Welcome | Williamsport Redmen Tribe 84
Williamsport Red Men Tribe #84 is the Largest Tribe within The Improved Order of Red Men Organization. The Great Council of the United States and the Reservation of Maryland chartered the Conococheague Tribe 84 in 1887. We then occupied an old church on South Conococheague Street in the Town of Williamsport Maryland 20 years or so after the Civil War came through this area.
The fraternity traces its origins back to 1765 and is descended from the Sons of Liberty. These patriots concealed their identities and worked “underground” to help establish freedom and liberty in the early Colonies. They patterned themselves after the great Iroquois Confederacy and its democratic governing body. Their system, with elected representatives to govern tribal councils, had been in existence for several centuries.
After the War of 1812, the name was changed to the Society of Red Men and in 1834 to the Improved Order of Red Men. They kept the customs and terminology of Native Americans as a basic part of the fraternity. Some of the words and terms may sound strange, but they soon become a familiar part of the language for every member. The Improved Order of Red Men is similar in many ways to other major fraternal organization in the United States.