The Esoteric Fraternity was founded by metaphysical scholar and author Hiram Erastus Butler. In 1891, Butler took twelve followers from Boston to Applegate, California, and settled on a 500-acre homestead overlooking the American River. There, they built an 18-room house, established a farm, and set up a printing press to publish Butler's books. - Read the Essay: 
A Civil War Veteran Created The Esoteric Fraternity and the Sex Cult of Solar Biology in 1890s California