Token Commemorating the California Visit of KKK Imperial Wizard, Hiram W. Evans, circa 1930

THF8592 / Token Commemorating the California Visit of KKK Imperial Wizard, Hiram W. Evans, circa 1930 / front

THF8591 / Token Commemorating the California Visit of KKK Imperial Wizard, Hiram W. Evans, circa 1930 / back

Artifact Overview

The Ku Klux Klan was reborn in the late 1910s and flourished but began to decline in the mid-1920s. It never completely disappeared, however. This token from about 1930 commemorates the visit of the Klan's Imperial Wizard to California. The innocuous phrases and symbols belie the hatred, vigilantism, and violence found under the hood of the Klan.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Medal

Date Made

circa 1930

Place of Creation

United States

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in With Liberty & Justice for All

Object ID

2005.16.71

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Brass (Alloy)

Dimensions

Diameter: 1.188 in

Inscriptions

obverse: COMMEMORATING CALIFORNIA VISIT / OF THE IMPERIAL WIZARD / WELCOME reverse, center: HIRAM W. EVANS / 1922 - 1926 / NON SILBA SED ANTHAR reverse, outer edge: A COMPASSIONATE HEART / A CHIVALRIC HEAD / A PRUDENT TONGUE / A COURAGEOUS WILL

Keywords	United States, California Medals Hate groups Racial discrimination White supremacy movements Evans, H. W. (Hiram Wesley), 1881-1966 Ku Klux Klan (1915- )