The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-04-25
keokuk Lodges and Encampment Ceie-
brate II Last Evening in Their
Hall with Appropriate
Exercises.
PROGRAM WAS GOOD ONE
Order Was Founded lust One Hun
dred Years Ago and Has Grown
from Half Dozen Mem
bers to Large Size.

There was a very large attendance
last evening, when the Odd Fellows
of Keokuk celebrated the centennial
of that order, in their hall.
Chairman Hummer gave a brief his
tory of the order, and G. L. Norman
r;ade an excellent address on its char
acter and good works. The invocation
was by Rev. Huell Warren. The music
was exceptionally good, as was the
reading by Miss Nina Hodge.
One of the chief features of the
evening was the drill by the Rebekahs
which elected much praise from the
entire audience.
After the program there was an in
formal supper, and the whole evening
was a most enjoyable one for the
three lodges and the encampment.
Well Worked Out.
A Joint committee of three mem
bers from each lodge worked on the
plans for the observance for several
weeks. w. c. Runner was chairman
CT the entire committee. The other
two members from Keokuk lodge were
G. L. Norman and Ed Moore. Puck.
echetuck lodge vas represented by
Fl. A. Heaslip, w. L. Utley and w. D.
McDow. Herman lodge was repre-.
scented by II. G. Seeman. William
Loewenstein and Charles Schultz. The
encampment delegation consisted Of
w. D. Englehardt, O.. L. Soh1 and
Lauritz Nelson, and the Rebekah
lodge had Mrs. William PRAISE, Mrs.
William Rokey and Mrs. w. G.. Kum-
mer as representatives.
A Good Program.
The program given was as follows:
observation-disclosures
Prayer-Rev. Huell Warren.
Vocal Solo-Mrs. Schouten.
Address,. L. Norman.
Cornet band.
Reading-Miss Nina Hodge.
Cornet Solo. G. Hedrick-
DriIl-Rebekahs.
Selection-Orchestra-
Refreshments was served and a gen.
eral good time enjoyed following the
program.
In a Hundred Years.
w. G. Hummer told of the origin OF
the order in England where Odd Eel
lowship was in existence for some CEN
turtles. But the real order as it is
known today, the Independent Order
CT Odd Fellows, was born in Baltimore,
April 26, 1919. 1t started with one
lodge Of five members.
The organization Of Odd Fellows in
England originally was composed OF
workmen, mechanics and other labor
ers who supported their families by
tf.eir trades. In those days wages
were low and all workmen were OBJ
1iged to use all means within their
power to support and. educate their
families, and with this object in view,
the first Odd Fellows lodges were or
ssnized. They were very largely social
and the meetings were held in public
houses, and at each meeting a collec-
ton was taken for the purpose of aid
ing the sick and those out of work
Beginning in America.
Thomas Wildly had been a promi-
nent members of the order in England,
and in April, 1919, he advertised in a
baltimore paper for all Englishmen,
then living in Baltimore, who had
Keen Odd Fellows in England, to meet
him. on the night Of April 26th, to
unite with him, for the purpose of or
ganizing an Odd Fellows lodge in this
country.
There were five persons present,
and they at once decided to organize.
Thomas Wildly, In the presence of the
ether four, obligated himself, and then
proceeded t o obligate the other four.
The lodge was organized, and named
"Tashington Lodge, Number One
and Wildly was elected the first noble
grand.
IL Starts to Grow.
Vary soon. other lodges were or
gantzed in the state Of Maryland, and
these lodges held a joint meeting and
organized what they called The Grand
lodge of the State of Maryland, and
Thomas Wildly was elected the first
grand master of this grand lodge.
This grand lodge granted charters
for the organization of other lodges
in other states and inside of two or
three years, other grand lodges had
been organized, and in January, 1925,
grand lodge of these other states
met and organized what was then
l. nown as The Grand Lodge Of the
States, and which is now
known as Sovereign Grand Lodge.
Thomas Wildly was elected the first
sire Of this Sovereign Grand
ode He was the first noble grand
of the first lodge; the first grand mas
ter of the first grand lodge. and the
first grand sire of the first Sovereign
Grand Lodge, and is properly styled
"The Father of American Odd Eel
lowship."
Abou thirty years ago Erie j. Leech,
Of Keokuk. was made grand sire OF
the order, which has always been very
grror. lara