East Liverpool Historical Society

We need help in identifying this Picture. We would like to locate where in East Liverpool the picture was taken and approx date when the picture was taken.

What we do know is it is a Chapter of The Independent Order of Rechabites, East Liverpool, Ohio Favorite Tent #175.

THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF RECHABITES

This men's secret fraternal order was founded in the United States in 1842 as spin-off society of the English Independent Order of Rechabites, which was organized in 1835. It was a total abstinence secret society which used a three degree form of ritual for its members. Organized in "tents" (lodges), the Rechabites took their name and ritual from the Holy Bible, in which Jeremiah the prophet described the Rechabites who abstained from wine and lived in tents.

A separate organization, the United Daughters of Rechab, was established for women. The Independent Order of Rechabites' "High Tent" or grand lodge was based in Washington, DC. Both orders are defunct.

UPDATE

December 16, 2010

One of the two mysteries about the "Mystery Picture" has been solved thanks to ELHS President Timothy Brookes. The location of the picture is Broadway and Kossuth (modern E. 5th Street). The pottery in the background was The Union Cooperative Pottery Co. at the corner of Kossuth and Walnut. The site is currently occupied by the arcade building which was built in 1912. The Union Coop was there from 1894 to 1900.

Directly behind the group in the picture is a lumber yard which was at a later time in the 1900s where Hays oil Company had a service station and now is the parking lot for the Museum of Ceramics.

The only remaining mystery would be the exact date of the picture which appears to have been in the 1800s. This much can be offered. The group was founded in the US in 1842 and was never all that large an organization in this country. There doesn't seem to be any solid information when they ceased to exist in the US. The picture had to have been taken while that pottery building was still intact, before it was torn down to make room for the construction of the arcade. It must be noted that in the picture there is no sign giving the pottery name yet such a sign is present on the building in the picture from the booklet "Illustrated East Liverpool, Ohio, 1899".

The boolet that led to solving the "where" part of the mystery.

From page 35 of that booklet. Notice that the pottery name has been painted on the building but no evidence of such on the same pottery in "Mystery Picture". That may indicate a much earlier picture of the pottery in the "Mystery Picture".

The arcade on the southwest corner of E. 5th and Walnut sometime after 1912. Directly across E.5th Street to the right of the arcade you can see another building from the "Mystery Picture". Those buildings would in time be demolished to make room for the bus terminal.

 

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