Red Men Lodge
This 360 Virtual Tour is best viewed in full screen mode, which you can open using the three dots in the upper right hand corner of the tour. You can drag the image to look around in 360 degrees and click on the circles to navigate through the home.
Red Men Lodge
The RedMen Lodge @ 307 Main Street was built in 1894. This is a private residence owned by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bejger and is decorated for Christmas.
The Improved Order of Red Men traces its origin back before the American Revolution to secret patriotic societies. Specifically, they promoted freedom and liberty, and in early colonial days, on December 16th, 1773, this order, or Sons of Liberty, met in Boston to protest the tax of tea imposed by England. When it went unresolved, they disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, proceeded to the Boston harbor, and dumped overboard 342 chests of English tea.
During the Revolutionary War, members joined the Continental Army continuing with their causes of liberty and pledging their lives. After the Revolution, many of the societies continued in existence and several formed the Society of RedMen that later became the Improved Order of RedMen, and by 1920, grew to 46 states of tribes totaling over one-half million. Today, this Order continues to offer all Americans an organization centered around patriotism.
Most importantly, the charitable programs that have evolved from America’s Oldest Fraternal Organization are outstanding from two million dollars given to Alzheimer’s Association since 1991 to programs for children with disabilities, to ceremonies to honor our unknown soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery and more!
The RedMen Lodge today in Odessa, although private, may be visited during Christmas in Odessa oftentimes, and still reveals the original random width boards and nails that each member brought to build the lodge. The members of this secret society celebrated Indian lore. A period ceremonial sash and many documents from its time remain.
During late 19th century and early 20th century, this building also served as the theater and playhouse in town. The large rooms both upstairs and downstairs, including the large staircase was conducive to not only the society ball but also was perfect for plays and theater.
Later, The RedMen Lodge was donated to the town and served as the first firehouse of Odessa until 1939.
Recently, in November of 2020, while restoring the old brick sidewalk in front of this private home, a cobblestone path was discovered beneath the surface leading toward the double wooden doors, and it was visible that the cobblestone also ran under the house. The original period cobblestone was restored in that area to reflect a time in the late 19th and early 20th century when cobblestone streets or pathways were common. This will be a significant new historic spot to capture when walking the streets of Odessa.