In 1925, the Ku Klux Klan was very active in the Lykens Valley area. Additional news briefs have been located about those activities and are given here in this blog post.
This post is a continuation of the reporting on hate groups that were active in the Lykens Valley area. It was a widely known fact that the Ku Klux Klan had a significant presence in the Lykens Valley and adjacent valleys during the early years of the 20th Century. This iteration of the Klan was strongly white supremacist and was opposed to equal rights for African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and immigrants.
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From the Lykens Standard, news of Valley View, March 20, 1925:
Three fiery crosses were burned at Valley View by members of the Ku Klux Klan on Monday evening.
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From the Lykens Standard, news of Spring Glen, May 29, 1925:
K. K. K. To Attend Service
On June 7th at 2:00 P. M., a special service will be held when the Ku Klux Klan will attend the service. A prominent speaker will be in attendance and deliver an address.
No specific information was given as to which church was referred to in the news brief.
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From the Pine Grove Press Herald, June 12, 1925:
K. K. K. Big open air demonstration, Saturday evening, June 13, 1925, Baseball park, Lower Field, Pine Grove. Big street parade at 7 o’clock. Open air naturalization sermon at 8:30. Large display of fireworks from 9:30 to 10:30.
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From the Lykens Standard, news of Berrysburg, June 19, 1925:
Many of the town folks attended the K. K. K. picnic at Millersburg, Saturday.
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From the Lykens Standard, news of Fearnot, June 19, 1925:
Quite a number of our town people attended the K. K. K. meeting at Pine Grove on Saturday evening.
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From the Pine Grove Press Herald, news of Swatara Valley, June 19, 1925:
The people of our place were in town to see the K. K. K. parade on Saturday.
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From the Pine Grove Press Herald, July 10, 1925:
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Hackman and his mute friends went to Lebanon to the big K. K. K. parade.
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From the Pine Grove Press Herald, July 10, 1925:
Rev. H. C. Correll, pastor of Trinity Reformed Chapel, preached an eloquent sermon to the K. K. K. on Sunday evening. The chapel and Sunday school room were filled to their capacity with members of the clan and their friends. At the closes of the service the pastor was presented with a purse of money.
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From the Lykens Standard, July 24, 1925:
KLAN NATURALIZATION AT GRATZ TOMORROW
Dr. Taber, of Texas, speaker of prominence, will address a gathering tomorrow afternoon and preside at the Naturalization to be held in the evening at the fair grounds in Gratz. The evening program will close with a display of fireworks.
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From the Pine Grove Press Herald, September 11, 1925:
Labor Day
All local industries were shut down for the day and labor observed its anniversary in motoring, others entertaining company, a large number attending the fair at Cressona, while a large number attended the K. K. K. meeting at Harrisburg, where there was a parade and a large gathering on Island Park.
The day was fair and the rains of Sunday night had quenched the dust, so that those desiring motoring could do so. Parties returning home late on Monday night from Harrisburg, Reading and other places reported the main arteries of travel were very much congested with the resultant number of accidents.
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From the Pine Grove Press Herald, October 23, 1925:
The local band furnished the music for the K. K. K. event in the armory and afterwards serenaded Mr. and Mrs. Earl T. Martin at their home opposite St. John’s Church.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.