Through good times and lean
men of all walks of life
have shared a century of the
principles of Elkdom
In its 117 years of history, Austin Lodge #201 of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has had its ups and downs, its good
times and lean years, but through all it has held steadfast to its commitment to
charity, justice, brotherly love and fidelity, the cardinal principles of the
Order.
From its founding on the evening of May 9, 1891, the Lodge has
welcomed brothers from every walk of life who shared the Order's belief in God,
country and doing good for all mankind.
The founding night itself was a study in diversity as 16 men
came together to start the Lodge. There was Peter J. Lawless, a respected
railroad ticket agent who would become the first Exalted Ruler. There was H. L.
Rhornberg who was listed in the city directory simply as a
"capitalist." And there were R. M. Hahn, manager of the Driskill bar,
and Charles Cortisoz, proprietor of the Crystal Saloon on Congress Avenue.
That group of 16 also included other railroad men, the general
manager of the Austin Statesman, a real estate dealer, a brick maker, a cigar
store manager, a lumber dealer, a dry goods manager and a restaurant operator
They met that first night in the Knights of Pythias Hall at 7th
and Congress for institution of the new Lodge by a team of Grand Lodge officers
from Temple #138 and Houston#151 led by District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler
George Helm of Temple.
The new Lodge met at the same hall the next night to adopt
bylaws setting initiation fees at $25 and annual dues at $12. They also called
for a Relief Committee as from its founding Austin Lodge #201 was always
involved in charitable activities.
Peter Lawless was 40 and had been a widower for eight years
when he became Exalted Ruler. He would serve a second term as ER in 1893-94 and
remain active in the Austin Lodge until his death at the age of 80 in 1931.
Lawless directed much of the Lodge's early charity toward "Seton
Infirmary." He is buried beside his wife in Austin in Qakwood Cemetery and
his gravestone is inscribed "Our Friend--Seton Infirmary."
The Lodge grew slowly during its first months, but it
initiated names that live still in Austin's history--Carl Drake of the Calcasieu
Lumber family, Andrew Zilker of Zilker Park, William Gilfillian, Carl Meyer,
Charles Newning and a dozen other namesakes of old Austin streets.
The membership was only 36 by
early '92 but the membership wanted to move from the room they rented for $8 a
month in the K.P. Hall. They voted to sell 60 notes at $15 each toward a new
home. They sold 32 notes that first night and drew lots to see who would be
repaid first. By May '92 the Lodge
was relocated to the second floor above Monroe Miller's combination livery
station and funeral home facing East 7th just off Congress Avenue.
The next few years were not kind
to the young lodge. By late '96
financial problems were to the point that landlord Miller seized the furnishings
for back rent, including an Elk's head, which Brother W. V. Holley had given in
ex-change for a life membership.
The records of the period are sparse but the recorded minutes
indicate there was a major rift among the membership in '97, with the first E.R.
and many charter members leaving the organization.
The minutes fall silent from 1897 until early 1901 when
Lawless and several charter members returned and led a very successful
reactivation that resulted in 65 members on the rolls within three months.
With this new life, the Lodge again met its commitment to
charity with generous contributions to Seton and "the sanitarium".
In late '01 this rejuvenated Lodge move to the second floor of
Hancock Opera House just off Congress on West 6th and the growth continued.
By early 1902 there were 196 members and in ‘03 the Austin
Lodge hosted the Elks "State Encampment" forerunner of today's state
conventions.
In 1904 the Lodge moved again, this time into what had been
the Knights of Pythias Hall where the Lodge started-- except this time the Elks
leased the whole building and rented a room to the Knights.
The years that followed were golden years for the Austin
Lodge. Charitable programs were widespread, including the first Big Brothers
project to provide role models for young boys in trouble. Annual Christmas
charity was given by the Elks to many Austin civic groups. Christmas and New
Years dinners for the "newsboys"--in those days mostly street
urchins--were annual affairs.
The first two Austin Elks entered the Elks National Home in
‘06 and '07, with the Austin Lodge paying each man's $2 a week room-and board
bill.
In 1909 the Lodge bought a lot and building on the comer of
7th and Colorado with plans to lease it out until a new permanent home could be
built there. They bought the building from Elk Brother A. S. Burleson who later
served in Congress and was a Life Member of the Austin Lodge.
The desire for a new home was strong, as was the Lodge, and on
December 12, 1914, the cornerstone was laid for a new four-story building at 7th
and Colorado. That cornerstone sets today in the front foyer of the present
Lodge.
The Lodge planned to pay for that $100,000 new building at
$13,000 a year from investment of a $20,000 building nest egg they had raised
and from rents on the social rooms and from member's fourth-floor apartments,
profits from the club and $18 a year dues from 275 members.
The dream became reality on
October 29, 1915, when the new building was dedicated by charter Exalted Ruler
Peter Lawless. The dedication ceremony was followed by an open house and dance,
which commanded $100 a ticket.
That dedication was almost 43 years to the day before the
dedication of the present Lodge home in 1958.
The new building served the
Lodge well the rest of the decade and for most of the Roaring 20s. The
membership remained solid and in '16 a bowling alley and gym were added in the
basement.
