Historical Markers & Monuments – Reference

Quick reference for finding E Clampus Vitus plaques and other historical roadside markers.

E Clampus Vitus (ECV)

• ecvplaques.com – Interactive map of ECV plaques; 2025 ECV Plaques Booklet by county/state with map links.
• hmdb.org – Search “E Clampus Vitus” or Series ID 30; ~1,800+ ECV markers; filter by location/topic.
• Google My Maps – Public map of ECV plaques (search “E Clampus Vitus plaques map”).

ECV: fraternal org focused on Western/gold-rush heritage; 1,400+ markers, mainly California and the West. Traces to 1850s Gold Rush mining camps parodying Masonic-style lodges; went dormant, revived 1930s, still chartered today (dues, chapters, titles like “Clampatriarch”).

Field find (2026-08, Sierras trip): Bridgeport is home turf for Bodie Chapter No. 64 — that chapter erected the historical marker at the Bridgeport Inn in 1994. Old mining-town corridor (Bridgeport, Bodie) is classic Clamper territory; dive bars/saloons there are their natural habitat.

Not the same as the Cacophony Society (SF, 1986, Dadaist/Situationist culture-jamming, deliberately unstructured) despite a similar irreverent-public-ritual vibe — different eras, no institutional overlap. Cacophony Society is the direct lineage to Burning Man’s founding.

General Historical Markers / Monuments

• hmdb.org (Historical Marker Database) – 200k+ US markers; search by keyword, location, topic; “Near Me” within 50 miles; includes ECV and many other series.
• roadsidehistoricalmarkers.com – International database of roadside markers (and “CyberPlaques”).

Summary: ECV-only → ecvplaques.com or HMdb ECV series. ECV + everything else → hmdb.org.