Creation of the Odeon

The Odd Fellows who built our Odeon (1863)

Before Dayton had much of anything official, it had neighbors who showed up. In 1863, the Odd Fellows—Dayton Lodge No. 5—put their money, muscle, and ideals into a brick hall on Pike Street. They called it the Odeon.

Upstairs was their meeting room, the Three Links on the wall: Friendship, Love, Truth. Downstairs? The saloon and billiards that kept the lights on. It wasn’t fancy social club stuff; it was a practical safety net in a boom-and-bust town. If a miner got hurt, they passed the hat and paid the doctor. If a family lost a breadwinner, they brought wood, food, and dignity. When someone passed, they made sure there was a proper burial. No press releases. Just work.

The Odeon quickly became Dayton’s common room: dances, talks, fundraisers, vows, farewells, the kind of life moments that stitch a town together. Those bricks weren’t only laid to keep the wind out; they were laid to keep people in each other’s corner.

So when you step through our doors today, you’re not just walking into a bar. You’re walking into a promise a handful of neighbors made to this place 160+ years ago: take care of one another, celebrate together, and leave Dayton a little better than you found it.

Friendship. Love. Truth. Still good rules to drink by.