Odd Fellows Hall

Odd Fellows Hall. . The Odd Fellows Hall in Apalachicola FL at 143 Sixth Street was built between 1881 and 1883 as a meeting hall for the local Black Fraternal Order. , , The period from the end of the Civil War to the First World War has been called the golden age of social fraternities. Emancipation, and jobs in factories, lumber, and other industries brought people together off the farms and gave them more time for leisure activities. Before radio and television fraternal orders provided spaces and places for socialization, sharing and learning about events in the news, and a sense of community. Freemasons, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias all had chapters in Apalachicola comprised of Black people. The golden age of social fraternities was a good fit for the communal care approach embraced by Black people to build communities after Emancipation. , , The two-story wooden structure originally had a two-story porch just across the southwestern façade facing Sixth Street. The distinctive clipped gables are known as a jerkin head roof. The downstairs space was rented out to businesses. At one point a skating rink was located in the building. The second floor housed the meeting room for the lodge. Besides lodge meetings the space was also used by other organizations and community groups as a meeting space. In 1890 the Odd Fellows Hall hosted a meeting of the black sawmill workers when they decided to go on strike for higher wages. During the construction of the John Gorrie Bridge in the 1930s the hall hosted regular dances. , , When Dunbar School for Black students burned down on February 11, 1943, the Odd Fellow Hall was school for a portion of the students until a new school was built. The Odd Fellow Hall was used by teachers and students from Dunbar until April 1945 when Wallace M. Quinn High School opened. , , Eventually the local Odd Fellows disbanded, and the building fell into disuse. After sitting vacant for several years, it was purchased by the City of Apalachicola in 1987 and the structure was renovated into several-apartments. The porches stretching down each side of the building were added at this time. The city sold the property in 1998. It is in private ownership today. , , (sidebar) , The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows was essentially a mutual aid society. Mutual aid societies were created by Black people throughout the United States starting in the early days of the presence of Black people in the English colonies and climaxing in the late 19th century. Most often, the groups provided benefits and other family matters as insurance does today. , , The practical benefits of membership assisted in defraying expenses of burial, sickness, disability, and widowhood. While no exact amounts were ensured to members, the success of the Order suggests its ability to provide a reasonable level of support to those in need. , Learn more about the Odd Fellows Lodge and the people and places of Apalachicola's Black History Trail by scanning the QR code above or by visiting cityofapalachicola.com