Order of the Golden Chain
Encyclopedia
The Order of the Golden Chain is a fraternal social organization for Freemasons
and their immediate female relatives. It was founded in 1929 in Asbury Park, New Jersey
. Local units are called Links, and exist in northeastern US coastal states. Each has six officers known as "jewels". The Grand Link is located in New Jersey. During the Great Depression
the constituent links contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of necessities to hospitals, nursing homes, and orphanages. During World War II
the Golden Chain contributed humanitarian supplies to the war effort. After the war the Order created Camp Golden Chain, with 145 acre (0.5867947 km²) of land and a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) lake in Warren County, New Jersey, for underprivileged children of all races, and engaged in a number of other efforts for the benefit of sick or disabled young people. It sponsors the Girls of the Golden Court for teen-age girls.
A previous Order of the Golden Chain was founded in 1881 and pronounced bankrupt in 1899. "Order of the Golden Chain" is also the name of an honor conferred in Lions Clubs. In former ages, it was the name of an honor conferred by the kings of Munster in Ireland, and an honor conferred by the rulers of Saxony in Germany.
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and their immediate female relatives. It was founded in 1929 in Asbury Park, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Local units are called Links, and exist in northeastern US coastal states. Each has six officers known as "jewels". The Grand Link is located in New Jersey. During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
the constituent links contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of necessities to hospitals, nursing homes, and orphanages. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Golden Chain contributed humanitarian supplies to the war effort. After the war the Order created Camp Golden Chain, with 145 acre (0.5867947 km²) of land and a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) lake in Warren County, New Jersey, for underprivileged children of all races, and engaged in a number of other efforts for the benefit of sick or disabled young people. It sponsors the Girls of the Golden Court for teen-age girls.
A previous Order of the Golden Chain was founded in 1881 and pronounced bankrupt in 1899. "Order of the Golden Chain" is also the name of an honor conferred in Lions Clubs. In former ages, it was the name of an honor conferred by the kings of Munster in Ireland, and an honor conferred by the rulers of Saxony in Germany.