Two Odd Fellows lodges operated in Brainerd at one time-- Wildey Lodge 37, instituted Dec. 5,1872 (chartered Oct. 5, 1874, and Evergreen Lodge 90. chartered Nov. 13, 1882.

P. H. Trudell was Noble Grand, W. M. Falconer, vicegrand, and J. C. Waller, secretary of Wildey Lodge; W. J. Haul, E. W. Kaley and Ezra Northfield served in those three offices in Evergreen Lodge. By the time the Wildey Lodge charter arrived, James Tewer was serving as Noble Grand, Trudell as vice grand, and A. A. Henderson as secretary.

On July 1, 1892, Articles of Incorporation were filed at the county courthouse forming the present Unity Lodge 194, merging the two Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodges. Taking offices then were R. H. Paine. Noble Grand; J. A. Jenkins, vice grand; and G. W. Stanton, secretary.

For many years, the organization met in the Iron Exchange building before purchasing land at 210 5. W. Fourth Street in 1964 and constructing a new temple.

One of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world, the IOOF was founded in England in the early part of the 16th century. International headquarters were later moved to Baltimore, Md.

The Lodge maintains a world eye bank and supports visual research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; it maintains a student loan program for college-bound young people; it sends over 1,000 high school students to the United Nations for study each summer; maintains homes for the aged throughout the world.

Odd Fellows and Rebekahs raise and administer over $4 million annually to those in distress. Minnesota lodges maintain a home for the elderly at Northfield and a youth camp for underprivileged at German lake.

REBEKAH LODGE

Florence Rebekah Lodge 111 was instituted Feb. 12, 1895, in Columbia Hall with 37 candidates. The name, "Florence." came from the Lodge's first Noble Grand, Florence Huntash.

In 1909, when the meeting hall was gutted by fire and all records lost, meetings were moved to the Newton Paine residence for a time. Next meeting place was the hall built by the Odd Fellows on South Sixth Street, then the Iron Exchange building, and finally, beginning in March of 1964, in the new temple on S. W. Fourth Street.

Several times, local officers have been in the Assembly: Hilda Hedlund, Edith Erickson, Lillian Brandt and Bernice Roberts, appointive officers; Edith Bentley, Anne Extrand, Blanche Sticha, Assembly presidents: Annie Tidrick, Association President Ladies Auxiliary Patriarchs Militant:Vesta Murrow, Eva Smith. Viola Nichols, other offices.