Secret Society Superfecta

This grave in Shelby County's Calvary Cemetery boasts not one, not two, but four fraternal organizations - The Freemasons, the Knights of Pythias, the Oddfellows, and the United Brothers of Friendship. What, no Loyal Order of Moose?

Three Ring Circus

Easily the most commonly encountered symbol of the International Order Of Oddfellows is the three connected loops forming a chain. This is usually known as the "Chain With Three Links" or the "Triple Links". Occasionally they are also seen accompanied by the letters FLT, which stand for Friendship, Love and Truth. Both examples seen here are taken from graves in Cave Hill.

There used to be a great old enormous triple mirror at Richmond's Glyndon Hotel designed like the Oddfellows rings, but I'm not sure if it's still there now that the place has been remodeled.


The Independent Order of Odd Fellows have three levels of Lodge: the Subordinate Lodge, the Encampment, and the Patriarchs Militant. In addition, there is a private club named the Ancient Mystic Order of Samaritans.

According to Wikipedia, fellowship in the IOOF entails, among other things:

An organization that favors no person for their wealth and frowns on none for their poverty.

An ideal that exists in the heart and mind of every genuine Odd Fellow or Rebekah.

Fulfilling a mission in the world which no other institution has successfully attempted.

A vitalizing, sympathetic, and actuating influence in the lives of all its real members.

A ministering spirit succoring the needy, cheering the despondent and protecting the helpless.

The handmaid of virtue and religion.

Founded on the inspired word of God as revealed to man in the Holy Bible.

Oddfellows Lodge #14

One of the sad truths about doing a website like Unusual Kentucky for years is that some of the places you write about end up ceasing to exist. The spooky old Madison County Oddfellows lodge hall is one of those unfortunate casualties. For over a century it set a suitably ominous tone for the area, even after its street-level floor became a "party shop" in the 1980s.



What originally brought the creepy old edifice to Unusual Kentucky's attention, however, was a square stone box, looking almost like a gravestone. It was dated 1902 and was stashed under the side stairwell. Some speculated it contained human bones for some sort of quasi-Masonic ritual, while others said it was a simply an old keystone.



The latter is the most likely explanation, but we may never know for sure because the stone, the stairwell, and the whole damn building are now gone. Further proof that the power to make drastic changes to a city is usually in the hands of the worst possible people to wield it.