Garland I.O.O.F. Lodge
We are a family fraternity, composed of Men, Women, and Youth, who have come together in our local communities with the express purpose of making our communities a better place for everyone. Friendship, Love and Truth are our basic guiding principles. Our ultimate purpose is to elevate the character of mankind through working in our local Communities, States, Provinces, and Nationally. It is our goal to make a difference in the lives of people in our World.
Odd Fellowship signifies belief in a Supreme Being and in the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Mankind. These two beliefs are the only “requirements” for membership. The Order has no interest in denominational or political affiliations.
Odd Fellowship signifies belief in a Supreme Being and in the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Mankind. These two beliefs are the only “requirements” for membership. The Order has no interest in denominational or political affiliations.
If you can answer YES to the questions below then we need your help to make our community a better place.
Ask us about Odd Fellowship!
Ask us about Odd Fellowship!
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The Independent Order of Odd Fellows began in 18th Century England, it was odd to see people organized for the sole purpose of benevolent service to those in need. Hence the name Odd Fellows. We currently are a worldwide fraternity in 26 countries. Our mantra is to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan. We are often referred to as the three link fraternity as our emblem consists of three links which stand for Friendship, Love and Truth. The links symbolize the chain that binds us together and strengthens our communities by being joined together in good and worthy causes. The image below is the Odd Fellow Creed.
I.O.O.F. Charity & Love
The center link of the three link I.O.O.F. chain logo contains an 'L" which stands for Love. Love is one of the basic elements of a true friendship, creating within the individual unselfishness, tenderness, sympathy and understanding. Brotherly Love hears the cry of humanity and answers its call. Thought of one’s self is pushed aside in answering the call of humanity, in the performance of deeds of goodwill to those less fortunate; assisting in the building of a stronger character; affording the opportunities of education to those who need it; rendering assistance for the physical needs of those less fortunate; uplifting those who are despondent by a cheery word, a smile, a comforting thought and a clasp of hand. Through Brotherly Love, unselfish purposes and generous deeds form a bond of unity, creating an estate wherein no man lives unto himself alone.
A component part of Brotherly Love is the principle of Charity, which provides the means for creating all of the opportunities for greater responsibilities for the betterment of mankind. Without Charity in the journey of life, Brotherly Love would have no meaning and acts of humanity would be non-existent, for there would be no thought of welfare of others, but only selfishness and greed. Our bonds of Unity and Brotherly Love through acts of Charity, bring richness to the principles of Oddfellowship. The following YouTube gives a very good synopsis of what it means to be an Odd Fellow.
A component part of Brotherly Love is the principle of Charity, which provides the means for creating all of the opportunities for greater responsibilities for the betterment of mankind. Without Charity in the journey of life, Brotherly Love would have no meaning and acts of humanity would be non-existent, for there would be no thought of welfare of others, but only selfishness and greed. Our bonds of Unity and Brotherly Love through acts of Charity, bring richness to the principles of Oddfellowship. The following YouTube gives a very good synopsis of what it means to be an Odd Fellow.
An effort is now being made to preserve our order's history, as well as increase membership, hence the purpose of this website. Garland Lodge, with many other Odd Fellow lodges in Texas are reaching out to the cyber-world in an effort to make the public aware of our purpose in the community and the need for the basic principles that have made this country great. We believe that the downturn in the economy, lack of employment and the housing crises has brought a return of the Good Samaritan practical applications that true Odd Fellows believe and teach.
Here is a very interesting book written by William Henry Walker titled Odd Fellowship in America and in Texas (written in 1911). This book can be read online by clicking the link above. It gives much detail about the early Odd Fellow lodges in Texas. Starting with chapter 10 you will read about the eventful days in 1836 Texas history leading up to when the first Texas I.O.O.F. lodge was instituted in 1938. The book discusses such topics as the Texas Grand Lodge in 1852; Odd Fellowship during the Civil War and other events of importance such as when Galveston, TX was destroyed and what the Odd Fellows did to help during the disaster. It is a very good read if you like history. |
There is very little mention of Garland I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 304 in this book other than the fact that it was instituted under the administration of Grand Master D. S. Lemman. We know that our lodge was originally called Duck Creek Lodge No. 304. This lodge was instituted on June 25th 1884. The news paper article below lists the charter members. N. F. Pace was the installed treasurer. Pictures of the other officers are not available at this time. Our first Noble Grand, R. H. Lyles was not only an Odd Fellow but he also had membership in the Masonic, Knights of Pythias, and W. O. W. lodges. In a 1894 news paper article R. H. Lyles was listed as an Odd Fellow Grand Messenger (pro tem). He had an interesting life and a sad ending (see his link above). R.H. Lyles circa 1880s home has been moved to Garland's Heritage Crossing. For more information go to this link. If anyone has a picture of R. H. Lyles please contact us. We would love to post his picture on this webpage. The namesake of Lyles Elementary of Garland was Charles Lyles, the son of the R. H. Lyles and his first wife, Nancy (called Nellie).
The Pace house is also located in Garland's historic downtown area. This 1895 vintage Queen Anne-style one-story frame house originally was the home of Garland cotton growers John and Nina Pace. N. F. Pace (pictured below) may have been one of their relatives. |
We have found no record as to when the name was changed to Garland Lodge No. 304. However, On April 21, 1891 Garland, Texas was incorporated and absorbed the communities of Duck Creek and Embree, so the name change must have taken place some time after 1891. Through extensive online searching of available newspapers articles we discovered that the last date where I.O.O.F. Duck Creek Lodge No. 304 appeared in print was in 1894, and the first date that Garland I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 304 was in print was in 1930. This is a span of 36 years. There are many missing newspaper during those years, so this is the best that we have been able to narrow the search so far. It would seem that the exact date of the name change, like so many other things, is lost in the mists if time. This is what makes history so interesting... you never know what you might be able to dig up. You just have to keep digging.
In 1897 there were at least three masonry buildings in the center of town on 6th street. One of those buildings was the Old Odd Fellow building. These buildings are the oldest still standing today. Thanks to the fire in 1899 most of the buildings in the Garland downtown area were destroyed. When the downtown area was rebuilt the new buildings were constructed around a square which is what be have today rather than having streets in a grid formation. The pictures below show what the Odd Fellow's building looked like originally and what it looks like today after an 1918 remodel. Unfortunately, the highly decorative corbelled brick parapets were removed and replaced with a simple straight roof line design. Notice the date says 1897, this may have been when the lodge building was constructed . However, the Mason's Lodge building which is a replica was built in 1899. They both supposedly were built at the same time. |
The Odd Fellows moved from Garland some time in the 1990's. For a while Garland Lodge No. 304 met on Ferguson Rd. in Dallas, TX. Now we are back where be should be in downtown Garland. It is our goal to become active in the downtown area again. |