I.O.O.F. Yreka Lodge #19 was instituted in 1853 and has been at this location since that date. Multiple transactions in ownership and lot size and shape occurred before two, one-story brick buildings were erected on this site. These buildings provided the foundation for the I.O.O.F.'s second story meeting hall. After the fire of 1871, the entire building was rebuilt using the undamaged brick walls. The vault in McConnell and McManus' ground level store proved a safe place to keep several kegs of powder that escaped the blaze without igniting. The Odd Fellows acquired sole ownership of the entire building in 1897 and rented space to many different establishments through the years, including a drug store business, which commenced in 1935 and operated under various owners until it finally closed in early 1990.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) is an altruistic fraternal organization derived from the similar English Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 1700s....Although in Britain the Odd Fellows tended to meet in pubs, in the U.S. the lodges often built their own facilities. Many of these are now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....

From Wikipedia entry for Independent Order of Odd Fellows