The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), a secret fraternal, benefit society, evolved in England during the eighteenth century. By most accounts, the origin of the name Odd Fellows cannot be traced. Thomas Wildey is considered to have been the founder of the society in America, established at Baltimore in 1819. However, other lodges are known to have existed before Wildey came to the United States. Lodges were established in North Carolina at least as early as 1842.

Historically, the individual lodges of I.O.O.F. have served as both social and relief organizations. The primary tenants held by Odd Fellows have been summarized as friendship, love, and truth. The duties expected of Odd Fellows have been to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead, and educate the orphan.

Additionally, during the nineteenth century, some lodges provided a forum for justice. Charges of unacceptable and unbecoming conduct brought against a member by the lodge or by an individual were tried by committee. The consequences of sustained charges might mean expulsion and the loss of relief benefits.

Today the I.O.O.F. emphasizes charitable projects, with goals related to its original injunctions, including relief of the distressed. Collectively, the group maintains a chair of eye research in the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Currently the international headquarters are in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. By the latter part of the twentieth century, the order had a world-wide membership of over one million.