Tree Shaped Tombstone - Cross of the Maccabees

Welcome to Lake Side Cemetery in Chetek Wisconsin.  I ended up finding enough material here for two posts so lets start with the more classic "Tree Shaped Tombstones".  In this case there were several of the "Rugged Cross" variety.  This one was pretty impressive.

There is a panel on the lower stack of logs, but it is blank.  On the other side was something I had not seen before.  Weathering and a bit of shadow make this a bit difficult to see.

This tomb belongs to a fellow named J. Moe who departed this world in 1911.  Speaking of worlds, note the stylized globe with the initials K.O.T.M.  What does that stand for?

It seems that Mr. Moe was a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, a fraternal order somewhat along the lines of the Woodmen but less well run.  Oddly it seems to dodge the religious issues that for instance separated the Masons from the Knights of Columbus.  The Book of Maccabbes recounts the activities of Jewish rebels fighting against the Seleucid Empire.  It is considered canon by Catholic and Orthodox faiths but is apocryphal to Protestants.  Presumably the Maccabees altered their initial ban on membership by non-whites.  Since their primary function was as a life insurance agency their reluctance to accept people who worked on electrical lines, in coal mines, with blasting powder or serving on submarines makes fiscal sense.  They only figured this out after some shaky finances early on.

Several other less impressive Rugged Crosses were also nearby.  More than you generally encounter in a non Catholic cemetery.

It seems to have been a preferred local style.  But not as much as the interesting monuments we'll be studying next time.....