The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-07-11
BELLOWS FALLS.

| Bellows Falls Lodge, No %, o o f, occu-
| pied its new hall for the first time Wednesday
evening. The hall is in the third story of the
| Bank building, and is reached by broad and
easy stairways. 1t is well located, well ar
| ranged, handsomely furnished, and is the pride
of the Odd Fellows and their friends in Bellows
! Falls. The door to the reception room is pro-
| yided with a combination lock, the combination
| being known to every member of the lodge SO
that they may resort to it at any hour as a sort
| of club room. The reception room is l5x2l
4 feet and is carpeted and furnished with tables
| and easv chairs, and members can obtain here
| writing materials and various reading matter.
| This room is also furnished with toilet stand,
mirror and wash bowl, running water being
! brought to the room. A water-closet is also
of convenient access. Opening from the recep-
ton room is a spacious wood closet. Between
| the reception room and the lodge room proper
| is the ante-room in dimensions lOxl2 feet, and
Ouening from this are three large closets for the
| storage of lodge property and paraphernalla.
| The main room is 23X3S feet At the head OF
| the hall are doors opening into two other
| closets, one of which is for the lodge records
and property, under the charge of the secretary.
| There is a window at this closet facing the
street, upon which with appropriate design will
| be inscribed the name of the lodge, and will be
SO Illuminated that it can be read from the street
| in the evening. The furnishings of the rooms
are almost entirely new. The furniture has
| establishment of Shaw, Applin Co. The
officers chairs are of the massive kind and
such as are generally seen in the best appointed
| fraternity rooms. Settles are placed upon
slightly raised platforms at the sides of the
| room. The wood work of the chairs and set
| tees is black walnut and the coverings of the
upholstered work is scarlet terry, except at the
| Vice Guards station, the color of which is
| blue The pedestals at the officers stations are
| of black walnut, with marble tops, in which are
| miniature closets, provided with lock and key
| for storing gavels, rituals and other property
| belonging to the several stations. The secre-
| tary and treasurer's table are also of black
walnut and have convenient sets of drawers.
| New canopies, scarlet and blue, are hung at the
opposite ends of the halls, the N G's and V G's
| stations. + Winnewisser, of this place, has
| furnished the chandelier and lamps for the
| rooms. They are OF tasteful design and in
| keeping with the other furnishings. new
| Estey cabinet organ just purchased has its
proper place here. The total cost OF the new
| furniture is $500, all of which has been paid,
| leaving the lodge out of debt and with money
| at interest in the bank. Wednesday evening
| the officers of the lodge for the ensuing term
were installed. The installation services were
under the charge of L S Retting, d G NJ,
who brought with him staff of competent as
| sistants. The work was performed in thor
| ough and impressive manner The officers in
stalled are: + II Brown, n G; n Howard,
V G; L l. Wheeler, G.; d Perkins, Treas
Simon Mcleod, Per Sec; L NJ Stearns, Rec See;
| w Keyes, chaplain; Geo ID Clough, warden;
A E Sawyer, C: Geo Pratt s; IL Bailey,
los; ] c Richmond, r S n G; L Wilson,
Ism G.; Geo w Hale, r S VG; Frank Cor
don, L S V G.; II L Spring, r s; A Fin.
| LAWSON, L S S. Odd Fellowship in Bellows
Falls has an interesting history The lodge
was chartered by the Grand Lodge OF Vermont,
February IL, 1852. The charter bears the
| names, as grand officers of the grand lodge at
that time, of Evelyn Piermont, of Rutland,
| G NJ; Vim p Russell, NJ ID, of Brandon, ID u
NJ; VIM Il Booth. g Sec; II Il Woodbridge, of
yergennes, w, and as past grand masters,
the names of Samuel III Price, Albert IuXDury,
of Windsor, and Jamessf Mitchell, of Spring
field. Among the names of the charter men,
bers of the lodge, and its earlier members
NAV be recognized many that are familiar 10
those who lived here thirty years ago. Inc
charter members were Chas Hall, ID FER
kins, jeremiah Leech. Henry turner anu
Ebenezer Stebhins. Some OF the early members
of the lodge from 1852 to 1859, were, In addi-
ton to the charter members, l. Grant, who
became a major general of volunteers in the
late war. Hubbard, NJ ID, James went
worth, Walter Taylor, Jr, now and Tor long
time known as Captain Taylor, Henry Wiley,
DIR Alex ] Chase, Wm Mack, Daniel Verder,
Norman III Farr, Chas Perry. l. L WHIT
comb. Wpl III Horton, Benz + Warner, OF SaX-
toms River, John w Moore, OF newspaper
fame, Newcomb, Samuel fleihning,
Fred Rogers, G Hapgood, Albert DERBY, Johh
N Church. Alfred Kemp, Rev DIR Joel Clapp,
rector of Emmanuel church, VIM Felt, Harry
WINCHESTER, ] Saker, $ L Pierce, Lneins
Harlow. NJ Livermore and John Adams.
Many OF these men were prominent IN the bus
mess interests of this place a quarter OF a GER
turv ago. The names OF many OF them are
now chiseled on marble in the church yards. n
few survival ID Perkins, who now lives
among as. was the first noble grand, or presid-
inc officer of the lodge. He was elected to
that Office Oct Is, 1852, and served until July /,
1853. The decade from 1850 to 1860 was hard
time for secret societies throughout the country,
owing to the Morgan Masonic sensation. Odd
Fellowship languished in Vermont, and on ac-
count of the lack of interest and the opposition
manifested the charter of Bellows Falls Lodge
was surrendered 20 the Grand Lodge in 1893.
with all dues and obligations paid and per-
formed. Then for nearly twenty years the
lodge remained defunct, and the principles Of