Eye Witness

This All-Seeing Eye sign was discovered on the second floor of the Shepherdstown Market House/ Library, which once served as a meeting hall for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Caledonia Lodge No. 4. It now hangs above the window in the corridor of the second floor of the Museum.

Representing the watchful eye of God, it is a symbol used by Masonic and Odd Fellow organizations and even appears on the U.S. one-dollar bill. A similar eye can be seen above the front door of the Market House building.

In 1845, the Lodge built a second story on the market house for use as a meeting hall and received an optimistic 999-year lease. The organization flourished in Shepherdstown after the Civil War through the early 20thCentury.

In 1907 the U.S. Government awarded the Lodge $1,200, “in full compensation for the occupation, use, and incidental injury to the property of said lodge by United States military forces during the civil war.”

The Lodge disbanded in 1962 and the upstairs room became a part of the Library. The Library moved to Higbee Lane in July 2022, and the building now houses the Shepherdstown Visitors Center.