Improvement Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World
The first African American Elks organization, Improvement Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World was founded by Benjamin F. Howard from Covington, KY, and Arthur J. Riggs from Shelbyville, KY. The lodge was located in Covington, having been chartered in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1899. A Kentucky Historical Marker at the site contains a summary of the history. For more see the Kentucky Historical Marker Database [number 1956]; and History of the Improvement Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the world 1898-1954 by C. H. Wesley.