Arquivo AFC98 - West Williams Township Loyal Orange Lodge collection

The Orange Order is a Protestant Christian fraternal organization, formed in Ireland in 1795 in honour of William of Orange's 1690 victory at the Battle of the Boyne. The Grand Lodge of British North America was founded in Brockville, Ontario in 1830, although there is evidence that Orangemen were active in Canada during the War of 1812.

According to the constitution of Canada's Loyal Orange Association, an applicant must be an observant Protestant Christian and be loyal to Queen and country. Members are called to be kind to others and to assist in benevolent activities within the community.

In Canada, lodges are organized within individual communities, with local district lodges, county lodges, and regional lodges forming a link to the Grand Lodge of British North America. Members of the Loyal Orange Association often strive to rise in the Biblically-based Degree system, from Orange Degree (initiation) to Blue Degree, Royal Arch Purple Degree, and Scarlet Degree. Degrees are conferred after application and advanced study. Members of the Orange Order celebrate the Battle of the Boyne every July 12, often marching in parades and playing in bands.

Sylvan's Mills Loyal Orange Lodge #826 was founded on March 12, 1857. Meetings were held in the community of Sylvan, Ontario. Discussions of annexing the other West Williams Township Lodge (West Williams / Arkona Loyal Orange Lodge #763) were under way in February, 1865; it is not known whether these two lodges ever merged. Sylvan's Mills Loyal Orange Lodge was declared dormant before 1895 and the warrant was moved to Schreiber, Ontario - a community approximately 2 ½ hours east of Thunder Bay.
West Williams / Arkona Loyal Orange Lodge #763 was founded on September 10, 1856. Meetings were held in Groves Mills, now Hungry Hollow, Ontario. West Williams / Arkona Loyal Orange Lodge was declared dormant before 1895 and the warrant was moved to Oakdale (near Oil Springs) in Lambton West.
Westwood Loyal Orange Lodge #1097 was founded on February 19, 1861. Renamed Parkhill Loyal Orange Lodge after Westwood changed its name to Parkhill in 1863, the lodge was transferred from the Middlesex administrative area to Huron South.

The Liberal Conservative Association of North Middlesex was a regional group designed to promote the views of the Liberal-Conservative Party, the fore-runner of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. By the early 1870s, the Liberal-Conservatives and the Orangemen shared similar views on separate school funding, bilingualism, and immigration. Many Orangemen supported the Liberal Conservative Association, or had leadership roles within the organization.