Explore the Early History of St Luke, Odd Fellows & Household of Ruth
Three African American Mutual Aid Societies Under One Roof: A Legacy of Economic Empowerment
For generations, this building has been a hub of community life, known by many names—most commonly Odd Fellows Hall, and less kindly by the acronym SLOTH. Each name hints at a chapter in its story, but none tells the whole tale. The Independent Order of St. Luke, the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, and the Household of Ruth played vital roles in supporting African American communities that emerged in and around the Town of Blacksburg and Montgomery County, Virginia, following emancipation. To honor the enduring contributions of all three orders, the building is now recognized as St. Luke, Odd Fellows, & Household of Ruth Hall (StLOFHR)—a name that carries forward the spirit, strength, and history of those who built and sustained it.
A Brief History of African American Fraternal Orders
The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF) is an organization which broke away from Freemasonry many centuries ago in Europe. In the early 1800s, the Philomathean Lodge No. 646, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, was established by male members of the Mother A.M.E. Zion Church, New York City, on 1 March 1843. The Order was given dispensation by the the Victoria Lodge No 448, Liverpool, England through the leadership of Illustrious Brother Peter Ogden, a mariner who was a member of the Victoria Lodge No 448. Soon after the establishment of Philometheon Lodge, the Household of Ruth was instituted as its counterpart order for wives, daughters, and mothers. In December of 1843 the New York order was granted permission from the Victoria Lodge to grant dispensations to other emerging lodges.
Friendship, Love & Truth
The motto of the Odd Fellows is “Friendship, Love and Truth.” The emphasis of the order was that ALL who enter the fraternal membership are on equal footing. The mission was to provide “relief” (mutual assistance) for sick members and their families, to assist and defray the cost of their burial, to protect their widow from hardship, to educate orphans and to assist the disabled. Typically, members paid a fixed entrance fee and there after monthly dues.
There was also an element of secrecy in membership, which was steeped in biblically oriented rituals and codes. Michael Barga noted, “Many historians note the Odd Fellows as one of the most significant black mutual aid societies . . . and the hybrid of non-denominational Christian content and a Mason-modeled organizational structure may have been why.”
By the early 1900’s the GUOOF in the USA reported over 200,000 members with over 2,000 established lodges. The Roanoke Lodge No 3225 was given a dispensation on 13 March 1890. The Finance book for the Household of Ruth (MS1988-009) reports that there was a relationship with the Lodge in Christiansburg and the Grand Lodge in Roanoke, indicating that the Roanoke Lodge was the progenitor of both the Blacksburg and Christiansburg Lodges.
Independent Order of St Luke
The Grand United Independent Order of St. Luke was founded in Baltimore in 1867 by Mary Prout (ca. 1801–1884), a free woman and educator. Originally established as a women-led mutual aid society, the organization provided insurance and burial assistance to its members. Over time, it expanded beyond Maryland.
In 1869, the Virginia chapter in Richmond separated from the Maryland organization and became the Independent Order of the Sons and Daughters of St. Luke. Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934) of Richmond joined the Order in 1881 and, by 1895, helped establish the Juvenile Department under her leadership.
As the Order’s finances later became unsustainable, its leader, W. M. T. Forrester, resigned in 1899. At the Hinton, West Virginia, convention, Walker assumed leadership as Right Worthy Grand Secretary and transformed the organization into a powerful system of cooperative economics, ultimately serving more than 100,000 Black women and men across 26 states.
Under Walker’s leadership, the Order fostered economic empowerment—particularly for women—by creating institutions that promoted financial independence and stability. These included a department store that provided employment, a newspaper, and the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. Walker’s leadership made her the first woman in the United States to serve as president of a bank. (Marlowe, Gertrude Woodruff. A Right Worthy Grand Mission: Maggie Lena Walker and the Quest for Black Economic Empowerment. Washington, DC: Howard University Press, 2003.)
The Union of Blacksburg’s St Luke, Odd Fellows and Household of Ruth Orders Under One Lodge
Tadmore Light Lodge No. 6184 of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows was established in the early twentieth century, likely in 1904, based on entries in the Minute Book dating from 1904 to 1911 (pp. 130–131). Additional context on the Order is provided in an article by Anthony Wright de Hernandez. Although the building remains extant, the lodge itself ceased to function in the 1960s.
Household of Ruth No. 5533 comprised the mothers, wives, and daughters of members of Tadmore Light Lodge No. 6184. Established several years after the men’s lodge, this women’s auxiliary played a vital role in the operation of the lodge and in supporting the well-being of the surrounding community.
This interview with Beatrice Freeman Walker sheds light on St. Francis Council No. 235 of the Independent Order of St. Luke, which was established by Mrs. Maggie Lena Walker. Beatrice Walker’s mother, Bessie Briggs Freeman, was deeply committed to the Order and played an active role in extending mutual aid networks beyond the local area.
Deeds of the Land for St Luke & Odd Fellows Hall (1905-06)
A land deed (Vol 53, pages 532-533) dated 13 May 1905 from George & Lelia Williams and William & Mary Lou Young to the trustees of both the Order of Odd Fellows and the Independent Order of St Luke. The copy of the deed follows with a transcription. This indicates that the lot was divided and sold to the trustees of both orders.
1905 Trustees for Grand United Order of Odd Fellows: Gordon Mills, James Anderson, Jack Anderson, John Rollens, John Eaves and Granville Smith
1905 Trustees for Independent Order of St Luke: John Smith, Henry Vaughan, Preston Mayse, Anderson Harvey, Daniel
Hoge and John Simkins
Construction of the St Luke & Odd Fellows Hall (1905-06)
The lodge was constructed between 1905 and 1906. A ledger from an unidentified hardware store—possibly Effinger’s—records a charge for metal roofing (“ash pan (17) roofing”) to the Odd Fellows Lodge (Hall) in February 1906. The ledger, which references numerous Black residents of Blacksburg during this period, indicates that the building was under roof by that date.
The structure was a collaborative effort and functioned as a shared meeting and ceremonial space for all three orders, which alternated meeting days and times.
The building’s construction coincided with the height of Maggie L. Walker’s expansion of the Independent Order of St. Luke. By this period, the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank—chartered in 1903—was already supporting Black communities across Virginia.
Location of the St Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia
The official address of the St. Luke, Odd Fellows, and Household of Ruth Hall is currently 203 Gilbert Street. At the time of its construction, however, the building was situated on New Town (Newtown) Alley. New Town was a neighborhood of approximately fifteen to twenty African American families that developed gradually following emancipation.
A 1928 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Blacksburg identifies the Hall at the corner of Giles Road (then Newport Road) and New Town Lane. New Town Lane extended west from Newport Road (Giles Road), passed through New Town Alley, and exited onto Pepper Street. Pepper Street served as a key route connecting Blacksburg to the Prices Fork community. Lucy Lee Lancaster’s map offers additional context for understanding this historic road network.
