Odd Fellows Windmill

Last updated

The Odd Fellows Windmill was a residential home for the Odd Fellows fraternal society in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens, New York (now part of New York City).

Contents

History

Odd Fellows Windmill of Hollis, NY Odd Fellows Windmill mock stamp.jpg
Odd Fellows Windmill of Hollis, NY

In 1882 a number of Odd Fellows of Brooklyn, New York, proposed that a home for aged members and their wives or widows be built on Long Island. By 1891, twenty-six lodges organized and a site was selected at Hollis, Queens. The Long Island I.O.O.F. Home Association began constructing the compound which included the windmill and the dedication was held on June 7, 1892. Eleven acres were purchased from H.P. Berger on South Street, between Farmers Boulevard and Hollis Avenue. A parade of craftsmen and well wishers 5,000 strong were in the line of march from Jamaica to Hollis. Over a 1,000 fraternal brethren arrived for the days festivities. There were over 8,000 English speaking Odd Fellows on Long Island at the time. [1]

The association president, Francie E. Pouch of the Magnolia lodge read his remarks to the crowd, as did leaders of the Artistic, Crusaders, Mayflower, Fidelity lodges and a marching band performed. Lodges had vied for the honor of furnishing and decorating the home. By then 37 lodges were part of the association. [2]

Building and windmill

Odd Fellows Aged Home Ca.1905 Oddfellows home1905.jpg
Odd Fellows Aged Home Ca.1905
The Persian horizontal windmill, the first practical windmill. Perzsa malom.svg
The Persian horizontal windmill, the first practical windmill.

As first constructed on a plateau surrounded by a farm, the home had 18 rooms and a barn which opened in May 1892. However, what made the Odd Fellows Home unique was its windmill. The tower windmill held two 4,000 US gallons (15,000 L; 3,300 imp gal) water tanks that supplied all the home's needs via plumbing. The windmill was a vital part of the compound's infrastructure, and it became a symbol of the Odd Fellows Home. Later, a 75 by 75 feet (23 m × 23 m) expansion was added to the home, which included a banquet hall on the first floor and more rooms on the second. The porches were screened, and there were sun parlors and smoking rooms on either side. Each parlor had a library with one designated for light reading with magazines and newspapers and the other with more intellectual books. Lodges decorated each room according to their preferences, resulting in an eclectic mix of styles.

The windmill utilized a horizontal windpump of the kind patented in 1854 by Daniel Halladay, the vanes were probably constructed of metal and resembled a pinwheel. [3]

The Odd Fellows Home in Hollis was the first of its kind to allow craftsmen's wives and widows to be integrated as residents, with 17 couples initially residing in the compound. The Odd Fellows Home became a vital institution, serving the community for over a century.

20th century

In 1929, a total of 47 homes for the aged, indigent odd fellows and orphans were reported across the country. [4]

In 1938 there were 33 Odd Fellows still in residence in the home at 194-10 109th Road. [5] By the 1950s the home had seen a drop in Odd Fellows as did many other lodges across the country. It had transitioned into an orphanage and with a rise in bureaucratic rules governing such places, the home's governing body decided to close it's orphanages. The neighborhood was predominantly white until the mid-1950s, and the orphans who lived there came from this area. [6] However, in 1955, the region south of the railroad began experiencing an influx of African-American and Caribbean immigrants, which caused a demographic shift in the orphanage's inhabitants. Additionally, due to the phenomenon of white flight, the Odd Fellows no longer wanted to deal with the administrative challenges and decided to shut down the orphanage. Any children still in residence were transferred to other homes and the compound closed its doors.

Demolition

The Jamaica Water Company was the primary supplier of water from wells to southeastern Queens and since the windmill only pumped water to its tanks, it was left in disuse and languished for many years. [7]

In 2004 it was demolished.

See also

Windpumps

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island</span> Populous island in New York

Long Island is an island in southeastern New York state, constituting a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in terms of both population and land area. The island extends from New York Harbor 118 miles (190 km) eastward into the North Atlantic Ocean with a maximum north–south width of 23 miles (37 km). With a land area of 1,401 square miles (3,630 km2), it is the largest island in the contiguous United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Order of Odd Fellows</span> American fraternal organization

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd Fellows founded in England during the 18th century, the IOOF was originally chartered by the Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity in England but has operated as an independent organization since 1842, although it maintains an inter-fraternal relationship with the English Order. The order is also known as the Triple Link Fraternity, referring to the order's "Triple Links" symbol, alluding to its motto "Friendship, Love and Truth".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollis, Queens</span> Neighborhoods of Queens in New York City

Hollis is a residential middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of Hispanics and South Asians residing in the area. Boundaries are considered to be 181st Street to the west, Hillside Avenue to the north, Francis Lewis Boulevard to the east, and Murdock Avenue to the south. Hollis is located between Jamaica to the west and Queens Village to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens Village, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Queens Village is a mostly residential middle class neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bound by Hollis to the west, Cambria Heights to the south, Bellerose, Queens and Elmont, Nassau County to the east, and Oakland Gardens to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alley Pond Park</span> Public park in Queens, New York

Alley Pond Park is the second-largest public park in Queens, New York City, occupying 655.3 acres (265.2 ha). The park is bordered to the east by Douglaston, to the west by Bayside, to the north by Little Neck Bay, and to the south by Union Turnpike. The Cross Island Parkway travels north-south through the park, while the Long Island Expressway and Grand Central Parkway travel east-west through the park. The park primarily consists of woodlands south of the Long Island Expressway and meadowlands north of the expressway. It is run and operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Lewis Boulevard</span> Boulevard in Queens, New York

