@stluke-oddfellows
The Friends of St. Luke, Odd Fellows & Household of Ruth preserves contextual history of the last structure from historic segregated Blacksburg neighborhood. We honor the community & its mutual aid societies through education, engagement & preservation.
Students at Gilbert Linkous & Margaret Beeks wowed us with their knowledge of Maggie L. Walker—first Black woman to found/run a VA bank. 200+ kids reached; goal: 600. Help us share local public history & our community legacy. friendsofstlukeoddfellows.org
Our nonprofit proudly backs “Friends of History” by the Virginia Tech Department of History—mentorship, internships, and museum collaboration that strengthen public history. Join as a Friend with $50!
givingday.vt.edu/giving-day/1...
Select funds in image!
As we say goodnight, a reminder that from lifesaving research to community care, Black innovators have shaped public health at every turn.
We honor their brilliance, resilience, and impact. Black history is American history. Just a few public health heroes below.
Happy Black History Month!
❤️🖤💚
It is inspiring to see students at Margaret Beeks Elementary School learning about Maggie L. Walker at such an early age and connecting her story to ideas of savings, self-reliance, and community care.
www.facebook.com/615506930419...?
🎉 We just hit 100 followers on FB! 🎉 Grateful for the support as we preserve the history of the 1905–06 Hall, honor the region’s hidden history, and share the stories of the people who called it home. 💛
#publichistory #blacksburgvirginia #historicpreservation
Because free Black people were legally required to register, these tax records often serve as surrogate censuses or registers that pre-date consistent federal censuses or vital records. This makes them powerful tools for genealogy & local history.
rosetta.virginiamemory.com/delivery/Del...
This is a concern, & we hope the two security cameras will deter vandalism at this heritage site, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Given high volume daily foot traffic past a site that is rarely open to the public, the potential for vandalism or worse, remains real risk.
During this period, New Town served as a cut-through from Giles Road to Peppers Ferry Road (now Turner Street), used by travelers on foot, horseback, wagon, and early automobiles, with an alternate turn onto Main Street.
In 1921, New Town was under 50 years old; its Hall (1905–06) not yet 16, as Blacksburg neared 125. A segregated Black neighborhood, residents built community amid Jim Crow racism imposed by Virginia’s 1902 Constitution.
Curious minds welcome: Victoria and Dean Ferguson’s presentations draw you in, and you’ll leave with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the stories they share.
Alvin Duval Lester, raised in Christiansburg, photographed Richmond’s Jackson Ward. His work is on view at VMFA through March 30, 2026. The Lester family includes free Black Virginians, including Revolutionary War soldier Luke Valentine. gatheringafricanamericanpast.org/2025/12/18/a...
Sources on the life and legacy of Maggie Lena Walker are gathered in one place, making it easy for readers to explore and learn: friendsofstlukeoddfellows.org/2025/12/17/m...
Sources on the life and legacy of Maggie Lena Walker are gathered in one place, making it easy for readers to explore and learn:
friendsofstlukeoddfellows.org/2025/12/17/m...
AMERICAN MASTERS: Maggie Lena Walker Civil rights leader and entrepreneur, Walker led a Richmond streetcar boycott decades before Montgomery and became the first Black woman bank president. Premiered March 18, 2020. AMERICAN MASTERS: www.pbs.org/video/civil-...
Maggie L. Walker’s leadership in the St. Luke Order and her bank inspired Black communities across Virginia, including Blacksburg, promoting economic independence, civic engagement, and generational empowerment. www.womenshistory.org/education-re...
"Virginia will now be properly represented by an actual patriot, who embodied the principle of liberty and justice for all and not a traitor, who took up arms against the United States to preserve the brutal institution of chattel slavery." -- @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social apnews.com/video/us-cap...
Thanks for introducing the Auburn Avenue Lodge. This video is so inspiring to learn more about our Blacksburg’s Lodge, Tadmore Light no 6184.
youtu.be/0JBligTgI-g
Certificate of endowment for the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows
Certificate of endowment for the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2011.89.8ab
1979 photo of the abandoned Odd Fellows Lodge on White Ground. It looks like one of the farmhouses common in the area, three across with a central roof gable, and an ell off the back.
The US had 2 Odd Fellows orders:
-Independent Order of Odd Fellows [white] - eg, Poolesville
-Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America [Black] - eg, Boyds
The Golden Crown Lodge #8779 & Isabella Household of Ruth #4467, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, bought this property in January 1918.
The Odd Fellows Building of #AuburnAvenue in Atlanta, Georgia, is a historic building built in 1912 and 1913. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and is still in use to this day. #AuburnAve #blackhistory #SweetAuburn
Points of Light Radio fellowships with Demetrius Feaster. He’s a member of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JBl...
Albumen print of mebers of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows
Albumen print of mebers of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2011.89.6
Trophy cup given by the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows
Trophy cup given by the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2011.89.1
Blacksburg’s Tadmore Light Lodge No. 6184 predates Council No. 10461 by several years, as reflected in the lodge numbers.
1907–08 photo of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Sub-Committee of Management and Counsel. Leaders from across the country are pictured. Blacksburg’s council was the Tadmore Light Lodge No. 6184 (1904), two years after St Luke council (Aug 1902).
When frontage is calculated, only qualifying parcels have minimal connection to Hall. The only contiguous 300 ft stretch runs north of El Rodeo to south of closed restaurant. Gilbert St intersects the Wendy’s & El Rodeo parcels. The town included the Hall, but the inclusion was ultimately illusory.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
Maggie L. Walker installed the St. Francis #235 Circle of the Independent Order of St. Luke in Blacksburg in Aug 1902—just a month after Virginia’s voter-suppression laws. @MaggieWalkerNPS reminds us how important this local history is. Our nonprofit is working to bring it forward.
