to spare the time traveling about the state the vast majority of the invitations are of necessity declined.
…MacKenzie Tent, No, 688, Knights of the Maccabees, of Saranac Lake, will have the largest gathering of Maccabees that the Adirondack metropolis has known on Wednesday, motion pictures made for them of October 30. It is planned to confer three degrees upon about forty candidates from Saranac Lake and many of the surrounding towns. District Deputy C. L. Wood of Canton will be in charge of the degree examplication. [sic]
Tupper Lake Herald, November 8, 1912
About 40 candidates from Tupper Lake and Piercefield took the three degrees in the Knights of the Maccabees at Saranac Lake on Oct. 30th.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 1, 1955
Second SL Landmark To Be Razed March 1
Saranac Lake's oldest brick business block, the cradle of a dozen local organizations and many business ventures of half a century ago, will be torn down after March 1 and replaced by a modern service station...
The Lodge of Odd Fellows formed in the Spalding Hall and for many years held its meetings there. Other organizations which flourished there since have gone out of existence here, such as the Order of Foresters, the Maccabees, the Red Men and the Independent Order of Good Temperance...
