With this kind of benediction, it did not take long for the Klan to become the dominant organization in Noblesville. By the summer of that year, a Klan rally drew 12,000 people—more than twice the population of Noblesville and the largest gathering in the town’s history. They burned a cross atop the dome of the stone courthouse, waved signs proclaiming “White Supremacy,” and initiated 250 new Klansmen in a ceremony at the fairgrounds. None of this was considered un-American or cruel by most people in town.
