New Odd Fellows Hall (I

7

(Photo by Richard F. Hope)

New Odd Fellows’ Hall (I.O.O.F. Building) (516-22 Northampton Street, now Nurture Nature Center and Elaine Zelker Photography)

3-story brick, with stone façade. The current real estate parcel has a frontage of 54’ on Northampton Street.

The property is apparently part of original town Lot No.249 as surveyed by William Parsons when Easton was established in 1752.[1] That Lot was one of three sold to Michael Opp Jr. by the Penn Family in 1800.[2] Opp subdivided his property, selling Lot 249 and an eastern strip of Lot No.245 to Jacob C. Welper in 1809 for $1600. Welper was identified as a “Laborer” by occupation.[3] Welper subdivided his property, selling a 30’ eastern strip of Lot No.249 to Abraham Horn Jr. in 1812,[4] and purchasing it back again two years later.[5]

Colonel Christian Jacob Hütter

In 1828, Welper sold his combined property for $2,200 to Christian Jacob Hütter.[6] Hütter, born into a German Moravian family,[7] received a “liberal education in the dead and modern languages and a few years training in the Counting house of his father, in Amsterdam” before immigrated to America “in his 19th year” (i.e. at age 18).[8] He had disagreements with the Moravian authorities in Bethlehem, and left for Philadelphia with a wife whom the Moravians considered unruly. In Philadelphia, he became a bookseller, ultimately moving to Lancaster. Hütter became probably the largest German language bookseller in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the 19th Century.[9] However, the “vocation to which he was most attached was that of a Newspaper editor”.[10] He was also, for nearly 40 years, an editor of newspapers in Pennsylvania, starting with the Correspondent in Lancaster (in 1799-1803).[11] In connection with a move to Easton (probably caused by his marriage to an Easton woman as his second wife),[12] Hütter started the Northampton Correspondent newspaper in 1806. The two “Correspondent” newspapers later caused confusion as to the Easton newspaper’s establishment date, resulting in a mistaken “100th anniversary” celebration at that paper in 1900.[13] He also began the Easton Centinel in 1817 as the English language edition of the Northampton Correspondent. It “consequently promulgated the principles of Jeffersonian Democracy.”[14]

Hütter continued his bookselling business while in Easton. In addition, he sold pharmaceuticals in conjunction with his book-selling business, which was a common practice at that time.[15] In Easton, he became a politician as well as a publisher and businessman. In 1814 (during the War of 1812), Hütter helped raise the 97th Regiment and expected to receive command.[16] Although he held the nominal rank of Colonel in that Regiment,[17] when the troops were sent to join the army, Abraham Horn (who had been elected Captain of the company raised in Easton[18]) became the Colonel.[19] The war ended before that company was ever required to fight.[20] Although disappointed, Hütter nevertheless volunteered for the army as a private, and was then appointed a Colonel from the ranks.[21] He was known as Col. Hütter thereafter.[22]

In 1821, Hütter faced “financial embarrassments”, said to have resulted from a failure to collect receivables. He transferred control of the Easton Centinel and Northampton Correspondent newspapers to his twin sons, Henry August Hütter and Frederich William Hütter.[23] He was elected to the Pennsylvania legislature in 1823-24, “where he earnestly opposed the prosecution of our system of public improvements, unless the means were provided by taxation, as the work progressed. Time has shewn the prophetic wisdom of himself and the few who stood with him.”[24]

Unfortunately, both of Hütter’s twin sons died in 1824,[25] and Col. Hütter apparently returned from the legislature to resume control of the newspapers, with the aid of his son-in-law, Frederick William Muller.[26] Hütter also directed his “energy and aid” towards building St. John’s Lutheran Church on Ferry Street, where his help was considered “instrumental”.[27] That church was consecrated on 1 January 1832.[28]

As of 23 August 1833, Hütter made his son-in-law, Frederich William Muller, publisher of the Easton Centinel. On 21 February 1834, Muller changed the spelling of the newspaper’s name to the Sentinel.[29] In 1839, Hütter sold both his Easton newspapers to Abraham Henry Senseman, and retired.[30] He died at age 78 in 1849.[31]

After his retirement, in 1842, Col. Hütter apparently encountered financial troubles, and voluntarily assigned real estate to two prominent Easton citizens as trustees for the benefit of creditors.[32] These trustees sold off the property in pieces. In 1845, the trustees sold the greater part of Lot No.249 (with the same 54’ of frontage on Northampton Street as the modern I.O.O.F. Building property) to William L. Sebring. The property included a “Brick-Cottage” at that time.[33] It appears from tax records that this house had probably been Col. Hütter’s residence, a three-story brick house.[34]

Sebring

In 1873, William L. Sebring’s residence was located at 190 Northampton Street, under the street numbering scheme in effect at that time.[35] With the inauguration of the modern street numbering scheme, the Hon. W.L. Sebring’s residence was assigned the address of 518 Northampton Street.[36]

