United Order of Tents facts for kids
The United Order of Tents is a special group for African-American churchwomen. It was started in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1867 by two amazing women, Annetta M. Lane and Harriet R. Taylor. This group has chapters all over the United States. It is a secret society, meaning some of its ways of working are only known by its members. It is the oldest benefit society (a group that helps its members) for black women in the United States. At its busiest time, about 50,000 women were members.
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What Does the United Order of Tents Do?
The United Order of Tents helps people in many ways. They work to care for those who are sick and elderly. They also help people who are in need and arrange burials for those who have passed away. In the past, this group also helped members get loans when banks would not lend them money. The Tents also provided places to stay, food, and healthcare to people in their communities.
Secret Customs and Special Titles
The organization has special traditions and ways of doing things. These are kept secret and only shared with members of the Tents. Some women are called "Queens" because they have done a lot of great work for the group. All the women in the group also call each other "Sister."
How Did the United Order of Tents Start?
Annetta M. Lane was a nurse who had been enslaved. She and Harriet R. Taylor started the group in Virginia in 1867. They got help from two people who fought against slavery, Joliffe Union and Joshua R. Giddings. The group was first made to be a safe place on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people find freedom. The name "Tents" refers to the simple shelters that people escaping slavery often used.
A Christian Group Helping the Community
Lane and Taylor wanted to create a Christian group. This group would be dedicated to helping people in their communities. They officially made the organization a legal group, using the names of Giddings and Union. It became the first helping organization for women that was officially recognized in Virginia after the Civil War. In 1888, the main office for the national group was in Wilmington, Delaware. Meetings were also held every year in different places across the country.
Growing the Organization
Annetta Lane was very important in leading and creating the Southern District for the United Order of Tents. After Lane passed away in 1908, her daughter, Sallie Lane Bonney, took over as leader. Under Bonney, the number of members in the United Order of Tents grew a lot. It more than tripled and spread to new states.
The Tents opened a home for elderly people in 1894. This home was run continuously and paid for only by members until 2002. In 1995, an apartment building in Norfolk, Virginia, was named "The Annetta M. Lane Apartments" to honor her.
Eastern District No. 3
The United Order of Tents Eastern District No. 3 has its main office in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York. The first members of this chapter were women who had been enslaved. This chapter is the only one left in the Eastern District. This district includes states from Pennsylvania all the way to Maine.
The Headquarters Building
The group's main building is at 87 MacDonough Street. It was first built in 1863 for a brewer named William A. Parker. Later, James McMahon, who was the president of Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank, owned it. The Tents bought the building in 1945. At that time, Bedford-Stuyvesant was a very important cultural center for Black New Yorkers.
Who Are Some Famous Members?
- Eliza Allen, who was an activist, a clubwoman, and a banker.