During World War I the Austin Elks were active in support of
American forces as were Elks everywhere. A 10 percent "war tax" was
added to Elks dues along with a 50-cent a head assessment to provide extras for
the men on the front and to help doughboys returning home with injuries.
The Lodge participated in food
conservation, waived the dues of members who went to service and waived fees for
student Elks from the local School of Military Aeronautics.
In the '20s the Austin Lodge joined the national Elks movement
to observe "Anti-Dope Week" to Call attention to the dangers of opium,
morphine and cocaine.
1926 saw the start of a Lodge tradition still practiced today,
the "Zero Hour" drawing at each Lodge meeting—known today as the
Forum drawing.
In '28 Austin hosted its first visit of a Grand Exalted Ruler when GER J. F. Malley came to town by train and was treated to lunch at the Driskill, a visit to the Elks Lodge and a motorcar tour of Austin.
Again in 1929 the next GER, Murray Halben, visited Austin-his
visit perhaps the last grand event before the dark days of the Crash of ‘29
and the Great Depression.
But even before the Crash of October, the Lodge was groaning under the burden of its building expenses and looking to sell the 7th and Colorado property.
The property sold for $85,000 and after paying off the
building debt, the Lodge was able to pay $30,000
for the historic John Bremond House which still stands today as an Austin
landmark at 7th and Guadalupe.
The '30s were as bleak for the Lodge as for the rest of the
nation. Many embers fell on hard times and couldn't pay their dues. The salaries
of the Secretary and the porter who tended the club rooms were cut not once but
several times.
But even in the darkest days, the Lodge somehow found ways to
keep up charity work, such as giving 100 pairs of school shoes to needy children
in 1934.
The turnaround finally started in 1939 for both the Lodge and
the country. By 1940 and '41, the
Lodge was regaining its health and again there was talk of moving.
But that was cut short by the war. With most able-bodied men
gone to service, the Lodge was reduced to a caretaker function in the hands of
Exalted Ruler Scott Gaines whose four terms as E.R. during the war have been
matched by only one other Austin E.R. –Gene Moore in '70-71, '73-74, '77-78
and '90-91.
The return of the troops in '45
and ‘46 marked the beginning of a new era of achievement and community service
for the Austin Lodge.
In April of '47 the Lodge sold the Bremond House and moved to
new quarters at 305 East 12th.
For the next decade the membership grew and so did the Lodge's
charitable work, most notably a deep involvement in the children's hospital at
Ottine.
By 1957 the membership was completely outgrowing the 12th
Street quarters and the drive for a new Lodge picked up full steam.
The Lodge looked at many sites around Austin before finally
choosing the wooded hillside on Dawson Road with its awesome skyline view.
The Lodge bought the property for $5,000. Projected costs for
the new building were around $200,000. Members subscribed to $100,000 in notes
and the rest was financed commercially. The total indebtedness was paid off on
schedule in 10 years.
In the spring of '58 while the new building was still under
construction, the Austin Lodge hosted the state convention.
Business sessions were held in a downtown hotel and social sessions
overflowed the Lodge quarters on E. 12th.
The Austin Lodge had a message for the state convention: come
again and we will show you the greatest Lodge home in America.
And it was. The new Lodge building was dedicated on October
10, 1958, with Austin Mayor Tom Miller officiating at the grand opening.
The new building was known as the Show Lodge of the Southwest
and the Cinderella Lodge of the times.
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The swimming pool was added in 1961, paid for in the
most part by donations from members.
As originally built, what is now
the Patio Room was an open-air patio under the second floor Lodge room. The
Patio was enclosed in 1967 with money, materials and labor donated by members.
The dressing rooms for the swimming pool were added at the same time.
Thus the age of the modern Lodge was underway. And making good on their promise of '58, the Austin Lodge has hosted two state conventions since then, in '68 and '81.
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The modern Lodge
has produced four presidents for the Texas State Elks Association--the late
Forest D. Gathright in 1959-60, Olley Anderson in 1973-74, Hollice Hemphill in
1986-87, and Glen Castlebury in 2000-01, and is now the home Lodge of Past State
President Bill Hart, 1998-1999.
Brother Anderson went on to serve in the Grand Lodge as Grand
Esquire and as a member of several Grand Lodge Committees.
Brother Hart is currently serving as the Chairman of the Grand Lodge
Government Relations Committee
It has also produced one State Elk of the Year, PER John H.
Rich II, and numerous District Deputy Grand Exalted Rulers and other district
officials and state officials.
Austin Lodge #201 has continued
its commitment to the Texas Elks major project at Ottine as well as to Grand Lodge programs and local charities.
Buildings weather with the passage of time, and beloved
Brothers pass into the light, which is beyond the valley of the shadow of death.
But the passage of 117 years in Austin Lodge #201 only strengthens our steadfast
commitment to the eternal principles of charity, justice, brotherly love and
fidelity.
Reprinted
from the Austin Centennial Celebration Booklet written by
PSP Glen Castlebury, Austin Elks Lodge #201
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Revised:
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 02:31:52 PM