It’s time to celebrate!

One of the oldest African American organizations in Kentucky celebrates 145 years by Nancy Stearns Theiss Special to the Courier-Journal One of the oldest African American organizations in Kentucky is the Odd Fellows Washington Lodge, No. 1513, in New Castle, Kentucky. Since its Dispensation on Oct. 29, 1872 by the National Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF) in Philadelphia, The Washington Lodge, No. 1513, has held an annual parade and celebration in downtown New Castle. Ron Wright, a member of the Washington Lodge, said: “We began our Lodge in New Castle three years before the Kentucky Derby!” The founding of this national organization began with Peter Ogden in 1843.…

Brooks, Charles H.(born: 1859  –  died: 1940)Charles H. Brooks was born in Paducah, KY. A lawyer, businessman, and writer, Brooks wrote the official history of the Odd Fellows Fraternity and was a delegate to the International Conference of Odd Fellows in Europe in 1900. Born in Paducah in 1859, Charles H. Brooks grew to embody the very definitions of brilliance and success. He began teaching at age seventeen, and by the age of twenty-three had been appointed the principal of the Runkle Institute, one of the earliest state supported high schools for African-Americans in Kentucky. Seeking bigger challenges and opportunities, Brooks left Paducah in 1889 and moved to Washington D.C.…

Memorandum from the Desk of the Most Honorable Grand Master  To:          The Committee of Management                   The Grand Household                   All Branches of the Order                   All Districts                   All Lodges and Household By the power bestowed upon me by the Delegates at the 66th BMC, I Rev. Bobby L. Stone, Most Honorable Grand Master of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellow, and its jurisdiction, do decree and declare that Saturday, June 21, 2025 as a: National Day of Mourning  for Most Worthy Grand Superior Emeritus Minnie S. Martin As our Order mourns the loss of our Dear Beloved Sister, I have taken the official action to allow all Brothers and Sister join the Family…