The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-13
NEW ODD FELLOWS HOME
1T WILL BE DEDICATED AT GREENS
BURG WEDNESDAY, MAY 16.
Growth of the Plan eliminating I'm
the Foundntfo of n Noble Charity
Description Of the Building.
Special to the indianapolis journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
GREENSBURG, Ind, May 12.-The In
diana Odd Fellows Home, located In
Greensburg, will be dedicated Wednesday.
The home movement received its first I'M
petus at the Grand Lodge of Indiana NO
vember, 1875, when a resolution was intro
duced looking to the erection of such a
home. There were fifteen lodges in the
State which favored the movement, but
persons who were prominent in the order
at the time bitterly opposed the plan. and
the matter was dropped in the interest of
harmony Ten or twelve years later Gen
j. B. Kenner, of Huntington, brought the
matter to the notice of the Grand Lodge,
but nothing was done more than to appoint
a committee, with General Kenner as its
chairman, the opposition still being strong
among those who were prominent in the or
der.
After those who had opposed the move
ment died the matter was brought before
the Rebekah Assembly in May, 1897 by
Mrs Anna l. Henderson, of South Bend.
The Grand Lodge at its November. 1897,
session sanctioned the action of the assem-
bly, and appointed a committee TO act in
conjunction with those of the assembly
with power to select a location and report
at the Grand lodge Nay, 1895 The city Of
fering the largest inducements was Green's
burg, and the committee at a meeting a
few days prior to the Grand Lodge ses-
sion in May, 1898, awarded the location 10
Greensburg, on an offer of lands valued at
$4,000
The contract for the erection of the first
of three buildings to be erected was award
ed on a tender of $4,000 The building was
completed and ready for occupancy March
1 of this year. There are now five guests
at the home and large number of appli-
cations pending which will be favorably
acted on after the dedicatory services.
The building is of French gothic archi-
lecture, and stands in the center OF six
ty-acre tract adjoining the city on the east
and just north of the Big Four Railway.
and will accommodate from 200 TO 800 per-
sons. The building is four stories high.
cruciform, and is lie feet front and 153 feet
deep, facing the southwest. In the base
ment are the childrens play rooms. the
laundry and the heating. lighting and re-
frigerator equipments On the first floor
are the public and private offices, fireproof
vaults, parlors and sitting rooms, back OF
which are two large dining rooms. each to
accommodate 100 persons at a sitting; 10
the rear of these rooms are the kitchens
and pantries. There are also bathrooms.
stairways and eight bedrooms on this
floor. All the rooms are heated by
steam, supplied with hot and cold water
and lighted with natural gas owned by the
home authorities. On the second floor are
the rooms of the matron, music room, Ii
brary and bathroom and dormitories, sit
ting rooms, nursery, servants quarters and
thirty-six rooms fitted up for those who are
married. On the third floor are large halls
not yet completed or furnished.
The matron is Mrs. Mary Lewis. OF In
dianapolis. who never tires showing visitors
the institution, whose cornerstone was laid
in ''love, friendship and TRUTH