The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows

Description:

This African American fraternal organization was founded in Arlington's Freedman'c Village community in 1870. It served many needs of the newly established and growing black community – hosting social functions, serving as a meeting ground for political functions, serving as a credit union, helping to establish internal community leadership, and supporting black churches and schools. In 1884 the Odd Fellows purchased land in the African American, middle class, Johnson's Hill community to construct the Odd Fellows Steven's Lodge No. 1453. The institutions remained a central part of Arlington's civic-minded African American community through the twentieth century. The Hall was destroyed by fire in 1965.


Date:

1870

Creator:

None recorded.

Source:

Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, A Guide to African American Heritage of Arlington County, (Virginia, 2016).

Subject

None recorded.

Identifier

None recorded.

Contributor

None recorded.

Rights

None recorded.

Citation

“The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows,” Built By the People Themselves, accessed October 7, 2024, https://lindseybestebreurtje.org/arlingtonhistory/items/show/80.

Geolocation

OddFellowsHall.jpg