518 Northampton Street became the site of the Cottage Hotel (1876-83) and Cottage Garden Hotel (1883-96).[37]

·  In the 1890s, the site was also the location of a fruit stand run by Luige Caramella (also spelled Carramella).[38] A prominent member of Easton’s Italian community later remembered that “Luie Caravella who operated a peanut stand” in this block provided competition to Easton’s first Italian resident, who had a peanut stand at the SE corner of Northampton and 4th Street.[39]

In approximately 1903, the building on this site became the headquarters of the Jacksonian Democratic Association.[40]

Odd Fellows and Beyond

The Jackson Democratic Association’s building was replaced by the current International Order of Odd Fellows (“I.O.O.F.”) Building.[41] It was originally built in 1914[42] as the “New” Odd Fellows Hall. It included The Strand movie theater on main floor (opened 1915, closed in 1939).[43] The second floor (club-rooms and reading rooms) became the first radio studio of WEST when it began broadcasting on 17 Feb. 1936, until it moved 1 block away to its present location in 1963.[44]

The I.O.O.F. Building was sold to Veterans of Foreign Wars (“VFW”) circa 1937, and became VFW Post 1290.[45]

The building was renovated by Koehler-Kheel Realty in 2006. Its plan was initially to make the building into an Easton Arts and Cultural Center.[46] However, in 2011 the Nurture Nature Foundation established its Center in the building to offer “community education programs on flooding and water use.”[47] This included a rare, NOAA-funded spherical projection screen on which world-shaped and three-dimensional programs can be shown.[48]

[1] Compare A.D. Chidsey, Jr., The Penn Patents in the Forks of the Delaware Plan of Easton, Map 2 (Vol. II of Publications of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society 1937) with Northampton County Tax Records map, www.ncpub.org, and see www.WalkingEaston.com discussion of the Northampton Street frontage of the surrounding properties.

Chidsey’s Penn Patents map (cited above) shows Lot No.247 at the SW corner of Northampton and 5th (Juliana) Streets, with a 60’ frontage on Northampton Street. Today, the parcel at that corner (the Boyer Building at 502-06 Northampton Street) has a frontage of 35.5’, which combines with the property next door at 506 Northampton Street to make a combined frontage of 60’ – the same as the original town Lot. Accordingly, the next two properties of 508-10 and 512-14 Northampton Street (each with a 30’ frontage on Northampton Street) combine to make up the 60’ of the next original town Lot No.248. That means that the next modern property (the I.O.O.F. Building at 516-22 Northampton Street) occupies the eastern portion of original town Lot No.249. Since the modern I.O.O.F. Building property occupies a frontage of 54’ – out of the 60’ frontage that Chidsey shows for the original town Lot No.249.

[2] Deed, John and Richard Penn to Michael Opp Jr., F2 328 (2 Apr. 1800)(sale price £75 for original town Lot Nos.245, 248 and 249). These are the three contiguous, interior original Lots from the five that were originally established in this block of Northampton Street. See A.D. Chidsey, Jr., The Penn Patents in the Forks of the Delaware Plan of Easton, Map 2 (Vol. II of Publications of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society 1937).

[3] Deed, Michael Opp Jr. to Jacob C. Welper, E3 326 (27 Dec. 1809). The property sold measured 97’ (on Northampton Street) X 220’ deep, and specified that the other part of Lot No.245 lay to the West, while Lot No.248 lay to the East. While some lot numbers were consecutive, a glitch in the numbering scheme at this point made Lot Nos.245 and 248 contiguous. In this case, Lot No.249 had a 67’ frontage on Northampton Street, and the remaining 30’ frontage of Lot No.245 (after deducting the 30’ that Opp previously sold to Köhler) leaves a total of 97’ along Northampton Street, which is consistent with the property description in the deed to Jacob Welper. See A.D. Chidsey, Jr., The Penn Patents in the Forks of the Delaware Plan of Easton, Map 2 (Vol. II of Publications of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society 1937).

[4] Deed, Jacob C. (Elizabeth) Welper to Abraham Horn Jr., H3 34 (6 Apr. 1812).

[5] Deed, Abraham (Elizabeth) Horn Jr. to Jacob C. Welper, A4 163 (2 Sept. 1814)(sale price $1,000) for 30’ X 220’, part of original town Lot No.249 with the rest of that Lot lying to the West).

[6] Deed, Jacob C. (Elizabeth) Welper to Christian Jacob Hutter, D5 381 (9 Feb. 1828)(sale price $2,200, includes Lot No.249 and part of Lot No.245, with the other part of Lot No.245 to the West). Lot No.249 was contiguous to the East of Lot No.245. A.D. Chidsey, Jr., The Penn Patents in the Forks of the Delaware Plan of Easton, Map 2 (Vol. II of Publications of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society 1937).

[7] Dr. Hermann Wellenreuther (University of Göttingen), Lecture on Christian J. Hütter (Bachmann House (Easton): sponsored by Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 7 May 2010).

[8] Obituary, “[Christian Jacob Hütter]”, Democrat & Argus, 18 Jan. 1849, p.2, col.6.

