Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-04-04
Odd Fellows Order Has CentGn-
airy of Founding at Baltimore
April 18th, 1919

1919. the American Order Of Odd Eel
lowship was born in the city of Balti-
more. In an upper room over the tav-
ern of the Seven Stars, kept by Thorn
as Lupton in Second street, that city,
the order had its birth. There, with
five charter members, Wellington
Lodge, the first permanent lodge Of
Odd Fellows in America, was formed.
The organization meeting had been
preceded by one other atthe same place,
at which the decision to organize the
lodge had been reached This first
meeting was in response to an adver
tisement inserted in the Baltimore
American of March 81, that year, by
Thomas WiIdey, the father of Ameri-
can Odd Fellow ship. His advertise
ment read:
"a few members of the Society Of
Odd Fellows will be glad to meet their
brethren for the purpose of forming a
lodge on Friday evening, I'd April, at
the Seven Stars, Second street, at the
hour of Z p. NJ"
Four others, who like Widely had
been members of the order in England,
met with him that pight of April 2,
''spent a pleasant evening"" and laid
their plans for the organization meet
ing that followed on the 26th.
The four were John WEIGH, John
Duncan, John Cheatham and Richard
Rushworth. Meeting at the appointed
time, they initiated themselves the first
American lodge of the order, choosing
Wildey noble grand and WEIGH vice
grand These two first officers were
destined to play a large part in laying
the foundations upon which the order
has been built up 10 its present dinen-
sions. The first lodge room is descTib-
ed as having been furnished with BEN
ches, a rude table and a few rush-bot-
toned chairs. Around the walls were
four old tin scenes holding two candles
each, and a few coarse prints of sea
fights, horses and portraits Of Washing
ton, Lafayette and other heroes of the
Revolution In flaming tints.
AS there was no ante-room, when
secret work was to be done the door at
the head Of the stairs was locked, the
lodge moved to the front of the room,
and the secrets were communicated in
whispers. AS the work at first was
very meager, however, it was quickly
ispatched and the lodge was free to
occupy the entire room again.
Little better was the upper room in
Woodward's old hotel in Frederick
street before which swung the sign of
the "Three Loggerheads" and to which
the lodge was moved in September,
1919. There the lodge continued to
meet and grow during a period of over
two years, until January, 1922.
The "Three Loggerheads" is describ-
ed as having been a dismal, out-of-the-
way place, located near the docks and
among sailors and wharf loungers n
sailors boarding houses. But it was a
DIdCG CNCutlul III II SoiiJ hioAOh u
American Odd Fellowship.
1t was there Washington Lodge re
ceived the first warrant ever granted
to a lodge in this country from the
order in England. There the owe
a ant and remembrance degrees were
first promulgated aud conferred, the
Grand Lodge of Maryland and of Uni
ted States were instituted and held their
first sessions, and there the grand lodge
degree was adopted and first used aud
the golden rule degree was first confer
red in America.
Thomas WiIdey, who, in addition to
being the first noble grand of Washing
ton Lodge No. 1, was also the first
grand master of the Grand Lodge
of Maryland and the first
grand sire of the Grand Lodge of the
United States, was born in London,
January 1t, 1882. He was a coach
spring maker by trade. His relation
with Odd Fello wship dates from the
time of his majority, when he became
a member of London Lodge No. II. He
married in 1917, and in the same year
came to this country, settling in Balti-
more.
For forty-two years, until his death
in 1861, Wildey continued to be the
same prominent figure in the realm of
Odd Fellowship. He became grand
sire upon the organization of the Grand
Lodge of the United States in 1925, and
it was through his efforts that tine sep
arate bodies that had been formed in
Massachusetts, New York and Pennsy-
lvania were brought under its authori-
ty. Retiring as grand sire in 1888, he
was made travelling representative
of the order and continued TO act as
such during the remaining twenty-sev-
on wear a of his life.