Museum Catalog
The Vermont Historical Society houses over 25,000 objects relating to our State's history. Over the next five years all of these items will be digitally documented and placed in this catalog for public use. Items are presented in topical exhibits as well as categorical groupings. Please check back regularly as items will be added monthly. This catalog also houses the Vermont Women's History Database and the Vermont Black History Database.
Search All Categories
Banner
Name/Title
Banner
Lexicon
Description
White banner embroidered with red thread with the inscription, "WOMEN OF THE KU KLUX KLAN REALM OF VERMONT / MONTPELIER" beneath an image of a cross within a shield. The bottom of the banner is curved and edged with fringe. The top of the banner is stitched into a casing, into which is inserted a painted dowel. A flat link chain is attached to either end of the dowel, next to the brass ball. To the center of the chain is attached the vertical hollow dowel with a wooden spear like tip.
Acquisition
Accession
2004.15
Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Ku Klux Klan
Person or Organization
Related Places
Place
Montpelier
City
Washington County
County
Vermont
State/Province
United States of America
Country
North America
Related Publications
Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War
Publication
Made/Created
Date made
1925-1930
Dimensions
Dimension Description
Overall
Materials
Material
Rayon, Wood, Metal
Entry/Object ID
2004.15
Context
The Ku Klux Klan was generally known for its racist beliefs and hate-filled activities against African Americans. During the 1920s it attracted members in primarily white northern New England by disseminating anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic materials. It's estimated that the Klan had over 10,000 members in Vermont during the 1920s.
This banner can be seen in a 1927 panoramic photograph of a Klan rally in Montpelier. The infamous rally was held on July 4, 1927 when hundreds of Klan members, many of them women, paraded through downtown Montpelier, ending up on a farm on Towne Hill Road. The Klan eventually lost most of its Vermont members because of corrupt national leaders, public blunders by local members, and continual attacks by the Vermont press.
This banner can be seen in a 1927 panoramic photograph of a Klan rally in Montpelier. The infamous rally was held on July 4, 1927 when hundreds of Klan members, many of them women, paraded through downtown Montpelier, ending up on a farm on Towne Hill Road. The Klan eventually lost most of its Vermont members because of corrupt national leaders, public blunders by local members, and continual attacks by the Vermont press.
Web Links and URLs
Ku Klux Klan Hood
Interpretative Labels
Label
KKK Hood, 1924-26
Found in East Montpelier
Cotton
Gift of Paul and Corylinn Flanders, #1993.16
By the time Ku Klux Klan activity took off in Vermont, the national KKK organization had become a money-making corporation. Often, KKK outfits, including the hoods, were either sold or rented by the national organization to local chapters at some profit. The hood displayed here, was machine-made with a specialized backing meant to hold the desired shape.
Name/Title
Ku Klux Klan Hood
Lexicon
Clothing/Dress/Costume Details
Textile Details
White
Color
Plain Weave
Fabric
Cotton
Material
Description
White pointed hood with holes cut out for the wearer's eyes. The top of the hood rises into a point, the shape of which is reinforced on the inside with a white buckram insert. The eye holes are finished with a small machine-made zigzag stitch. The hood was accompanied with a small length of narrow rope or cording, likely used for another part of the uniform.
Acquisition
Accession
1993.16
Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Ku Klux Klan
Person or Organization
Related Places
Place
East Montpelier
Town
Washington County
County
Vermont
State/Province
United States of America
Country
North America
Made/Created
Date made
circa 1925
Dimensions
Entry/Object ID
1993.16.1a-c
Context
Hood worn by a member of the KKK in Montpelier, VT.
Pocket Knife
Name/Title
Pocket Knife
Lexicon
Description
Folding pocket knife with two blades. The blades extend from opposite ends of the handle. One side of the handle is clear plastic over a bed of glitter, with an illustration of a person in a white, hooded robe flanked by the words "DUTY" and "HONOR". The other side is clear plastic over a bed of glitter with a central logo that reads "100%" at the top, with a Christian cross in the center, and a triangle holding the initials KKK at the bottom.
Acquisition
Accession
1989.50
Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Ku Klux Klan, Launderville, Joseph Francis (1878-1957)
Related Places
Place
Barre City
City
Washington County
County
Vermont
State/Province
United States of America
Country
North America
Dimensions
Dimension Description
Overall
Materials
Material
Metal, Plastic
Entry/Object ID
1989.50.2
Context
Owned by Joseph Launderville of Barre, Vermont.
