The Odd Fellows Hall sign hung outside the third floor of the Union Hall Building, which stood on the site of the present General Store from 1852 until 1896. A store occupied the first floor of the building; there were living quarters on the second floor; and the Odd Fellows held its meetings in the attic.

In 1850 the first building on this site burned. Trumbull Bull, a local merchant and builder, along with John Farwell, a well-known real estate agent, purchased the land. Bull was a charter member of the Odd Fellows and securing the organization a meeting place may have been his primary purpose in buying the land. In 1896 then-owners Gale and Dickson moved the building to 9 Mass. Ave., where it became a grain annex. They built a new store in the Classical Revival style on the old site, but it is unclear whether or not the Odd Fellows used any space in the new building.

Odd Fellows Hall. (Photo courtesy of Harvard Historical Society)

The Odd Fellows is a charitable organization known as the “Three Link Fraternity,” which stands for friendship, love, and truth. One history explains the origin of the name as such: “In 17th-century England, it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and/or for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called Odd Fellows.”

The Harvard Historical Society has nothing in its archives about the activities, membership, or duration of the Odd Fellows in town. When the building moved did the group disband? Did it continue to meet among the hay bales? Did it meet elsewhere in town? If anyone has any memories or stories, send them to editor@harvardpress.com.