For centuries, Freemasons, Odd Fellows, and other similar fraternal organizations have contributed to the network of benevolent and mutual aid societies that cradle New Orleans’s social, cultural, and civic life. Dedicated to building friendship and understanding through a mission of charity, education, and goodwill, the first of these orders was established locally in the 18th century, and more than a dozen chapters, or “lodges,” remain active in the city today.