Rathbone School House

This simple, one-room schoolhouse was the birthplace of the Knights of Pythias. It has been preserved by the industrious Keweenaw Historical Society, with two different displays. There's the actual schoolroom from 1864 or so, and also a display case with the colorful paraphernalia, costumes, and mementoes of the Knights of Pythias secret fraternal society.

In 1864, while teaching here, Justus Rathbone dreamed up the rituals and founded the Knights of Pythias order. It grew to include some 2,000 lodges in the U.S. and Canada.

The ceremonies, based on the Roman story of the friendship of Damon and Pythias, celebrate the virtues of brotherly friendship and self-sacrifice. The Knights' elaborate ritual costumes include some fabulous fake jewels and embroidered satin robes. Mock-Roman tunics are decorated with hundreds of metal discs.

Two blocks west of the harbor on Center St., or one block south of St. Peter's-by-the Sea on M-26. Open daily 1o-5, June through September at least. Donations welcome. Handicap accessible: several steps up.

Return to Eagle Harbor

EAGLE HARBOR
POINTS OF INTEREST

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and Museums. This picturesque 1871 lighthouse, furnished circa 1910, is a photographers' favorite. Its rocky perch overlooks Eagle Harbor. A Lake Superior overlook is adjacent. Keweenaw Historical Society museums cover commercial fishing, mining and surveying, early Copper Harbor history, and ships and shipwrecks. ... more

M-26 from Eagle River to Eagle Harbor. Follow one of the most idyllic highway landscapes along the Lake Superior shoreline with deep blue water, crescent bays, beach after beach ... more

Mt. Baldy Hike. One of the Keweenaw's premier hikes leads to dramatic vistas over 700 feet above Lake Supeior ... more

Rathbone School House . The 1850s schoolhouse/birthplace of the Knights of Pythias secret fraternal order is a colorful Keweenaw Historical Society museum. ... more

M-26 from Eagle Harbor to Copper Harbor. Two charming CCC-era rustic parks, agate beaches, a woodland waterfall, and a nature trail with tough lichens and plants punctuate this dramatic 14-mile stretch of M-26. It features panoramic views of Superior and its rocky shoreline. ... more

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