Gradually more Scottish families came to area initially through these mills, generally finding other work in the years thereafter. In 1879, a representative of the Order of Scottish Clans was received by the local community at a reception in the Hotel Hamilton. However the group, not feeling the organization was acted in their interest, ultimately decided to set up a benefit society of their own, and on November 22, 1879, the Holyoke Caledonian Benefit Society was organized with a charter member of 21. By its 25th anniversary in 1904 this number had grown to 225, and 450 members by the 50th anniversary of 1929. Originally set up as a sickness and disability insurance fund, the benefit society would also promote Scottish literature, poetry, and music, with such gatherings as celebrations of the life and poetry of Robert Burns. Defunct before 1962, the Caledonian Society's most enduring namesake, the Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band, established in 1910, is today the longest continuously active pipe band in the United States. Its legacy also endures today in its former banquet hall, the historical Caledonia Building. A separate entity from the Caledonians, in 1905, the grand conference for the grand women's auxiliary of Scottish clans was held in the city, being the first time such a gathering was held in any city other than Boston.
