This apron is associated with the Junior Order of United American Mechanics (Jr. OUAM) and was probably owned by the State Council of Massachusetts. The order was founded in 1853 and descended from the United American Mechanics, a nativist society founded in Philadelphia during a period when increased immigration was seen as a threat to job security, among other fears. Haverhill’s Enterprise Council No. 1, established in 1871, was the first council established in Massachusetts. In 1874 the five local councils in Massachusetts instituted their State Council. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Jr. OUAM’s charitable goals were inclusive and similar to other fraternal organizations.

This Jr. OUAM apron, like others in this exhibition, was inspired by Masonic examples. It includes Freemasonry’s square and compasses symbol, but adapts it to the order’s emblem by adding a flexed arm holding a hammer in the center.

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