If two roads intersected anywhere near a field of grazing cows, a secret society was set up in Indiana in the 1840s. Most of them were loosely connected to church principles, and all of them have endured in one shape or another. Perhaps their mission is different. One suspects traditions date back to ancient times.
Fairfield had several such clubs, including the racist Red Men, the Odd Fellows, the Pythias and the Masonic Lodge. Of that lot, the Masonic Lodge still holds a spot in New Fairfield. No idea what happened to the others. A Brookville newspaper in March 1854 published an article that reported the Odd Fellows Lodge was near completion and that the first floor was already being occupied. So, that place was about 120 years old at the end.
The Fairfield Masons were formed in 1849 and got a charter the following year. Their building on Main Street was one of the town's architectural 'icons,' if that's possible. The charter was relocated to New Fairfield in the early 1970s when a clubhouse was built there.
No real details other than what Reifel reported in the 1915 county history that gave promotional service to such clubs around the area. There were lots of such social groups, as well as their women's auxiliary clubs. The women were active in civic affairs and were notably present in raising money for the Red Cross during World War I.
Reifel says the Fairfield Masons had 39 members in 1915. It is probably more than that now. The Masons are quite popular, even after nearly 180 years in Fairfield.
A MOST PECULIAR ORGANIZATION IN BROOKVILLE BACK IN THE DAY
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The Lodge icon lamps were still attached to the building even as it was being demolished. |
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