Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1895 — Odd Fellow’s Day. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Odd Fellow’s Day.

THE BUILDING DEDICATED. ‘ -T' „ .. . V A Great Day For Odd Fellows. THEIR DISTRICT MEETING TOO, A GREAT SUCCESS. FULLY 5,000 PEOPLE ENTSix Hundred In the Processi on. The Cornet Band Convention Was Also A Great Feature. The dedication of the new lodge building of Iroquois lodge, together with the District Meeting, made Wednesday, October 16th, 1895, the greatest day in the history of Odd Fellowship Jasper county ever saw; and one of the greatest in Northwest Indiana. The De icatory exercises were held in the forenoon, in the lodge’s new hall; and were performed by the Dedicatory Staff of Decatur Lodge, No. 65, of Decatnr, 111. The staff is ten in number, and they make a specialty of dedicating lodge and other public buildings. The services were beautifully rendered, and very impressive Dressed in gorgeous and appropriate costumes, in colors of the order* they bnilt up in the center of the hall, an altar, of snocessive colors, typifying parity, friendship, love, truth, faith, hope and charity, and these virtues Mere celebrated with beautiful and poetic exercises. The different functions discharged by the members of the staff, were, Grand Master, Thos. Kitchen; Grand Warden,C. W. Borchers; Grand Marshal, W. A. Bright; Grand Heralds, W. E. Pease, H. J. Votaw, A. W. Hendricks; L. W. Fribourg; Grand Chaplain, J. H. Gregor; Grand Inside Guardian, Willis Martin; Grand Outside Guardian, L. H. Martin. Their proficiency in the work, the beanty of their ceremonial and the completeneas of their costumes and paraphernalia, are deserving of every praise. The dedicatory ceremonies were public, and the number present were far in excess of the capacity of the hall to hold them.

The grand street parade was the great public feature of the day. It was fully a half mile in length, and was composed of 120 Daughters of Rebekah, 404 Odd Fellows, on foot, besides officers on horseback, and grand officers in carriages, and also six bands of music, numbering about 90 pieoes. TWENTY-FOUR LODGES PRESENT. , The following visiting lodges were represented, with the number of members, as near as could be ascertained. Schuyler Lodge, Remington, 30 members. Wheatfield Lodge, Whealfield, about 25, and a Billy Goat. Goodland Lodge, of Goodland, 25. Monticello Lodge Montioello, 50. Battle Gronnd Lodge, Battle Ground, 13. Grand Prairie Lodge,Brookston 10.' Mt. Ayr Lodge, Mt. Ayr 16, [tbe entire lodge.] Beaver Lodge, of Morocco, 17* Brook Lodge, of Brook, 5. Orin Lodge, of Wolcott, 9. Monon lodge, of Monon, 40. Medary ville lodge, of Medaryville, including Rebekahs, 25. Yellow River lodge, of Knox, 10. Decatur lodge, of Decatur, 111. 10. Fowler lodge, of Fowler, 20. Carroll and Delphi lodges, of Delphi, 50. Adina D. of R. lodge, of Delphi, 24. Francesville lodge, of Franoesville, 15. Lowell lodge, of Lowell, 20. Calumet and Moltke lodges, of

Hammond, 18. Grand officers present were, C. F. Northern, of .. Greensburg; Dept. Grand Master, representing the GrandMMtefVwhowasmck.il W. H. Leedy, of Indianapolis, Grand Instructor. U, Z. Wiley, of Fowler, Past Grand Representative. Ed. Farrer, Indianapolis, P. G. R. W. H. Talbott, Dannville, P. G. John JRyan, Hammond, District Dept. Grand Master. The following visiting bands were present, participating in the exercises and attending the band convention: Brook, 14 pieces; Monon, 15 pieces; Lowell, 18 pieces; Gillam, 10 pieces; DeMotte, 15 pieces. These with Rensselaer Citizens Band, 17 pieces made 89 pieces, all under the leadership of H. V. Weaver. The afternoon’s work in the lodge room consisted of the following: Rebekah Degree, exemplified by Degree Staff of Adina Lodge, No. 79, Delphi. Address by U. Z. Wiley. P. R. G. . v Initiatory Degree, by Degree Staff of Schuyler Lodge, 284, of Remington. Address by Ed Farrer, P. R. G. j

First Degree, by Degree Staff, of Carroll Lodge, 174, of Delphi. In the evening: Second Degree, by Degree Staff, Carroll Lodge. Third Degree, by Degree Sjtaff of Fowler lodge, No. 460. At three o’clock Dept. Grand Master Northern gave a public address from the stand, in the public square. There was an enormous crowd present, estimated at from 4,000 to 6,000 people. They came from all directions, and by all methods of conveyance. A special train, chartered by Iroquois Lodge, started from Frankfort, and brought several hundred, from Delphi, Monticello and Monon. The business honses were mostly handsomely decorated, with flags, bunting, and lodge colors. Ellis & Murray fixed up their corner window, in a way to take the prize. THE NEW BUILDING. Is located on a lot the lodge has owned since 1866; and which was

bought of M. L. Spitler for S4OO, and at least half of the sum was for a building then standing on the lot. The lot which was worth S2OO, twen-ty-nine years ago, is worth more than $4,000 now. i The decision to erect a lodge bnildiog was reached early in the present year. The contract was let May 2nd. the contract price being $7,844, Other items, such as cost of plans, a superintendent’s salary, drainage and walks, raised the total cost to $8,848. To this most be added the cost of shelving the store rooms on the ground floor. This building, an ’ accurate picture of mhich accompanies this article, is he only lodge building in Jasper county, and its front is the most ornamental of any business or public building in the county. The area of the building on the ground is 44 by 84 feet and it is three stories high. The first floor is occupied by two elegant and spacious store rooms. The front of stores and show windows are finished throughout in red oak, with large plat o glass windows and are modern in every respect : '■ ■ ~ * : The center of the building is occupied by the entrance to second floor and Lodge halls above, the entrance

