History of the Encampment In West Virginia

Wheeling is the birthplace of the Encampment Branch of Odd Fellowship for both the jurisdictions of Virginia and West Virginia.

THE GRAND ENCAMPMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA

A short history prepared for the ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY

held at Wheeling, June 19, 1965, by R.L. Cooper, PGP 

at the request of Grand Patriarch, George W. Sharps. 

Revised and corrected in 2026 by John R. Bailey, Grand High Priest.

On October 6, 1835, during the session of the Grand Lodge of the United States, in Baltimore, Maryland, Deputy Grand Sire Robert Neilson presented a petition for a Grand Encampment, to be located at Wheeling, Virginia.  The petition was signed by seven brothers, Thomas B. Edmondson, Peter W. Kennedy, James H. White, Robert L. Holmes, George Orr, Frederick A. Wendelohr, and James H. Curran.  The request was not granted, but the following resolution was passed - “Resolved: that the petitioners be granted a charter for a subordinate Encampment, to be opened in Wheeling, and called Abrams Encampment No. 1 of Virginia.”  On January 11, 1836, Abrams Encampment No. 1 was instituted at Wheeling, Virginia.  This was the beginning of Encampment Odd Fellowship in Virginia, and what is now West Virginia.  The names of the instituting officers are not known, as the old records are very sketchy at times.

Abrams No. 1 was soon followed by Nielson No. 2 at Richmond; Wildey No. 3, at Hampton; Jerusalem No. 4, at Norfolk; Widow’s Friend No. 5, at Winchester; Glaziers No. 6, at Petersburg; Virginia No. 7, at Lynchburg; Damascus No. 8, at Smithfield; and Salem No. 9, at Hampton.  These Encampments remained under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the United States until 1842, when a charter was granted for a Grand Encampment of Virginia.

Under the Grand Encampment of Virginia, the following Encampments were instituted in what is now West Virginia: Jefferson Encampment No. 13 at Harper’s Ferry, October 15, 1847 with these officers: George Dugan, CP; Sam McWilliams, HP; John Llewellen, SW; Joe R. White, Scribe; H. L. Clowe, Treasurer; and John P. Folk, JW.

Paran Encampment No. 19, Parkersburg, instituted December 14, 1848.  Officers: R. W. Dickson, CP; P. G. VanWinkle, HP; Jacob Cline, SW; H. A. Sawtell, Scribe; John Mather, Treasurer; and Ashbel Shepard, JW.

Eumenia Encampment No. 20, Clarksburg, instituted September 10, 1849. Charter members were Albert A. Somerville, A. C. Smith, Luther Haymond, Cyrus Vance, James M. Jackson, G. G. Dangson, John Edmundson, Cruger W. Smith, and Edward J. Link.

Mountain City Encampment No. 26, Fairmont, was instituted April 12, 1851.  The officers were: F. C. Pitcher, CP; Thomas G. Steele, HP; E. B. Hall, Scribe; L. H. Pierpont, SW; H. Fleming, Treasurer; and J. C. Pitcher, JW.

Valley Encampment No. 30, Shepherdstown, was instituted September 17, 1853.  The officers were: John D. Salary, CP; D. W. Cameron, HP; T. Johnson, SW; Thomas H. Turner, Scribe; Abraham Harris, Treasurer; and T. R. Lewis, JW.

William Tell Encampment No. 34 was instituted at Wheeling, Virginia, January 15, 1855.  William Kinkle and eleven others withdrawing from Abrams No. 1 to form this Encampment to work in the German language.  The first officers were: John Parr, CP; John Hoffman, HP; William Kinkle, SW; other officers not known.  Other members were George Muller, Jacob Bergen, Christ Wildy, H. Heim, Jacob Kallenbarger, John Weisgarber, August Goizr, H. Bahre, and F. Muller.

