During the late 1800s and early 1900s, local groups within the same fraternity often came together for social occasions or to work on special projects to benefit their community. This plaque was commissioned by Newark Encampment No. 17 and presented to Hermann Lodge No. 142 in 1895 to congratulate the group on its twenty-fifth anniversary. For men who had earned the Odd Fellows degrees offered by the subordinate lodge, joining an Odd Fellows Encampment offered the opportunity for more education through additional degrees. 

The sign is decorated with well-known Odd Fellows symbols in relief: the all-seeing eye, the three-link chain, and a prominent pair of clasped hands. Hermann Lodge No. 142 was part of the city’s Odd Fellows District No. 8. The lodge was instituted in 1870, and enjoyed a membership of 138 by 1884. Newark Encampment No. 17 began in 1880. Within its first four years, the Encampment numbered fifty-four members and distributed $246 for relief.