Westerville in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
⎯⎯⎯
Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 327

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 25, 2024

1. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church / Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 327 Marker

Inscription. Lutherans in this area first began meeting at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Blendon Township four miles east of town. As attendance by Westerville residents grew, Sunday worship shifted in 1904 to the local town hall on State Street. By 1909, a request was made to form a separate “sister” congregation with the pastor serving both. The newly formed Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church prospered and within year moved into this new building on East Home Street.

A 1936 remodel included a new bell tower, an addition, and encasement of the structure in brick. When a new church edifice was built in 1965 at the corner of Otterbein Avenue and Schrock Road, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows bought and moved into the former church. The IOOF, established in 1857, was the first fraternal organization in town. That number eventually grew to nine, and Westerville became known in Ohio as a “lodge town.” Later uses of this building have included gymnastics instruction, a tea house, and a real estate brokerage office.

Erected by Uptown Westerville Inc.

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Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.

Location. 40° 7.648′ N, 82° 55.837′ W. Marker is in Westerville, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is on East Home Street east of Haywood Alley, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 43 E Home St, Westerville OH 43081, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Scioto Valley

and in the Columbus Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Winter Garden (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Taylor's Pool Hall (about 300 feet away); 42-44 North State Street (about 400 feet away); Isaly's Dairy Store (about 400 feet away); Weyant Block

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 25, 2024

2. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church / Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 327 Marker

Marker is left of the stairs.

(about 400 feet away); Methodism in Westerville (about 500 feet away); Guitner's Dry Goods (about 500 feet away); Vine Street School (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Westerville.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 197 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church⎯⎯⎯Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 327

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
⎯⎯⎯
Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 327