Ok, here is the contest. Only rule is: You have to be honest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you ever seen this chip? If yes you are disqualified.
You get one guess as to the attribution.
Guess now before you read on.

No prize, just a contest.
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Times up.

Ed Hertel sent me this chip. Has anybody ever heard of the “Improved Order of Red Men?” It was certainly a new one to me.

Any way you cut it, it is a new to me, Texas illegal chip. Per the newspaper article below they were running illegal games, same as most Elks and Moose lodges did.

Can you imagine where collectors of illegal chips would be today without access to the old manufacturers records? I remember the days without them. Do you? Some of these chips would have 3 to 4 ID’s depending on who found them and where they found them.

Warning Will Robinson! New Illinois illegal find coming next week.

Enough of that:

Texas:

TT front-47 back.
Improved Order of Red Men
Tejas Tribe 47
607-1/2 San Jacinco St
Houston, TX 77002
200 each yellow, pink and brown.
11/2/70
Then they had a much earlier order but with a larger 47 on the back. (9/3/53)
100 yellow, 300 pink, 200 black, 200 white, 200 blue

_______________________________

Email from David Spragg.
Send the ID to Doug Smith. Sounds like a place Doug might play poker and he certainly has one of those funny handshakes.

My note: Improved Order of Red Men is a fraternal Org similar to Elks and Moose Lodges.

__________________________________

Email from Doug Smith.
National Headquarters are in Waco (Branch Davadian Fame) if that tells you anything.......
Are you sure about your location?

My reply: Yes it is on the Mason record card.

According to the web site, tribe 47 is located in West Chester Pennsylvania.
That address currently is the Federal Detention center right in the middle of Downtown Houston and houses prisoners awaiting trial. I did a little research and that building opened in 1999 and I have no idea what sat there before that.

I didn't see anything listed under Google for Houston, but it does look like there is a tribe in Freeport which is close (60 miles from here)

_______________________________

Enter our “Friend Of The Hobby.”
My note: “My question is, what was at the address before 1999.”

Prior to the Federal Detention Center taking up the whole 600 block of San Jacinto St, 607 1/2 San Jacinto St. was housed in a 30 ft. tall 2 story building which stood near the corner of Texas Ave. (the building also housed 605 and 607). 607 1/2 was on the second floor and was accessible from a door on the street.

I’m not sure when The Improved Order of Redmen, Tejas Tribe no.47, moved to San Jacinto St. but they were located at 818 McKinney from the mid 1940’s until at least 1951 (prior to that they were at 1014 1/2 Prairie Ave.—as early as 1938). The chapter was founded by Emmett Brunson--no relation to Doyle that I could find—who was the main figure for the order until his death in 1954.

17may1946—raided, but only playing hearts and “coon can” according to Brunson.

Do you think the newspaper could get away with a politically incorrect headline like that today?

My note: My guess is The Improved Order of Redmen have a similar lodge numbering system to the Veterans lodges. Same number can be in different states. Possible there was a 47 in Texas, at least it looks like it. Also a possibility they moved to Pennsylvania prior to 1999.

Here are the current Pennsylvania lodges.

Pennsylvania Tribes
Dubois - Montour Tribe No. 188
Everett - Wambic Tribe No. 507
Harrisburg - Cornplanter Tribe No. 61
New Eagle - Arroas Tribe No. 253
Oxford - Mohican Tribe No. 1
Oxford - Ockloknoee Tribe No. 212
Philadelphia - Minnewa Tribe No. 79
Philadelphia - Hiro Tribe No. 309
Philadelphia - Tongwee Tribe No. 322
Philadelphia - Matoaca Tribe No. 376
Philadelphia - Crow Tribe No. 423
Reading - Manangy Tribe No. 316
Shamokin - Taghneghdoarus Tribe No. 225
Trevose - Ongwe Honwe Tribe No. 260
West Chester - Uppowac Tribe No. 47
My note: No Tejas Tribe 47 in PA.