Former K of P Hall has new sign donated

ABBOT – Two local men recently paid for and installed a sign bearing the insignia of the Knights of Pythias on the former K of P Hall.

When the organization disbanded a few years ago, the hall was donated to the local historical society for a museum, and the sign bearing the emblem was removed by the K of P and used elsewhere in the state, according to Collin Bickford of Abbot.

Bickford and his cousin, Mike Fogg of Farmington, who are two of the three surviving members of the local chapter, concluded that the building still should have the emblem displayed for its role in local history.

They had a wooden sign made and installed it in memory of their fathers, Millard Fogg and Ivory Bickford, and their grandfather Lester Mitchell, all of whom were 50-year members of the local Knights of Pythias.

Bickford and Errol Grant of Abbot, the third survivor, are now members of Colonel Brewer Lodge in Brewer. Fogg is a member of Alpha Marathon Lodge in Strong. The three have a combined 130 years with the organization.