Corsicana in Navarro County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Odd Fellow and Rebekah Children's Home
Photographed By Mike Stroud, September 15, 2012
1. Odd Fellow and Rebekah Children's Home Marker
Inscription.
Odd Fellow and Rebekah Children's Home. . In 1885 the Grand Lodge of Texas, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, founded the I. O. O. F. Widows and Orphans Home, one of the first fraternal orphanages in the state. Corsicana Lodge No. 63 and other local citizens gave 200 acres as a site for the facility. On April 26, 1886, the cornerstone for the first permanent building was laid. Only one child was residing here in 1891, but enrollment and financial support soon increased. The home became a self-contained community with its own independent school district, farm and dairy, power plant, and water supply. Abel Rice Auditorium, built in 1911 when enrollment was over 300, contained a swimming pool and gym, and housed the fine arts department sponsored by the Rebekah lodges. This institution also served as a home for the aged from 1905 until a separate facility opened in Ennis in 1928. After peaking at nearly 400 in the 1920s, enrollment dropped sharply in the 1930s and 1940s. The school closed in 1943, and students began attending Corsicana public schools. Campus buildings were modernized in a 1945 "reconversion program." Renamed in 1948, the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Children's Home has provided care for over 5500 persons.
In 1885 the Grand Lodge of Texas, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, founded the I. O. O. F. Widows and Orphans Home, one of the first fraternal orphanages in the state. Corsicana Lodge No. 63 and other local citizens gave 200 acres as a site for the facility. On April 26, 1886, the cornerstone for the first permanent building was laid. Only one child was residing here in 1891, but enrollment and financial support soon increased. The home became a self-contained community with its own independent school district, farm and dairy, power plant, and water supply. Abel Rice Auditorium, built in 1911 when enrollment was over 300, contained a swimming pool and gym, and housed the fine arts department sponsored by the Rebekah lodges. This institution also served as a home for the aged from 1905 until a separate facility opened in Ennis in 1928. After peaking at nearly 400 in the 1920s, enrollment dropped sharply in the 1930s and 1940s. The school closed in 1943, and students began attending Corsicana public schools. Campus buildings were modernized in a 1945 "reconversion program." Renamed in 1948, the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Children's Home has provided care for over 5500 persons.
Erected 1977 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 7241.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this
Click or scan to see this page online
topic list: Notable Places. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1895.
Location. 32° 4.57′ N, 96° 30.124′ W. Marker is in Corsicana, Texas, in Navarro County. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3400 West 2nd Avenue, Corsicana TX 75110, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 660 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on March 8, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
