Woodmen of the World
The Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society, operating as Woodmen of the World (WOOW) and now Woodmen Life is a non-profit member-owned life insurance provider which has operated as a fraternal organization, with local camps in the Birmingham area.
The group was founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1890 by Joseph Cullen Root as the Modern Woodmen of the World, an alternative to his previous organization, the Modern Woodmen of America, which he had established in Lyons, Iowa in 1883 and later been forced to leave. Local MWA groups were called "Chapters" while Woodmen of the World were organized intp "Camps", "Courts" or "Groves". From its beginning, the group also sponsored women's chapters, known as "Woodmen Circles".
Insurance coverage from Woodmen of the World often provided funds for funeral expenses, including burial and a headstone. Many members are buried under markers shaped like cut tree trunks, indicating status as a Woodman along with symbolizing a life cut short.
In the 1960s the Woodmen of the World integrated its men's and women's chapters, and also absorbed the memberships of several other insurance societies, including the United Order of the Golden Cross, the Order of Railroad Telegraphers, and the New England Order of Protection. In 1994 the Woodmen of the World merged with the American Woodmen, an African-American organization.
Local chapters
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 4, Gardendale
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 87, Northport
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 101, Jasper
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 165, Pell City
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 491, Blount County
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 1558, Leeds
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 1850, Cullman
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 1881, Cullman
- Woodmen of the World Chapter No. 1983, Tuscaloosa
Historical chapters
- Woodmen of the World Magic City Camp No. 4, Farley Building, 1922–1935
- Woodmen of the World Poplar Camp No. 118, Woodmen of the World Hall, 1 77th Street South
- Woodmen of the World Rosewood Grove Circle No. 49, Avondale Odd Fellows Building, 1891
Related groups
- Modern Woodmen of America, American Life Building, 1926
- American Woodmen Union Relief Benevolent Society Camp No. 65, Belcher-Nixon building, 1930