[9] Dr. Hermann Wellenreuther (University of Göttingen), Lecture on Christian J. Hütter (Bachmann House (Easton): sponsored by Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 7 May 2010).

[10] Obituary, “[Christian Jacob Hütter]”, Democrat & Argus, 18 Jan. 1849, p.2, col.6.

[11] Editorial, Easton Sentinel, Friday, 24 May 1839, p.2, col.1; Alfred Lewis Shoemaker, A Check List of Imprints of the German Press of Northampton County Pennsylvania, 1766 – 1905, with Biographies of the Printers 23 (Vol. IV in the publications of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 1943).

[12] Dr. Hermann Wellenreuther (University of Göttingen), Lecture on Christian J. Hütter (Bachmann House (Easton): sponsored by Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 7 May 2010).

[13] Editorial, Easton Sentinel, Friday, 24 May 1839, p.2, col.1; Alfred Lewis Shoemaker, A Check List of Imprints of the German Press of Northampton County Pennsylvania, 1766 – 1905, with Biographies of the Printers 23 (Vol. IV in the publications of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 1943); see also Article, “The Argus”, Easton Argus, Wednesday, 17 March 1875, p.3, col.1 (distinguishing Christian J. Hutter from Col. William B. Hutter, publisher of The Argus).

[14] Frank Reeder (compiler), Record of the Family and Descendants of Colonel Christian Jacob Hutter of Easton, Penn’a 1771-1907 3 (Easton Sentinel 1907); see Editorial, Easton Sentinel, Friday, 24 May 1839, p.2, col.1; Alfred Lewis Shoemaker, A Check List of Imprints of the German Press of Northampton County Pennsylvania, 1766 – 1905, with Biographies of the Printers 23 (Vol. IV in the publications of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 1943); see also Article, “The Argus”, Easton Argus, Wednesday, 17 March 1875, p.3, col.1 (distinguishing Christian J. Hutter from Col. William B. Hutter, publisher of The Argus).

[15] Dr. Hermann Wellenreuther (University of Göttingen), Lecture on Christian J. Hütter (Bachmann House (Easton): sponsored by Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 7 May 2010); see also Tax Records for Borough of Easton, Lehigh Ward, 1837 and 1838 (located in the Northampton County Archives), listing the occupation of “J. Christian Hutter” as “Bookstore”. For 1839 and 1840, “Christian J. Hutter” is listed as a “Printer”, and in 1841 and 1842 he is listed as a “Gentleman”.

[16] Obituary, “[Christian Jacob Hütter]”, Democrat & Argus, 18 Jan. 1849, p.2, col.6.

[17] Obituary, “[Christian Jacob Hütter]”, Democrat & Argus, 18 Jan. 1849, p.2, col.6.

[18] Rev. Uzal W. Condit, History of Easton, Penn’a 201-02 (George W. West 1885 / 1889).

[19] See Easton Area Public Library, “Easton Flag”, www.eastonpl.org/EastonFlag.htm (accessed 8 Nov. 2010). See generally separate www.WalkingEaston.com entry for St. John’s Lutheran Church at 330 Ferry Street.

[20] Rev. Uzal W. Condit, History of Easton, Penn’a 202 (George W. West 1885 / 1889).

[21] Obituary, “[Christian Jacob Hütter]”, Democrat & Argus, 18 Jan. 1849, p.2, col.6; see Frank Reeder (compiler), Record of the Family and Descendants of Colonel Christian Jacob Hutter of Easton, Penn’a 1771-1907 5 (Easton Sentinel 1907)(Lt. Colonel of militia in War of 1812).

[22] Obituary, “[Christian Jacob Hütter]”, Democrat & Argus, 18 Jan. 1849, p.2, col.6.

[23] Frank Reeder (compiler), Record of the Family and Descendants of Colonel Christian Jacob Hutter of Easton, Penn’a 1771-1907 3 (Easton Sentinel 1907); William J. Heller, I History of Northampton County and The Grand Valley of the Lehigh 291, 292 (Boston [Etc.]: The American Historial Society 1920).

[24] Obituary, “[Christian Jacob Hütter]”, Democrat & Argus, 18 Jan. 1849, p.2, col.6.

[25] Henry August Hütter died on 1 March 1824, and Frederich William Hütter died on 21 December 1824. Reeder, Record of the Family and Descendants, supra at 3. The twins were Hütter’s third and fourth sons by age. Id. at 16.

[26] Contra, William J. Heller, I History of Northampton County and The Grand Valley of the Lehigh 292 (Boston [Etc.]: The American Historial Society 1920), which states that his son-in-law, Frederick William Muller, became the publisher upon the death of Hütter’s sons, and the spelling of the name was changed at that time. This appears to be incorrect, in light of Frank Reeder’s more exact dating of these developments (see below). However, historian Heller (at 291) does indicate that the Northampton Correspondent was “continued” by Col. Hütter and Muller. It would appear that this pattern probably was in effect for both newspapers.