IOOF Lodge - Milan, MI - Odd Fellow Lodges on Waymarking.com

The building is the traditional 3 story structure thought to symbolize the motto of "Friendship, Love, and Truth" that is prevalent in Odd Fellow beliefs. The building is located at 17 W Main St, Milan, MI 48160 and is currently Ink & Dye Tattoo shop. The brick building is ornate at the top with I.O.O.F. prominently displayed.

Location Details: According to the Ann Arbor Argus dated January 11, 1895, this I.O.O.F. building was dedicated that day in a celebration of their new headquarters. Here is the text of the linked article: Wolverine lodge, I. O. O. F., of Milan, is now domiciled in new and pleasant quarters which were dedicated to the use of Oddfellowship, last evening, by appropriate ceremonies of the order. The members of the lodge are justly proud of their new home and made the dedicatory the occasion for a reception, banquet and dance to friends of the order in this vicinity. Those who were honored with invitations responded numerously and nearly five hundred were present when the exercises opened. The guests included friends from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Detroit and different parts of the state. The Ann Arbor contingent represented Ann Arbor Canton, Washtenaw and Otseningo lodges and numbered about thirty persons. The new building which was dedicated to the uses of the order is well adapted for the purpose. It is situated on Main street, where the block was destroyed by fire about a year ago. The lodge room on the third floor occupies the space over two stores, a space 53x90 feet. This is divided into a reception room, "goat" room and the lodge room proper, the latter being one of the largest and most commodious in this section. The second floor contains reception parlors, a banquet hall and kitchen. All are furnished neatly and in good taste. The whole building is a tribute to the enterprise of the lodge. The dedicatory exercises were conducted by M. R. Salter, of Ithaca, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan, the other offices being filled by members of the lodge as representatives of the other Grand Lodge officers. Following the exercises, the guests were invited to the first and second floors, where tables were groaning under the weight of good things which had been prepared by the members of the Daughters of Rebekah, an adjunct of the I. O. O. F. lodge which is composed of the wives and daughters of the members. At the conclusion of the feast Capt. C. H. Manly assumed the duties of toastmaster, and following an address of welcome by Rev. J. Ward Stone, of Milan, the following toasts were responded to: "American Odd Fellowship, Its Rise and Progress," by Jonathan Sprague, P. G. M., of Ann Arbor; "Why Are We a Secret Order?" by Hon. H. Wirt Newkirk, of Dexter; "Wearing of the Badge," by C. J. Johnson, of Ohio; "Our Order, Its Position in the World among the Secret Societies," by M. R. Salter, G. M., of Ithaca; "The Daughters of Rebekah," by J. Nelson Lewis, of Ann Arbor, the latter being a bright and witty conclusion to that pleasant part of the program. About midnight the hosts and their guests adjourned to the opera house, where young and old enjoyed themselves tripping the light fantastic to the strains of inspiring music by Minnis' orchestra until nearly daylight this morning. Date of construction: 1895 location website: Not listed

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