Odd Fellows Lodge (Early 1900)

 The Odd Fellows is a fraternity that was first documented to exist in 1790.

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Who Are We?

AS AN ORGANIZATION, THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS

 AIMS TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK THAT PROMOTES PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. 

 FOR MEMBERS, THE DEGREES IN ODD FELLOWSHIP EMPHASIZE A LEAVING OF THE OLD LIFE AND THE START OF A BETTER ONE AND OF HELPING THOSE IN NEED. 

THE COMMAND OF THE IOOF IS TO“VISIT THE SICK, RELIEVE THE DISTRESSED, BURY THE DEAD AND EDUCATE THE ORPHAN.”

 SPECIFICALLY, IOOF MEMBERS TODAY ARE DEDICATED TO THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES:

To improve and elevate the character of mankind by promoting the principles of friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity, and universal justice.
To help make the world a better place to live in, by aiding each other, the community, the less fortunate, the youth, the elderly, and the environment in every way possible.
To promote goodwill and harmony amongst peoples and nations through the principle of universal fraternity, holding the belief that all men and women regardless of race, nationality, religion, social status, gender, rank, and station are brothers and sisters.

First Odd Fellows

The first, informal gatherings of Odd Fellows occurred in England, probably sometime in the early 1700s. It is widely speculated, though not proven, the order’s name comes from the disparate professions that their members belonged to. Unlike the Freemasons, who were once all masons or related to that trade, the Odd Fellows did not belong to one unifying profession.

The Freemasons have been around since the 1400s so the explanation above does seem in line with the notion that the Odd Fellow was a group that copied some of the ideals and customs of the Freemasons, hence the reference to varied lines of work.