Francis Lewis Boulevard is a boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. The roadway is named for Francis Lewis, a Queens resident who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. The boulevard zigzags across Queens by including segments of several other roadways that were renamed to become parts of the boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridgewood Reservoir</span> Decommissioned reservoir in New York City

Ridgewood Reservoir is a decommissioned 19th century reservoir and freshwater wetland on the border between the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, within what is now Highland Park. Although the reservoir was originally built to secure a reliable water supply for the City of Brooklyn, it is positioned on the Queens side of the border in the neighborhood of Glendale. The reservoir and park are bounded on the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway, on the south by Highland Boulevard, on the west by Vermont Place and on the east by Cypress Hills National Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mary Louis Academy</span> Private, day, college-prep school in New York, United States

The Mary Louis Academy, also known as TMLA, is an all-girls private Catholic college preparatory academy, located in Jamaica Estates, Queens, New York City. TMLA's 5-acre (20,000 m2) campus encompasses eight buildings situated on private grounds at the top of one of the highest hills in Queens, hence TMLA's interscholastic nickname "The Hilltoppers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Manor</span> Historic house in Queens, New York

King Manor, also known as the Rufus King House, is a historic house at 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The two-story house is the main structure in Rufus King Park, an 11.5-acre (4.7 ha) public park that preserves part of the former estate of Rufus King, a U.S. Founding Father. Built c. 1730 and expanded in 1755 and the 1800s, the house is designed with elements of the Federal, Georgian, and Greek Revival styles. The house is designated as a National Historic Landmark, and the house, its interior spaces, and the park are all New York City designated landmarks.

The Brooklyn–Queens Greenway is a bicycling and pedestrian path connecting parks and roads in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, connecting Coney Island in the south to Fort Totten in the north, on Long Island Sound. The route connects major sites in the two boroughs, such as the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the New York Hall of Science, and Citi Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juniper Valley Park</span> Public park in Queens, New York

Juniper Valley Park is a 55.247-acre (223,580 m2) public park located within Middle Village, Queens, New York, United States. The park is bordered by Juniper Boulevard North on the north, Juniper Boulevard South on the south, Lutheran Avenue on the west, and Dry Harbor Road on the east; it is split into two parts by 80th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyckoff Heights, New York City</span>

Wyckoff Heights is an area within the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, straddling the border between Bushwick, Brooklyn, and southwest Ridgewood, Queens. Wyckoff Heights was urbanized starting in the late 19th century, and took its name from the Wyckoff family, who owned the land. The area was home first to many German immigrants, later followed by Italian and more recently Latino and Eastern-European residents.

Bellaire was a station stop along the Hempstead Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The station was located between 211th Street and 212th Street between 99th Avenue and Jamaica Avenue in Bellaire, Queens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America</span> Fraternal order

The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, American Jurisdiction is a jurisdiction of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows in the United States, Jamaica, Canada, South America, and other locations. Since its founding in 1843, its membership has principally included African Americans, due to their being discriminated against in most other fraternal orders in America at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 878</span> United States historic place

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 878 is a historic Elks lodge on Queens Boulevard in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The 3+12-story Italian Renaissance-style main building and two-story annex were both built in 1923–1924 and designed by the Ballinger Company. A three-story rear addition was added in 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnes Building</span> United States historic place

The Barnes Building, originally known as the Odd Fellows' Block, the Masonic Temple from 1909 to 1915, and later Ingram Hall, is a historic fraternal and office building located at 2320-2322 1st Avenue in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Designed in early 1889 and constructed in late 1890 by Seattle Lodge No. 7 of the International Order of Odd Fellows and designed for use by all of the city's Odd Fellow lodges, it is the earliest known surviving work of Seattle architect William E. Boone and George Meeker and remains in an almost perfect state of preservation. The Barnes building has played an important role in the Belltown Community and Seattle's dance community. It was used by the Odd Fellows for 17 years before their departure to a newer, bigger hall in 1909 and was home to a variety of fraternal & secret societies throughout the early 20th century, with the Free and Accepted Masons being the primary tenant until their own Hall was built in 1915. The ground floor has been a host to a variety of tenants since 1890 ranging from furniture sales to dry goods to farm implement sales and sleeping bag manufacturing, most recently being home to several bars. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as The Barnes Building on February 24, 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jephtha Masonic Lodge No. 494</span> Masonic lodge in Huntington, New York, U.S.

Jephtha Masonic Lodge No. 494 is an historic Masonic lodge, part of the fraternal organization of Freemasonry, located in Huntington, New York, part of the Suffolk Masonic District in Eastern, Long Island. It was established in late 1859.

Douglaston Manor Windmill (c.1870s-1988) was a Dutch windmill built in Littleneck, New York to pump water for farming. Alley Pond Park has a standing windmill that is a replica of the Douglaston Manor windmill. The windmill's tower was relocated to Alley Pond Park after being threatened with demolition in November 1986, having been originally situated on Arleigh Road in Douglaston. A committee formed to save the windmill raised US$50,000 to relocate the structure.

References

  1. "Long Island Odd Fellows' Home Dedicated at Hollis Yesterday for Aged and Poor Members". The New York Times. June 8, 1892. p. 2.
  2. "Home For Odd Fellows". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. August 11, 1900. p. 14.
  3. "America's First Self-Regulating Windmill". Today in Connecticut History. August 29, 2019.
  4. "Homes for the Aged, Operated by Fraternal Organizations". Monthly Labor Review. 28 (3): 3–11. March 1929.
  5. "Rug Maker, at 88, to be Host". The New York Times. June 16, 1938. p. 25.
  6. "Economic Decline in Hollis". macaulay.cuny.edu.
  7. "Groundwater Supply System". New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

40°42′17″N73°45′44.5″W / 40.70472°N 73.762361°W / 40.70472; -73.762361