Walford Encampment No. 36 was instituted at Wellsburg, August 23, 1859.  The charter members were Alex Lattimer, O. W. Longfitt, John D. Brown, John D. Nicholls, James M. Duvall, Jos. R. Naylor, and Richard T. Roberts.  Walford No. 36 was the last Encampment instituted in Virginia before the War between the States struck the nation in 1861.

The war gave emphasis to several significant characteristics of Odd Fellowship.  Friendship, Love, and Truth, Faith, Hope, and Charity were not “unmeaning” words on the lips of Odd Fellows of that day.  In reading the reports of the Grand Lodge of the United States for the period of the war years, one finds no accusations, no revilings or recriminations against the Brethren not present.  Each year thirty seats were held vacant in the names of the Grand Bodies of the Southern States.

Robert G. Boylston of South Carolina had been elected Grand Sire at the Grand Lodge of the United States in 1860.  The records of the 1861 session show that he being unable to be present, Deputy Grand Sire Milton Herndon presided.  In his opening address to the Grand Body, he commented very briefly on “the unhappy condition of the country.”

On many occasions Union soldiers saved the books and regalia of Odd Fellows Lodges in war torn cities.  Lt. J. H. Chase, of the 3rd New York regiment, secured the books and regalia of St. Patrick’s Lodge No. 15 and Encampment No. 27 of Hampton, Virginia, and sent them to the Grand Lodge of the United States.  A resolution was adopted that “the books be retained in possession of the R. W. Grand Secretary until called for by the Grand Lodge of Virginia.”  This is just one of many such incidents.

At the 1863 session of the Grand Lodge of the United States, a petition was presented asking for the formation of a Grand Encampment of West Virginia, but the request was not granted, first, because such action might prejudice the Jurisdiction of Virginia against the Grand Lodge of the United States, and secondly, because the Constitutionality of the Act creating the State of West Virginia was being questioned.  The Lodges and Encampments of West Virginia were left under the supervision of the M. W. Grand Sire and his special District Deputy.

The Civil War ended April 9, 1865, and almost immediately the Odd Fellows began the task of reconstruction of the Order.  In June of 1865 a warrant was issued for Liberty Lodge at Hartford, West Virginia.

The Grand Lodge of Virginia met in Richmond in July and elected representatives to the Grand Lodge of the United States, and on August 18, the Grand Encampment met and elected representatives.

When the Grand Lodge of the United States met in New York on September 18, 1865, representatives of all the Southern Jurisdictions attended and occupied the seats that had been reserved for them during the war years.  Their taxes for the years 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1864 were remitted, and credit was extended for supplies for the year 1865.  M. W. Grand Sire Isaac W. Veitch praised Past Grand Master Steele for the fine manner in which he had administered the affairs of the Lodges and Encampments of West Virginia, and he reminded the Grand Body that a petition had asked for a Grand Lodge and Grand Encampment in West Virginia in 1863.

On September 23, 1865, the Charter of the Grand Encampment of West Virginia was granted.  The Convention preliminary to the institution was held in the Odd Fellows Hall in Wheeling, December 5, 1865, with Special Deputy Grand Sire Thomas G. Steele presiding.  The following Officers were elected: Thomas G. Steele, GP; Joseph Tolliver, GHP; William Shaw, GSW; William W. Blanchard, Grand Scribe; Richard T. Roberts, Grand Treasurer; and William Taylor, GJW.  The Constitution and By-Laws of the Grand Encampment of Virginia were adopted, adding the word “West” where necessary.

These Encampments were placed under the jurisdiction of the new Grand Encampment, and except for Abrams No. 1, their numbers were changed.  Jefferson Encampment No. 13 became No. 2; Paran No. 19 became No. 3; Eumenia No. 20 became No. 4; Mountain City, No. 26 became No. 5; Valley No. 30 became No. 6; William Tell, No. 34 became No. 7; and Walford, No. 36 became No. 8.  Three of these Encampments are still alive and functioning; No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, but the others have, for one reason or other, ceased to exist.