Odd Fellows

The only thing I photographed today, after the heat and the tardy hour killed our plan to see Fort Mifflin by bicycle, was this grave monument on the edge of Mount Moriah Cemetery in Southwest Philadelphia. Most of the graveyard is abandoned and totally overgrown. Even the simplest formal facts, such as control of the land or whether the charter given by the city about 150 years ago is still in effect, is a continuing matter of discussion among a tiny number of people. But since my last visit, barriers have been placed at the larger breaches in the perimeter fence and makeshift signs have been placed to mark the abandoned sections. This will allow for graves to be located and prevent the dumping of trash and tires in the abandoned sections. The areas that are well-maintained are the newest sections where burials still occasionally take place, and the military sections, one being for Civil War casualties (from contemporary, nearby army hospitals) and veterans.

This stone was erected by The Odd Fellows Home, where The Independent Order of Odd Fellows took care of their aging members. At the top are the "triple links," signifying Friendship, Love and Truth. This secret (or fraternal) society was established at Philadelphia in 1821, but in 1842, a high English lodge chartered an African-American lodge here, and that one still exists now, while all the others in this city have died off. At their peak, the Odd Fellows had more members than the Freemasons.

I always notice Odd Fellows markings in my travels because early anarchists of the city would use their halls and temples for fund-raiser and lecture events during the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Only a few years ago the largest of their venues, on North Broad Street, was torn down. It was the scene of a major Free Speech fight between Emma Goldman and the police in 1909, as well as where Peter Kropotkin made his only lecture in this city, in October of 1897.