The I.O.O.F. Hall

The I.O.O.F. Hall was built for the “Widow Balzar” back in 1859. Originally a three-story structure, the widow operated a hotel on the first two levels, while a dance hall occupied the top floor. The “Balzar House” was never much of a success, and in 1870 she sold the building to Joseph Whiteside, who turned the building into an opera house. Whiteside met with about the same measure of success as the widow Balzar, and eventually sold the building to the Odd Fellows in the late 1880’s. They dedicated the building as their meeting place in April of 1889 and removed the top floor the following year.