Ancient Order, Knights of the Mystic Chain

Ancient Order, Knights of the Mystic Chain
Charm design featuring AOKMC symbols
Motto	"Loyalty, Obedience, and Fidelity"
Formation	2 February 1871
Dissolution	Unknown; local castles continued to be established well into the 1950s.
Purpose/focus	Mutual benefit society (from 1889)
Headquarters	Reading, Pennsylvania
Founders	John O. Matthews John M. Brown
Main organ	The Mystic Chain Knight

The Ancient Order, Knights of the Mystic Chain (AOKMC, or simply Knights of the Mystic Chain) was an American fraternal order, founded at Reading, Pennsylvania in 1871 by John O. Matthews (with John M. Brown and other Freemasons), their ritual "founded on traditions and fancies which hedge themselves about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table."

Reading

• "Ancient Order, Knights of the Mystic Chain: Principles of Order — Loyalty, Obedience and Fidelity — Aims and Purposes — The Founder — Daughters of Ruth — Declaration of Principles", The Ambler Gazette (Ambler, PA.) 19 (39), 5 September 1901, http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/wivp-gazett/id/2535 

Ritual Work

• Knights of the Mystic Chain, Degree of Knighthood, stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij, http://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/aokmc_r1.html 
• Knights of the Mystic Chain, Degree of Mystery, stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij, http://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/aokmc_r2.html 
• Knights of the Mystic Chain, Degree of Chivalry, stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij, http://www.stichtingargus.nl/vrijmetselarij/aokmc_r3.html 

Insurance

• "Ancient Order Knights of the Mystic Chain", Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the State of Connecticut, Connecticut: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1892, p. 719-720, https://books.google.com/books?id=371MAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA719  — with details on insurance policies, background, structure