One of many old IOOF lodge buildings in Texas, today this building hosts a bookstore and a magic shop in downtown McKinney's busy and vibrant historic downtown district.
From the Texas IOOF Past and Future website, we find a list, photos, and some history of former IOOF lodge buildings in Texas: (
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"Texas Odd Fellows Past and Future
At the bottom of this page you will see a collection of pictures of old Texas former Odd Fellow Lodge buildings. Most of these buildings had an upper floor which was the lodge hall. The lower floor was usually rented out to a business for income purpose. These old buildings represent our past. Many of these Lodges are no longer in existence because much of our membership has gotten older and many have passed on to eternity, but these old lodge buildings remain standing as a testament of what once was. Many of them were built in the late eighteen hundreds or early nineteen hundreds.
During the "Golden Age of Fraternalism (1850 -1920) you may be surprised to know that the Odd Fellows were a larger organization than the Masons. Our membership peaked in 1920 with 1.7 million Odd Fellow members. But during the 1930s Great Depression the Odd Fellows nearly went bankrupt. Many lodges could not make the mortgage payment on their lodge halls due to a drop in membership. Also with the advent of the various forms of government assistance it made the Odd Fellows brand of charity almost obsolete. By the 1960s the Odd Fellow membership was cut in half.
Today there are still many active lodges in Texas, but we have a dilemma. Not only must our Order survive, but it must grow. If our goal isn't for growth, then what are we doing? When you look at all the old buildings below think of the people that had lodge meetings there. Think of their hopes, dreams and desires to help their fellow man. Think of the work they did to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.” We must carry this rich tradition on and seek to make a better world for our children's children. It is our duty as Odd Fellows. We have all assumed the obligations. A person may wonder how this "duty" came to exist, and how relevant it is to Odd Fellowship in modern times. Some may ask "why do I need to help people?" "Isn't that what the government is for?" It is true that the various forms of governmental assistance have contributed in years of decline in the popularity of fraternal organizations including Odd Fellow and Rebekah Lodges. But times are changing. The total cost of all federal assistance programs -- including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and various welfare programs -- accounts for nearly one-half of all money spent by the federal government. That is a doubling of the percentage since the 1960s. The Government can not afford to continue to go into debt. The Government can not continue to spend beyond its means. It will reach a breaking point if things do not change. You know the numbers, almost 18 trillion national debt. Look at this link for the National Debt Clock You will be shocked to see the magnitude of the mess we're in. At what point do we run out of money? Can the Government go broke? What if it does? So what will happen then? The needy will be forced to go to other sources other than government for help. This is where we come in... We will be needed more than ever before. Private efforts have been much more successful than the federal governments failed attempt at charity anyway. Sometimes it is the small things that make a world of difference. For example suppose a poor mother has a job offer. But she can't get to the job because her car battery is dead. A government welfare program can do nothing but tell her to wait two weeks until her welfare check arrives. Of course, by that time the job will be gone. An Odd Fellow can simply go out and buy a car battery and put it in for her (or even jump-start the dead battery). The Good Samaritan modeled acts of kindness, service, and respect when he offered practical help. As an Odd Fellow we are expected to make the same commitment.
Although there was a decline in membership in fraternal organizations in general during the 20th century, membership in the 21st century has started to increase. Odd Fellows experienced its fifth straight year of membership increase in the United States. Volunteerism is on the rise. It is estimated that almost 50 percent of Americans over age 18 do volunteer work, and nearly 75 percent of U.S. households contribute money to charity. We need them to come and be a part of what we do. We invite them to look around to learn more about us and how we serve our community. Many people may have heard of the I.O.O.F. They really don’t know what I.O.O.F. is or what we are about. It is our job to tell them. This is the purpose of this website. If anyone needs addition information please be sure to contact us. We will get back with you as soon as we are able. We are looking for people that are willing to serve their community and make a difference in the lives of people in their world. The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, and to have it make some difference that we have lived at all. Please come and join us in that effort.
If you see a lodge building below from your hometown and wish they still had an Odd Fellow Lodge near you or even in your hometown, you might wish to organize a new one. The Grand Lodge of Texas is willing to help you get started. For instruction on how to get started read the following link and call the Grand Lodge of Texas at 1-800-299-7434.
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This building was the W. C., Burrus IOOF Lodge No. 953 in McKinney Texas. It was instituted 1/15/1917 and was demised 10/14/1943. It was a very active lodge in the early days."
From the Rootsweb website we were able to find a blurb from the McKinney Examiner on the IOOF anniversary celebration at the Lodge: (
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"The McKinney Examiner. McKinney, Texas, April 20, 1922, Vol. 36, No. 23
Odd Fellows’ 103d Anniversary.
W. C. BURRUS Lodge, No. 953, I. O. O. F. and McKinney Rebekah Lodge, No. 85, will celebrate the one hundred and third anniversary of the founding of the order in the United States...The program committee composed of Judge T. O. MURRAY, A. M. HILL, Dick DeARMOND, C. A. WILSON, and Hunt BOWLBY are busy making arrangements."
A 1921 article that I cannot reproduce here details installation nof new officers, and states that in 1921 this lodge had 207 members. See (
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