doors beiog finished in oak with beveled plate, and the side walls wainscoted 4 ft high, while the floors are tiled mosaic. The entrance doors to the stores are at each corner. The entire front of the building on the second floor, and side next the alley, is fitted np in suites of offices for professional men, on tbe plan .of one of our modern city office buildings and it also contains a ball 25 by 50 feet, which will henceforth have the honor of housing those noble orders, the Rensselaer G. A. R. Post and Women’s Relief Corps. The entire floor is finished in Georgia Pine with oil finish. The entire third floor is occupied by Iroqnota Lodge and is now one of tbe most complete and well arranged lodge rooms in the state. The entire front of the bnilding on this third floor is occupied by the Lodge hall which is 46 ft. 6 inches by 42 ft. in the clear, with an arched ceiling 18 feet high. In the rear of the lodge room is a banquet ball 25 by 31 feet, with a kitchen adjoining, 10 by>ls feet, and a paraphernalia room 10 by 10 feet. Between the main hall and tbe banquet room is a large ante-room •10 by 18 feet, also a cloak room and

preparation room, the staircase from the second floor landing directly in front of the ante-room door. The lodge room proper, with its spacious and well proportioned dimensions, ita lofty ceiling, its handsome finishing, and fine new furniture, is a grand and beautiful home for the different branches of this noble order. The exterior of the building is designed in English Renaissance, and is executed in buff-colored pressed brick with stone trimmings. The carving on the caps and other ornamentation on the front of the bnilding are all made to special design and executed in a highly artistic manner. One of the principal features of the design on the front is the transoms over windows in Lodge hall on the third floor, in which the emblems of the different degrees in Odd-Fellow-ship are executed in art glass making a beautiful effect when the ball is illuminated. These finer features not, of course, be shown in onr cut. The building throughout reflects great credit on the architects, Mess. Morrison A Torrance, of Chicago. The building was erected under the general control and management of the Building Committee of Iroquois Lodge, namely: J. W. Cowden, T. J. Sayler, L , L. Ponsler, A. Leopold J R tho Gim first

named are also the present Trustees of the lodge. J. L. Fatout, of Indianapolis, wss the contractor; and J. F Osborne, of Rensselaer, the superintendent. HISTORY OF THR LODGE. Iroquois Lodge, No. 143, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted June 9, 1854. The charter was issued by the grand lodge on petition of John McCarthy, Jacob M. Troxell, Randolph Brearly, Daniel P. Spears and A. T. Reed. The members taken in tbe first night were the five above named and Jacob Markle, Geo. W. Spitler, John Hunter, Thos. N. Springer, Harvey Phillips, John Phillips, Cyrus W. Heakk, and Dr. Cornelius A. Logan. Messrs. Brearly, Spears and Reed belonged in Monticello and only joined this lodge temporarily, to help organize it

None of the above are now members of the lodge, and the only one now living in the county is J»oob M. Troxell, of DeMotte. Harvey Phillips is in business in Chicago, bnt is a frequent vis’tor at Rensselaer. Dr. Logan became minister to Chili daring Lincoln’s administration, and while there was made Grand Sire of the Soverign Grand Lodge, the most exalted position in Odd Fellowship. The first officers of the lodge were: Noble Grand, J. M. Troxell, Vice Grand, Randolph Brearly, Sec’y, D. P. Spears, Treasurer, A. T. Reed. The lodge first met in tbe third story, or more-groperly, attic, of the building as Liberal Corner; and which still stands, on the

north side of Washington street, and to occupied by RhOiades’ barber shop, Hans’ restaurant, etc. The next year the lodge moved into the third story of the “Shanghai” building, which occupied the west part of the site of the present Trade Palace. Later the lodge moved upstairs into a building standing where now is Porter A Yeoman’s store; then into Spitler’s building, where now is the Western Union telegraph office and Spitler A Eight, and finally into Bedford’s brick building, which has served as the lodge’s home until the removal into the new building, just completed. Lemuel W. Henkle Joined the lodge Deo. 15, 1854, and is still a member, and in point of membership is the oldest in the lodge, as he is also in point of years. Next after him is Wm. C. Pieioe, who Joined Dec. 22, 1855, and still belongs. Mr. Troxell left the lodge a year or two ago to help organize the Wheatfield lodge. He is really, in years of membership, the oldest Odd Fellow, probably in Jasper oounty. He first joined the order in 1849, at Pittsburg, Carroll Co., when on the point of starting to California. To him and Mr. McCarthy belongs the principal credit of organizing this lodge, and he it was who suggested the name of M lro

quota.’* ZJTba lodge is not only the oldest, of any order, in thecdunty. bnt it is also the largest in point of numbers; its members in good standing numbering 163, and this number is increasing at a remarkable rate. The cognate order of Daughters of Rebekah, was instituted Jan. 2,1891, under the name of the Renseeliiwr Lodge, D. of R. No. 846. It is flourishing g.eatly and now has • membership of 106. Hie Encampment degree was organized Feb. 10, 1892, under the name of Rensselaer Encampment No. 201. Its membership is about 60.