 In 1819, the first United States lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was established in Baltimore at the Seven Stars Tavern.The organization grew rapidly and on January 15, 1830, the Grand Lodge of Maryland unanimously resolved to "procur[e] a suitable lot of ground, in some central part of the city...to build an Odd Fellow's hall".Soon thereafter, the trustees of the Grand Lodge purchased a plot of land on North Gay Street in Baltimore.