Repurposing the Odd Fellows Hall

Breathing new life into Winnett’s Odd Fellows Hall, a cadre of volunteers are helping revitalize a once vibrant part of town. The historic building, vacant since 1989, formerly served as the meeting place for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Rebekahs and Theta Rho Girls’ Club on the second floor, while housing various businesses over the years on the first floor. The first business was a pool hall, later a pharmacy and soda fountain, then more recently the home of Winnett’s once-popular Sugar Shack. The old building is experiencing a renaissance thanks to a renovation that is one step closer to reality thanks to the generosity of nearly 20 volunteers who have donated their time and talents, and even lent their construction equipment, toward building the physical foundation for the future of Odd Fellows Hall.

From scheduling and coordinating volunteer crews to digging the foundation, moving materials, shooting grades, hauling dirt, compacting soil, building concrete forms, tying rebar, pouring concrete footings, to forming and pouring concrete walls, to painting and backfilling and so many steps in-between, volunteers came out on windy and dry days, some over 100 degrees, and put in a total of over 245 hours of work.

Volunteers included Laura and Levi Nowlin, Laura and Orren Kiehl, Austin Kiehl, Jim and Diana Brady, Kevin Flint, Chris King, Mitch Thompson, Josh Hobbs, Jace Dunkel, Will Hollender, Lance Olson, Skip and Diane Ahlgren, and Caleb Hess. Tom Loomis lent his excavator to the cause. Lewistown Rental graciously comped the rental of the soil compactor. Levi Nowlin brought his backhoe and Jim and Diana Brady brought their dump truck, too. And a few landowners around town were willing to take fill from the site.

Matt Mikkelson and Cole Romans from Swank Enterprises were instrumental in helping the ACES Community Enhancement Committee pull off this volunteer-orchestrated construction project. The Committee has fund-raised with various raffles and events to help pull together the money to move Odd Fellows from its current site and to pay to build the foundation in addition to a generous donation from Larry and Kathi Carrell. From the Committee to the broader Community, laying the foundation for the future of the Odd Fellows Hall has been an effort made possible by many hands unified together to help make the community a better place – an echo of the spirit of the “Friendship, Love and Truth” motto of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which once filled the building.

The Community Enhancement Committee would like to extend a deep thank you to all who have helped bring this project one step closer to fruition by helping lay the foundation.

To stay up-to-date with project progress, be sure to follow Winnett Community Enhancement Committee on Facebook!

If would like to see a piece of Winnett’s history come back to life, please mail your donations to Winnett ACES, P.O. Box 118, Winnett, MT 59087. Please make checks payable to Winnett ACES with Oddfellows in memo line.