#458 Franklin Street is the very small one-story building on the east side of the former Odd Fellows Building. It is believed that this small building was added on to the main building at some point. In April 1913, Harry W. Cooling (1872-1954) needed more space for his barbershop so he moved it into the small shop left of the main building. And on July 7, 1924, he boasted to the Wilmington Morning News that he had achieved a new hair cutting record. They reported: “Harry W. Cooling, a Havre de Grace tonsorial artist, believes he holds the record for hair cutting, having on the same day bobbed the hair of three generations of the same family, a grandmother, mother and daughter.” In addition to being a “tonsorial artist,” Harry Cooling was known as an avid checkers player.

By 1930 the small space had become the store of Raymond Mitchell, who sold furniture and floor coverings, and in the early 1960s Simon Hechter had a bookkeeping and tax service here. Around 2010 this was an acupuncture office, Natures of Light. In the fall of 2015, it became the home of Salon Marielle owned by Mary Anne Madeiros; they moved here from their previous St. John Street location.

#460-462: In 1857, this building was part of the property sold by John G. Donahoo (1789-1858) and his wife Elizabeth Wood Donahoo (1796-1882), along with Sarah E. Jameson, to Morning Star Lodge #20 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF). The IOOF was founded in Baltimore in 1819 by Thomas Wildey with the aim of providing a framework that promoted personal and social development. Morning Star Lodge No.20 existed at this location for 125 years. They primarily operated on the second floor of the building. John Donahoo was War of 1812 veteran and built the Concord Point Lighthouse in 1827 along with the nearby keeper’s home.

It is said the post office was here for a short time around 1885 before it moved a few doors up to the corner of Union Avenue and in 1916 housed the offices of the C&P Telephone Company. In 1925, the office of H.C. Springer, an electrical contractor and dealer, was here at #460 where they sold Exide batteries and paint.

In the 1950s, it was also the home of Bea’s Hobby Shop. It was owned by Beulah Gilbert Wall (1901-1969), the grandmother of local marina owner, George C. Pensell, who often helped her in the shop as a youngster with their planes, boats, trains, birds, and tropical fish.

This is currently the home of the International Union United Auto Aerospace and Agricultural Workers Local #1338. They have had contracts with the former Cytec, Inc. (now Evonik) on Revolution Street. The late Henry R. Ebright, who worked for Cytec for 53 years, served as Vice President of the Local #1338 prior to his retirement.

County Records
Built 1930. 4186 sq ft, beauty/barber shop. 2520 sq ft lot.