Fraternal Organizations
There was a large growth of fraternal organizations in the United States during the latter part of the 19th Century and Fox Hill was no exception to this growth. Several of the orders represented were Red Men, Odd Fellows, Woodmen, Sons of Temperance, Rebekahs and Degree of Pocahontas.
The Red Men's hall was located next to the soda shop in the 600 block of
Beach Road. The Order of
Red Men was founded in 1765 and was originally known as the Sons of Liberty.
On December 16, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty
met in Boston to protest the tax on tea imposed by England.
When their protest went unheeded, they disguised themselves as Indians
and proceeded to have a "tea party" by dumping chests of tea overboard
into Boston harbor. The
organization was patterned after the great Iroquois Indian Confederacy.
The name change came after the American Revolution, and in 1834, it
became the Improved Order of the Red Men. Today,
their basic goals still remain, love and respect of the American flag and
upholding the principle of free government and the democratic way of life.
The Degree of Pocahontas, Women's Auxiliary Order of Red Men met
here as well. The lodge was
Tuscarora Tribe 70, Rip Raps, Virginia.
Tuscarora Ribbon
Some of the members include Benjamin Lee
Copeland, William Thomas Wyatt,
Other
organizations located in Fox Hill are the Sons of Temperance (1840)
in a large two story building at the corner of West Hall Road and Beach
Road. The
Sons of Temperance order was started in the 1840s and is now defunct. It
admitted both men and women and was dedicated to total abstinence and
temperance. Women's Christian Temperance Union
The Odd Fellows Bay View Lodge had a building at the corner of Beach Road and Pine Lane. Later, the building was converted into a residence. The Odd Fellows was established in 17th century England, where it was "odd" to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called "Odd Fellows". Odd Fellows are also known as "Three Link Fraternity" which stands for Friendship, Love and Truth. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was founded on the North American Continent in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 26, 1819. Odd Fellowship became the 1st national fraternity to include both men and women when it adopted the beautiful Rebekah Degree on September 20, 1851. This degree is founded on the principles of faithfulness, hospitality, purity and dedication to the principles of the Order as portrayed by women characters of the Holy Bible, and was written by the Honorable Schuyler Colfax who was Vice President of the United States during the period 1868-1873. Odd Fellows and Rebekahs were also the first fraternal organization to establish homes for senior members and orphaned children. Odd Fellows, recognizing the need for a woman's touch and her helpfulness in carrying out the principles of Odd Fellowship, brought into being the Rebekah degree, founded upon the principles of faithfulness, hospitality, purity and dedication to the principles of the Order as portrayed by women characters of the Bible.
I
AM AN ODD FELLOW:
I believe in the Fatherhood of God, and the Brotherhood of man.
I believe in Friendship, Love and Truth as basic guides to the ultimate destiny
of all mankind.
I believe my home, my church or
temple, my lodge, and my community deserve my best work, my modest pride, my
earnest faith, and my deepest loyalty, as I perform my duty "to visit the
sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan" and as
I work with others to build a better world, because, in spirit and in truth, I
am and must always be, grateful to my Creator, faithful to my country and
fraternal to my fellow-man;
I AM AN ODD FELLOW!
REBEKAH
CREED
I
AM A REBEKAH:
I
believe in the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of man, and the Sisterhood of
women.
I believe in the watch-words of our Order - Friendship, Love and Truth.
Friendship
- is like a golden chain that ties our hearts together. Love - is one of our
most precious gifts, the more you give, the more you receive. Truth - is the
standard by which we value people. It is the foundation of our society.
I
believe that my main concern should be my God, my family and my friends. Then I
should reach out to my community and the World, for in God's eyes we are all
brothers and sisters.
I AM A REBEKAH!
Other groups met in this same building, such as the Modern
Woodmen of America.
The original goal of the Woodmen was to accept responsibility for fellow
men and women and provided financial aid to their sick members or in death.
Today, Woodmen of the World has merged with Assured Life
Association and provides life insurance for their members.
The Fox Hill Women's Club on Edgewater
Road was active for many years. Now they have disbanded and their club
house has been converted to a residence.
The Women's Club donated the $26,600.00 from the sale of their club house
to start the Clark Cemetery Perpetual Care Association of Fox Hill, Inc.