This Day in History: 1924-08-10

The memory of the late Colonel Andrew Adelbert Andridge was honored in a sinister fashion by nearly 1,500 on a farm between Ramsey and Saddle River. Andridge had been the King Kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan of the state of New Jersey. The robed Klansmen came in nearly one thousand cars to gather on the farm of E. H. Smith on the road from Ramsey to Saddle River. A platform had been erected on a field and a large cross burned. The headlights from the cars also added their light to the scene. The audience sang “Blest be the Tie that Binds”, joined in a prayer, and listened to praises of the late Klan leader’s humanitarian work, his defense of the Bible and American institutions, and the flag. The evening ended with the singing of “Nearer My God to Thee” and “Taps”. (Bristow)