International Order of Odd Fellows Hall - Hamilton Commercial Historic District - Hamilton, Montana
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 46° 14.860 W 114° 09.442
11T E 719123 N 5125493
The I.O.O.F. building at 110 North 2nd Street in the Hamilton Commercial Historic District of Hamilton, Montana.
Waymark Code: WMFH7D
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 10/20/2012
Views: 1
A two-story brick building located at 110 North 2nd Street. The building was completed in 1918, with the retail space on the ground floor and the I.O.O.F. Hall on the second floor. The building is a contributing structure for the Hamilton Commercial Historic District which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept 1, 1988.
Text of sign on building:
A plaque centered under the cornice of this imposing two-story building reads “No. 48 I.O.O.F. Hall 1918.” I.O.O.F. stands for International Order of Odd Fellows, an organization that advocates love, friendship, and truth while offering fellowship and a social safety net for its members. Historically, lodges paid members sick benefits and funeral expenses, contributed to a statewide retirement home, and supported local and national charities. The I.O.O.F. constituted Hamilton Lodge #48 is 1892 with eleven members; that year the order numbered approximately three-quarters of a million men. As early as 1895 the Odd Fellows met here every Monday on the second floor of a wooden commercial block. Early lodge members included Skalkaho farmer Robert Nicol, First National Bank president F.H. Drinkenberg, and merchant Oliver Cooper, partner in the store that occupied the hall’s first floor by 1901. In 1918 the Odd Fellows replaced their wooden building with this solid brick business block. Today the Odd Fellows and their sister organization, the Charity Rebekah Lodge, still meet here, continuing a Hamilton tradition of over a century.
Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Hamilton Commercial Historic District
Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link]
NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link]
Address:
110 North 2nd Street
Hamilton, Montana 59840
How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Plaque on building (Photo in gallery)
Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]
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