Bed Stuy's Secret Tents Society Launches Fundraiser to Restore Its Grand But Crumbling HQ

The Bed Stuy chapter of the historic secret aid society run by Black women, United Order of Tents, has pulled back the curtain to ask the community for help restoring its magnificent but dilapidated headquarters at 87 MacDonough Street.

In a GoFundMe that kicked off July 21, United Order of Tents says it needs $200,000 to repair the large 1863 Italianate and Second Empire mansion it has owned since 1945. Executive Board President of the United Order of Tents Eastern District #3 Essie Gregory confirmed to Brownstoner the GoFundMe is indeed being run by the organization.

Needed repairs include installing radiators throughout the building as well as replacing a leaky roof, the building’s electrical wiring, a door in the basement, masonry steps going into the basement, fire escapes, and the water pipes inside and outside the building. Also needing refurbishment are the interior walls, water damaged ceilings and floors, the front of the building and all the windows.

The mansion, which sits in the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District and is listed on the New York State and National Register of Historic Places — and was called a jewel of Bed Stuy by Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen — has come under threat and fallen into disrepair due to “bad contractors, financial hardship and opportunistic property developers,” according to the fundraiser.

The United Order of Tents wants to restore the historic structure and maintain ownership of the building to “continue to be a beacon of hope in the Bed Stuy community,” the fundraiser reads. “We are embarking on a campaign to grow our membership and protect our legacy for decades. For more than a century, secrecy has served as our bond and protection, but it has also prevented the public from knowing about our great work.”

So far, the effort has raised $2,010.

Gregory told Brownstoner the organization hopes the community will support its efforts to raise the funds, and it is extremely grateful for what has been donated so far. “To each of the people that have donated, I have heartfelt thanks for them for allowing us to maintain our building,” she said.

The mansion at 87 MacDonough Street, near the corner of Tompkins Avenue, was built for William A. Parker in 1863, who became wealthy selling hops and malt to brewers at a time when the industry was booming in Brooklyn. The second owner of the house was James McMahon, the son of Irish immigrants who made his fortune on the railroad lines between Boston and Baltimore, and later became a banker. McMahon died in 1913, but it wasn’t until 1945 that the United Order of Tents took ownership of the mansion.

The Tents, a women’s fraternal organization, has a “long, proud history in the African American community,” as Spellen noted in a three-part history on the group and mansion. It was started in 1848 by two formerly enslaved women, Annetta M. Lane and Harriet R. Taylor, as part of the Underground Railroad to help escaping slaves flee to the North and Canada. It was formally organized following the Civil War and is now one of the oldest woman-only Christian organizations in the United States.

Since its inception, the United Order of Tents has provided medical care in the Black community, offered burial insurance, and raised money for hospitals, orphanages and senior residences.

Over the past 77 years, the United Order of Tents has continued that work from its Brooklyn headquarters, the fundraiser says, but in the last few years the building has fallen into disrepair. With dues dropping due to members passing away, the society has struggled to find money to pay for the property’s upkeep, the fundraiser reads.

“Several years ago, the Tents sold a large part of their land in Bed-Stuy to restore the historic villa to its former glory. A contractor was paid to do the work, but sadly, the women of the Tents say workers did significant damage to the building,” the fundraiser continues.

The plot was sold in 2012 to developer H Holding Group for $720,000, who constructed The Brownstone Apartments on it. The section once held a carriage house facing Macon Street, which was at some point demolished.

Despite the damage to the house and its state of disrepair, the women are still working from the building – and are continually being targeted by developers looking to buy the site, the fundraiser adds.

The group and its Brooklyn property inspired a 2019 conference at Brooklyn College. The organization’s structure and history were documented in a 2019 article by Tents member Essie Gregory and Brooklyn College Assistant Professor of Urban Archaeology Kelly Britt. The building has also been an Historic Districts Council’s Six to Celebrate pick.

The organization’s website says the small group of Black women who come together to act on social issues are now revealing their history and existence in the hope of getting increased community support. United Order of Tents Eastern District #3 is also registering as a nonprofit organization so that it can use donations to help more people.

“The group still sticks to Christian values, and is welcoming to all Black women,” the website says.

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• Stuyvesant Height Mansion: Under the Big Tent, Part 1
• Workers Tear Into Bed Stuy’s Beloved Dangler Mansion After Landmarks Fails to Act (Updated)

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