Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Noble Grand Jack Barton, right, and soon to be Grand Master for the State of Ohio Roger Parson, pose with two recent trophies for having the most new members in both the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 155 and the Rebekah’s of Lodge 155, which was a woman’s organization that has more recently accepted men as the IOOF now accepts women.

CANFIELD — One of Canfield’s oldest continuous lodges is gearing up for a special anniversary later this summer.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 155 will turn 175 in August and is still going strong.

“The Odd Fellows started in England,” said Lodge member and Noble Grand Jack Barton. “The name comes from the men who were tasked to bring out the dead from a home and bury them. Someone said ‘isn’t that odd,’ thus the name Odd Fellows.”

The earliest record of Odd Fellows was in 1730 in London, England. Barton said the Odd Fellows came to America and the first lodge was established in 1806 in New York City. At that time, there was a great distrust of the British and that played a part in the spinoff of the Odd Fellows to the American Odd Fellows.

It later developed into the I.O.O.F. (Independent Order of Odd Fellows). Thomas Wildey was recognized as the founder of the American Odd Fellowship.

In Canfield, the local lodge, No. 155, was established in August of 1850 by local leaders. Included in that list was local attorney Elijah Whittlesey, the local man who became comptroller of the United States Treasury under President Zachary Taylor. Whittlesey served under four U.S. presidents with the last being Abraham Lincoln.

The mission of the I.O.O.F. membership was, and still is, to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan,” Barton said.

While they no longer enter homes and remove the dead for burial, they do take part in ceremonies that honor deceased military members. The lodge takes part in the placing of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier each year.

“I can’t describe the feeling I had when walking to that grave,” Barton said. “It is a very solemn and touching ceremony.”

One other historic step in Lodge 155’s history was the formation of the Rebekah’s of Lodge 155. This parallel group was formed for women to take part in the I.O.O.F. activities. In Canfield, the Rebekah’s of Lodge 155 was formed and chartered in 1893. Since that time, the Rebekah’s have opened up for both men and women and the I.O.O.F. has done the same. Many join both just to keep the numbers up, which Canfield has done well. This year the lodge received two trophies for having the most new members. The lodge has 47 members and the Rebekah’s have 30.

The lodge has always existed in Canfield. It was originally on North Broad Street near the intersection of U.S. 224. The building was located next to the Wertz service station property.

Member Roger Parson said the lodge purchased the former St. Cloud Hotel on South Broad Street, had it torn down, and built the present building next to the Dairy Queen, moving into the basement in 1970.

“We paid the building off in 1985 and held a mortgage burning that year,” Parson said. “The upstairs would have been the lodge, but the decision was made to rent it out instead.”

Parson said the lodge does not have a lot of fundraisers. He said the forefathers set up the lodge financially with very good investments and today it continues its many programs from the interest of the initial funding — an amount he would not reveal.

“We don’t do a lot of fundraising,” he said. “We give away our money.”

Lodge 155 hosts several annual events. One is the Trunk or Treat on the Village Green. The membership pays for a bounce house, food and drinks, then line the street in front of Farmers Bank to pass out candy at Halloween. The lodge also hosts a pumpkin carving on the Green for kids.

On the Fourth of July, the lodge passes out free hot dogs, coffee and sno-cones. “It’s our gift to the community,” Parson said.

The lodge gives out scholarships to any child who lost a parent during their school years. This project is done with the cooperation of school counselors. Parson said the scholarships have gone to some “very remarkable kids.”

Parson will have a special honor in April as he steps into the position of Grand Master for the State of Ohio. He will be frequenting the state headquarters in Springfield as he handles the I.O.O.F. business for the state.

The Springfield building started as an orphanage that today has been converted into a nursing home. Parson said the I.O.O.F. kept one smaller building on the property to use as the state headquarters.

For the August anniversary, Parson said Lodge 155 has put together a history committee that will help plan an event. He said no one is certain how the lodge will celebrate 175 years, but there will be a lot of people working on it.

Some of the anniversary may focus on the rich history of the lodge. Barton said the lodge has the original books kept from the first day. The original charter is framed and all names can be made out. Even the chairs in the main hall could very well date back 175 years.

“We are one of two I.O.O.F. lodges that are this old and have continually operated since founded,” Parson said.