Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cornerstone and Historical Marker

For one hundred years, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall was the meeting place for several fraternal organizations in Carson City. The hall was originally built for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF). The history of this fraternal organization can be traced to the medieval guilds of 12th and 13th century Europe. The IOOF spread throughout the U.S. during the 1800s, with local chapters formed in numerous cities.

Carson City's IOOF building, which was also called Odd Fellows Hall, was built in the 1870s. It was constructed with sandstone that was quarried from the local Nevada State Prison. Upon its construction, the site served as a meeting place for several different organizations and societies over the years. These included the following:

Ancient Order of Accepted and Free Masons

Rebekahs

Eastern Star

Pythians

Independent Order of Red Men

Woodmen of the World

The property was eventually demolished in the 1970s, after serving as the site of local businesses in the mid-twentieth century. Allied Van Lines was the last company to conduct business in the former IOOF Hall building. After the property was demolished, a low wall was constructed using some of the original sandstone blocks from the Odd Fellows Hall. This low wall runs along Musser Street.

At one end of the sandstone wall (near the intersection with N. Plaza Street), the original cornerstone of the Odd Fellow Hall is visible, embedded into the wall. Next to the cornerstone, a historical marker was erected by the Security Bank of Nevada in 1980. The marker shares the history of the site during the period when it served as a meeting place for fraternal and other organizations that once gathered at the IOOF Hall.

Meed, Trey. Historic Fraternal Site of Carson City, Historical Marker Database. October 25th 2015. Accessed May 6th 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=89475.

Odd Fellow History, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Accessed May 6th 2021. https://odd-fellows.org/history/.

Schranz, Scott. Oddfellows Hall Then and Now, Around Carson. July 29th 2018. Accessed May 6th 2021. https://aroundcarson.com/2018/07/29/oddfellows_hall_then_and_now/.