Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo

File:Hoo Hoo House.jpg of 1909, designed for the Order by Ellsworth Storey; later served almost half a century as the University of Washington faculty club]]

The Concatenated order of Hoo-Hoo was founded on January 21, 1892, at Gurdon, Arkansas. Its six founders were:

• B. Arthur Johnson, editor of the Timberman of Chicago, Illinois
• William Eddy Barns, editor of the St. Louis Lumberman
• George Washington Schwartz of Vandalia Railroad, St. Louis, Missouri
• A. Strauss of Malvern Lumber Company, Malvern, Arkansas
• George Kimball Smith of the Southern Lumber Manufacturers Association
• William Starr Mitchell, business manager of the Arkansas Democrat of Little Rock, Arkansas

As most of the founders were only connected to the lumber industry tangentially — company executives, newspapermen, railroad men, etc. It was first suggested that the name of the new organization be "Independent Order of Camp Followers". However, the group instead settled on the name Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo — the term hoo hoo having become synonymous with the term lumberman.{{cn|date=April 2022}}

The first regular Concatenation was held at the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 18, 1892, when 35 of the leading lumbermen of the country were initiated.{{cite encyclopedia| last= Stevens| first= Albert C. |encyclopedia= The Cyclopædia of Fraternities: A Compilation of Existing Authentic Information and the Results of Original Investigation as to More than Six Hundred Secret Societies in the United States| title= Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo| place= New York, New York; Paterson, New Jersey| publisher= Hamilton Printing and Publishing| year= 1899}}{{rp|231}}The order was more informal than other secret societies of its day. It did not have lodge rooms, enforced attendance at meetings, or anything else that other orders had that could be avoided. In 1923, the order's headquarters was at the Arcade Building in St. Louis.

The founders wanted the organization to be unconventional and unregimented. Its one aim would be "to foster the health, happiness, and long life of its members".{{Cite web |title=Hoo-Hoo International |url=https://www.hoohoo.org/pdf/HHI-History.pdf |website=www.hoohoo.org}} In a spirit of fun, names for some of the officers were inspired by Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark. The executive committee of the order was known as the Supreme Nine. It consisted of the Snark, the Senior Hoo-Hoo, Junior Hoo-Hoo, Scrivenoter, Bojum, Jabberwock, Custocatian, Arcanoper, and Gurdon. Each state or foreign country was ruled by a Viceregent Snark. Local groups were called Concatenations.{{rp|232}}

Judicial affairs and care of the emblem were delegated to a House of the Ancients which consisted of the past executives of the Order and whose members served for life. The Hoo-Hoo emblem is a black cat with its tail curled into the shape of a figure nine.{{cite web |author=Hillinger, Charles |date=October 13, 1985 |title=Arkansas' Towns of Funny Names: There's Evening Shade, Greasy Corner, Stump City, Hope |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-10-13-vw-15646-story.html |access-date=14 July 2014 |work=Los Angeles Times}} Its colors are white, black, and gold.{{Cite web |last=Marteney |first=David |title=A History of Hoo-Hoo International |url=https://www.hoohoo.org/siteFiles/4/HHI-History.pdf |access-date=July 23, 2024 |website=International Order of the Hoo-Hoo |page=5}}

Membership is currently limited to people 18 and up who are of good moral character and are engaged in the forestry industry or "genuinely interested in supporting the purpose and aims of our order".{{cite web |date=November 2014 |title=By Laws Of The International Concatenated Order of Hoo Hoo, Incorporated |url=http://www.hoo-hoo.org/pdf/HHI_By-Laws_November_2014.pdf |website=hoo-hoo.org |pages=Article 2, Section 1}}

Membership was originally restricted to white males over 21 who were engaged in the lumber industry as lumbermen, newspapermen, railroad men, and sawmill machinery men. A Mrs. M. A. Smith of Smithton, Arkansas, was initiated before the gender requirement was passed, so she stayed on as the order's only female member. The order was limited to having a maximum of 9,000 members. In the late 1890s, it had upwards of 5,000 members.{{rp|232}} By the early 1920s, this had grown to approximately 7,000.{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tK82AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA| last= Preuss| first= Arthur |encyclopedia= A Dictionary of Secret and other Societies| title= Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo| place= St. Louis| publisher= B. Herder Book Co.| year= 1924 | pages= 97-98}}File:Monument to 1926 Hoo Hoo Club tree planting, Piedmont Park, Atlanta.jpg, Atlanta, Georgia]]

The Order did not have any sick, disability, or death benefits, but it did quietly perform some charitable work among its members and assist them in finding employment.{{rp|231}}

The Atlanta chapter of the Hoo Hoos worked and socialized with the Southern Forestry Congress.{{cite news |url= https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/778815_10151227138263093_507136438_o.jpg |title= Work of Forestry Congress Indorsed by Hoo Hoo Club |work= Atlanta Constitution |date= July 24, 1921 |access-date= November 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221183029/https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/778815_10151227138263093_507136438_o.jpg |archive-date=21 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qucoAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA29 |title= The 'Third Southern Forest Congress': A Review| work= Lumber World | first= R. D. | last= Forbes | page= 29| date= August 25, 1921| access-date= November 5, 2020|via= Google Books }} A monument commemorating the planting of trees by the Atlanta chapter of the Hoo Hoo Club in 1926 stands just inside the Park Avenue entrance to Piedmont Park.{{cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kzB01LjKnIcC&pg=PA88 |title= Walking Atlanta| first= Sara |last= Hines Martin| year= 2002| page= 88|publisher= Globe Pequot Press|isbn= 9780762710157|via= Google Books}}

• James E. Defebaugh, Michigan House of Representatives
• John Kaul, timberman
• Hamilton Love, lumberman, sportswriter, and humorist
• Alfred Pettibone, businessman

• Alexandria Hoo Hoos
• Hoo Hoo Monument
• List of general fraternities
• New Zealand Timber Museum
• Orange Hoo–Hoos

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.hoo-hoo.org/ Hoo-Hoo International website]
• [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011984859 The bulletin. A monthly journal devoted to the interests of Hoo-Hoo]
• [http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1199&type=Category&item=Organizations+and+Civic+Leaders Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo] at The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
• [https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/archives-library/fhs-archival-collections/inventory-international-concatenated-order-hoo-hoo-inc-records-1892-1972/ Inventory of the International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, Inc., Records, 1892–1972] in the Forest History Society Library and Archives, Durham, North Carolina
• [https://foresthistory.org/january-21-1892-hoo-hoo-international-not-your-fathers-skull-and-bones/ January 21, 1892: Hoo-Hoo International, Not Your Father’s Skull and Bones]

Category:1892 establishments in Arkansas

Category:Fraternal orders

Category:History of Arkansas

Category:Men's organizations in the United States

Category:Organizations established in 1892

Category:Secret societies in the United States

Category:Organizations based in Arkansas