Record Details
National Protective Legion Shelf Clock
This clock, showing a figure of liberty with a child and a flag, reads “National Protective Legion.” The Legion was a fraternal beneficiary society organized by Freemasons in New York in 1891. The aims of the group were “benevolence, social culture, the care of the sick and needy, and to provide and maintain a fund for the benefit of its members while living, and for the protection of their families in the event of death.” By 1907, the group numbered around four thousand members.
A mark on the back identifies the manufacturer as James M. Goodell Jr. of Austin, Illinois. Goodell operated a successful fraternal supply business. According to one of his calling cards, the firm offered “emblems, charms, pins, lapel buttons, and all kinds of society paraphernalia.” Goodell’s Masonic affiliation, if any, is not known, but he is listed in a 1904 volume of fraternal statistics as the Supreme President for the Daughters of Columbia in Chicago.
Stacy C. Hollander, "National Protective Legion Shelf Clock," exhibition label for Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art from the Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2016.
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