In 1924, the Ku Klux Klan was just beginning its rise in the Lykens Valley area. Two additional examples have been found of Klan activity, one from Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and the other referring to meetings of the Klan in Spring Glen, Schuylkill County, and Gratz, Dauphin County.
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.
From the Pine Grove Press Herald, January 18, 1924, comes this story of a Justice of the Peace who was the object of suspected Klan intimidation:
The handsome glass doors leading to the residence of Justice of the Peace, A. E. Hossler, on North Third Street, Hamburg, was defaced with the letters K. K. K. during the night. The discovery was made by Mr. Hossler. In addition to defacing the door, the porch and bricks of the dwelling, which were only recently painted, were smeared with the dark tar preparation used to inscribe the letters on the door. The work is believed to be done either by members of the Ku Klux Klan or vandals in the borough. Every effort is being made to run down those responsible for the act. If discovery is made of those guilty will be dealt with according to the law. Mr. Hossler is held in high esteem in Hamburg and can give no reason for the act. Mr. Hossler’s garage was also defaced with the letters K. K. K. The garage is located in the rear of his home on Beach Street.
The second brief was from the Klingerstown news as reported in the Lykens Standard, October 10, 1924:
A number of our town people attended the K. K. K. meetings at Gratz and Spring Glen, Saturday evening.
More research on these events could provide some new insights about the Klan activities in the Lykens Valley area in 1924.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.