You are now standing in the heart of what was Oxford’s African American neighborhood. Residents referred to the area as “Down Town.” Throughout much of the last century, Oxford was a peaceful but segregated community. The entire area behind the Strand from Morris Street to Town Creek, was a vital and self-contained neighborhood of Black families. The residents had their own markets, school, barber and beauty shops, taverns, churches, pool hall, and gathering places.
According to a current Black resident, “Tilghman Street was all black, and around Mill Street was some and Norton Street and Stewart Avenue...there was a lot of black people, but they all are, now passed away. So, it’s just a few now. There was a lot of them (black people) here when I was young, of course. I mean the people that worked in the oyster house in the wintertime, worked in the crab house in the summertime... those that could so because there wasn’t much else around here to do.”
This impressive red structure, with its distinctive pressed tin siding and cupola, was built in the eighteen nineties as the Odd Fellows Lodge. The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons are America’s two oldest fraternal orders. The Odd Fellows organized their first lodge in 1843 in New York. Fraternal orders provided their member's prestige and special standing in the community, plus services such as burial insurance, and support for the needy. They were also self-help groups which emphasized thrift, industry, and morality and provided a training ground for leadership. During the era of racial segregation, these organizations were an environment where Black members could actively use their talents and abilities.
Oxford’s Black families gathered here for many occasions, including fried oyster suppers provided by packing house operators for their African American employees. The hall was frequently decorated with bunting and set up with plank and sawhorse tables for serving free food and refreshments. Small orchestras and jazz bands were hired to provide dance music well into the night. To quote Fats Waller: the joint was jumpin'.
Since the Odd Fellows left in the early 20th century, the building has housed various businesses on the ground floor, and apartments above. Currently, young crewmembers from Oxford’s Coast Guard station live above an antique store. How times have changed.
