M.C. Lilley & Co

M.C. Lilley & Company was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1864 by Mitchell Campbell Lilley, John Siebert and brothers, Charles and Henry Lindenberg. The Lilley Company produced swords, banners, flags, emblems and uniforms for fraternal societies and organizations such as the Masons, Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias, as well as police and military uniforms. The company occupied an entire building in downtown Columbus; this size of an operation positioned the company for tremendous growth and success in the coming "Golden Age of Fraternalism." During this period, from 1870-1910, over 20 percent of men in the United States belonged to a fraternal organization, which served various purposes such as mutual aid and insurance, political interests, social functions, and the comfort of stability and belonging in a dynamic post-war society that was rapidly industrializing.