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1897 Building
The
Washington Odd Fellows Home was established in 1897 for the care of the
widows and orphans of members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Although the Home no longer serves as an orphanage, we continue to fulfill
our mission by housing and caring for the elderly of our community and
state. Our 10-acre campus now houses over 300 residents in independent
apartments, assisted living, and nursing care.
There
are many stories about the origin of the name "Odd Fellows".
A favorite goes like this: In 17th-century England, a group of men got
together to form a society for the promotion of benevolence. These men
met in pubs and made it a point to abstain from drinking during their
meetings. Other pub patrons thought it "odd" for these "fellows"
to meet in a pub and not drink while planning philanthropic activities.
The name fit and is still with us.
Today the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is an international fraternity with over 350,000 members in 25 countries.
In the United States, it is left to the discretion of each state's organization of the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Lodges (Rebekah being the affiliated sorority) whether or not to sponsor an Odd Fellows Home. In 1894 the lodges determined that the state of Washington should have a Home. The question arose as to its location. During the statewide Grand Lodge meeting held in Seattle in 1896, a group of enterprising men from Walla Walla constructed a model of the first Odd Fellows Home in Washington. They borrowed a flat bed trailer, hitched it to a team of six horses, placed their model on top, and paraded it up and down the streets of Seattle. This impressive lobbying effort was coupled with a donation of 6-1/2 acres of land from Walla Walla pioneer H.P. Isaacs; $3,000 raised by Walla Walla Odd Fellows; and a promise of 400 gallons of water per day from the Walla Walla Water Company. These factors gave Walla Walla the edge over Tacoma and Centralia, and the original Home in Walla Walla was begun in 1897.
Today the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is an international fraternity with over 350,000 members in 25 countries.
In the United States, it is left to the discretion of each state's organization of the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Lodges (Rebekah being the affiliated sorority) whether or not to sponsor an Odd Fellows Home. In 1894 the lodges determined that the state of Washington should have a Home. The question arose as to its location. During the statewide Grand Lodge meeting held in Seattle in 1896, a group of enterprising men from Walla Walla constructed a model of the first Odd Fellows Home in Washington. They borrowed a flat bed trailer, hitched it to a team of six horses, placed their model on top, and paraded it up and down the streets of Seattle. This impressive lobbying effort was coupled with a donation of 6-1/2 acres of land from Walla Walla pioneer H.P. Isaacs; $3,000 raised by Walla Walla Odd Fellows; and a promise of 400 gallons of water per day from the Walla Walla Water Company. These factors gave Walla Walla the edge over Tacoma and Centralia, and the original Home in Walla Walla was begun in 1897.