Ballard/Alki Homepage

1706 Northwest Market Street
Seattle, Washington 98107
Meeting nights 2nd and 4th Thursdays
of every month, 8:00 PM, upper hall

Welcome to the website for Ballard Alki Lodge #170 and the Ballard IOOF Hall. Whether you're interested in learning about the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, about the history of our lodge and hall, about renting our hall, about the different units of our Order that meet in our hall, or about joining the Odd Fellows, you've come to the right place. We welcome you in Friendship, Love and Truth!

Founded in England among working men sometime before 1650, and brought to the North American continent by Thomas Wildey in 1819, Odd Fellowship is one of the world's oldest voluntary societies for mutual aid, community betterment and personal growth. Lodges of the Odd Fellows meet today in 24 countries around the world.

The motto of the Order is "Friendship, Love, and Truth," and its objective is "To improve and elevate the character of man." The four traditional duties of an Odd Fellow are:

• to visit the sick,
• to relieve the distressed,
• to bury the dead, and
• to educate the orphan.

In carrying out this mission, Odd Fellows of an earlier time founded orphanages and retirement homes, established cemeteries, pooled their resources and established innovative mutual-aid programs to help members who fell on hard times. While many of these duties have since been taken over by government programs, the Odd Fellows of Washington - like those in many other jurusdictions - continue to operate one of the finest retirement and nursing homes in the country, and Odd Fellows are still always ready to help out a brother or sister in need.

The work of Odd Fellowship also includes traditional rituals of initiation, which teach the ethical lessons of the Order; a proud legacy of community service; and a lot of fun! All of this heritage is a living part of our lodge.

Membership in the Odd Fellows is open to men and women eighteen years of age or older who believe in a Supreme Being and are loyal to their country. We invite you to join with us!

We can be reached by mail at 1706 NW Market Street, Seattle WA 98107, by email at ioof170@ballardoddfellows.org, and by phone or fax at (206) 781-4610.