The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-01-21
ODD FELLOWS
U. S. HISTORY
BEGAN IN 1873
First Lodge Got Dispersal
ton Immediately After
War With England.

Odd Fellowship was introduced in
America April 26. 1919, in Baltimore,
Md, the date of the institution of
Washington lodge No. 1.
The war with England had Just
closed, and Washington had been
burned by the British. Englishmen
were hated.
But Thomas Wildey and John
WEIGH, native Englishmen, gathered
frequently with other friends from
the Isles. They formerly were men,
bers Of the Odd Fellow lodge in Lon
don and felt the need of social life
in America.
They resolved to form an Ameri-
can lodge Of Odd Fellows, both hav-
ing been active in the work in Eng
land and ranked high In the esteem
of their brothers.
First Lodge is Formed
They advertised in a Baltimore
paper for other Odd Fellows, and
John Duncan and John Cheatham
responded. The men mutually
tested each other in the ancient
password, the secret signs and grip.
Having established their identity,
they sought fifth brother to have
the number necessary to form
lodge, according to custom.
Another advertisement brought
Richard Rushworth, and the magic
number was complete. They met
Immediately in a tavern, 1.-THE Sign
of the Seven Stars" and instituted
and opened Grand Washington
Lodge of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. Wildey was installed
as noble grand and WEIGH as vice
grand.
Growth by Group
Within two or three weeks, the
brothers added ten members. Henry
M. jackson, who had at that time
emigrated to Baltimore with what
he claimed as the new work of the
Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows,
was admitted, after due examina-
ton. and the new work was adopted.
A brother named Ireland was the
first person initiated with the new
work, May IS, 1919. He was number
sixteen.
Shortly after this, P. G. Crowder,
Preston, Lancashire, England, was
making tour of the United States
and visited the Odd Fellows lodge in
Baltimore.
At his suggestion the infant lodge
applied for dispensation admitting
the lodge to regular fellowship of
the order, through action of a body
in England.
DispensatiOn Is Granted
The Duke of York lodge at Pres
ton, England, granted the petition
Feb. /, 1920, which among other
things stated, "That the said lodge
being the first established in the
United States had the power to
grant dispensation to any group Of
brothers in any State"
This provision, little thought of at
the time, later proved to be the life
of the Order in America.
Nearly year elapsed from the
time the petition was sent to Eng
more. The uncertainty Of the mails
forced the brothers to send the doc
ument in private hands and the de-
lay followed.
In the interim the brothers had
dispatched an applications for dis
pensation to the Manchester order
by John Yates, who was going to
England on private business. The
dispensation came before a special
committee, Jan. 7, 1921, and was
granted. But Yates failed to get
the document on his return to
America. When he arrived in Bal
timore, the lodge was operating
under the dispensation of the Duke
of York lodge.
Organize Grand Lodge
1t was not long before dissatis-
faction broke out in the ranks and
a group of brothers withdrew from
the Washington lodge and formed
the Franklin lodge. But they were
not given a dispensation from the
mother lodge and so were not recog-
nized.
The brothers finally organized the
grand lodge from a committee of
past grands. The grand lodge was
the governing body in America, and
Washington lodge surrendered its
charter gained from England. That
made the grand lodge supreme in
America. The grand body then
granted a dispensation to wash
ington Lodge No. l."
The brothers moved their head
quarters from one place to another
for several years. They met in pri-
vate homes, over taverns and in
any place they could be accommo-
2 dated. Their wanderings stopped in
1893, when they moved into the
present Odd Fellows Temple at
Baltimore.
Gain Members and Powers
During the Civil War, the lodge
almost was broken up by strife be-
tween the two sections of States.
The treasury was comparatively
strong then, but after the war it
was depleted. Many of the brothers
fought on opposite side in the con-
1lict, and this did not add to the
power and strength of the organiza-
ton.
Slowly the lodge gained members
and power until September, 1905,
when they united with Maryland
lodge No. IL. The combined mem
bership established the organiza-
ton on firm foundation and made
possible its present power.
Odd Fellowship came to Indiana
in 1887, when Hope lodge No. l was
founded at New Albany, Ind.
The order was organized in In
dianapolis Dec. Is, 1874, with the
founding Of Center lodge No. 10.
Center later consolidated with