From collection Charles Coombs Collection
Keene, Webber, Greenlaw, Hansen & Cross
Odd Fellows (l-r) Keene (Odd Fellows' grand marshal William K. Keene), Webber, Greenlaw, Hansen & Cross on Dec. 15, 1893 in the Odd Fellows Hall. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is dedicated to furthering "Friendship, Love and Truth" this benevolent group had gotten its name because its original members were considered "odd" for pursuing the betterment of mankind in the seventeenth century. Remarkably, the Odd Fellows are still active worldwide today. Coombs' Waldo County chapter had been formed in 1878 and almost instantly betrayed its "friendship and love" mission by clashing with the existing Belfast chapter, but after a series of lawsuits Coombs' group emerged as the chapter of record. The largest fraternal order of the day, the Odd Fellows set about building a meeting house that matched their stature, and in 1889 they completed the Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street in Belfast. Four stories tall, 60 feet long and 104 feet deep, the building was the largest building in the city and boasted such amenities as steam heat and electric, lights, however the stub of a gas lamp fixture reveals that the Odd Fellows were not entirely reliant upon this new technology. Within their great hall (the first two floors were occupied by an apothecary, and lawyers' and physicians' offices), the Odd Fellows held meetings, lectures and celebrations.
