Welcome to Odd Towson, the Buang Biker™ Zone’s newest feature.
These posts will highlight interesting finds during my travels in the greater Towson metropolitan area. The “oddities” may consist of objects or features that are easily overlooked, of historical interest, or just plain out of place in this day and age. We begin, appropriately enough, with a look at Towson’s Odd Fellows.
Their headquarters overlooks the heart of downtown Towson, just south of the traffic oval. At street level there’s little to catch one’s attention during a typical day’s hustle and bustle. But look up and you will see the heart in hand that vaguely reminds one of the crazed magic man in Indiana Jones II. The all-seeing eternally vigilant eye ever watches o’er Towson’s constant metamorphosis.
In reality, there’s nothing so sinister about the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Towson Lodge #79. The chain links represent friendship, love, and truth. The Heart in Hand is a symbol of charity. The Eye of Providence symbolizes God watching over humanity.
In the days before Big Government, private organizations took on some of the social netting the government now provides. More background on Odd Fellows can be found on their website.
In the case of the Towson Lodge, famous local war hero General Nathan Towson was asked to be a foundong member. However, like Free Masons, Odd Fellows and Catholicism don’t co-exist well.