PRESENT DAY CLUB
Practically every town of four hundred and upward has a club of some kind or clubs. This town has had and still has clubs.
The first one, known as the Present Day Club was organized by Mrs. Ella Gambold in 1910. Those who first joined this organization were the founder, Mrs. Gambold, Ella Short, Buelah Knight, Daisy Knight, Della Bridges, Mamie Campbell, Flora Hodson, Mabel Johnson, Lella Gambold, Grace Brown, Icy Gobert and Nona Davis. Members who were later asked to join the club were Maude Lakin, Rose Draper, Lennie Stanley and Ora Hunt.
WOMANS LITERARY CLUB
A year after the start of the Present Day Club Mrs. George Hughes organized the Woman’s Literary Club in 1911. The Coatesville ladies who were charter members of this club were Mary Sharp, Ruth Elrod, Lena Phillips, Emma Masten, Eva Lineberry, Nell Doty, Cora Brown, Alice Lisby, Edith Ryner and Alma Phillips.
FRIDAY CLUB
The Friday Club was organized in 1913 by Mrs. Lona Larkin and Mrs. John Stewart. Some of the charter members were Opal Harvey, Icy Gobert, Mrs. Larkin, Mrs. Stewart, Mamie Campbell, Flora Hodson and Mrs. M.F. Bennett. This club had at its beginning a Bible Study Leader and this was Mrs. Bennett. There were few such teachers of Bible as she in the County.
TUESDAY CLUB
This is one of the older clubs, started about 1911 and known first as the Thimble Club. It was re-named later the Tuesday Club as this was the day chosen for its meetings. The Club has enjoyed a large membership from early days to the present time. (Strangely enough in the year 2000 this club is still active. They continue to meet once a month... on Tuesday and have a charity for which they raise funds each year.) The membership has included Lucille Masten, Laura Biehal, Ida Masten, Cora Masten, Mabel Johnson, Callie Casady, Mary Collier, June Hadley, Vivian Hadley, Dorothy Jenkins, Pearl Bowen, Wanda Wallace and Mary Lou Lydick.
Each year the members enjoy an Anniversary luncheon together at some nice place and this is usually in April.
COATESVILLE BAND
A history of Coatesville would hardly be complete without a word about the band that was---many years ago. During the summer months the band gave Saturday night concerts. Crowds of farm folks came to town with their families, enjoyed the band music, exchanged gossip, did their trading at the stores from ten o'clock until midnight and then drove home in buggies and surreys, mostly.
Young men and women that dated walked together about the bandstand, strolled the streets and laughed and talked until the stores closed.
Few folks today remember the band members of yesteryear. With the help of Harmon Hathaway and Mrs. Fern Cline the following names have been garnered: Harvey Hessler, Frank O'Neal, Clay Phillips, Ed. Mark, Verl Wiseheart, Paul Hope and Newt Kersey. There are others perhaps but memory does not bring them back.
This local band not only gave the home concerts but played for horse shows at Roachdale, Monrovia and other nearby towns. They were in demand for July 4th celebrations and political gatherings.
One time when they were marching around the Circle in Indianapolis some wag read the name "Coatesville" on the base drum and yelled: "Where'n the hell's Coatesville?"
Bill McAninch answered him: "It's a mile south of Reno." This was a standing band joke among the band boys for many a day.
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS
This order generally known as the K of P's had a lodge for several years in town and the room occupied by the order was in the upper room of a hardware store owned and managed by Allen Job. The building was on the North side of Main St. about where the Helpy-Selfy is today. (The Helpy-Selfy closed in the mid 1970's and was three doors west of the stop light in the center of Coatesville on the north side of the street. In the year 2000 it is an apartment building.)
Some of the members who wore the pins of this lodge were Joe Sharp, Beeson Newman, Allen Job, W. Dobson, Elza Greenlee, Thighlman Crews and Dan McAninch.
ODD FELLOWS
The lodge room of the Odd Fellows was upstairs over the Draper & Bryant store on what was the site of the printing shop. Some of the members, and there were many, were: Virgil Davis, Chauncy Knight, John Harris, Dr. C.F. Hope, James Davidson, Walter Grooms, Otto Lakin, Sammy Goodwin, Charles Gambold, Mark Warren, Charles Wiseheart, Beeson Newman, John Hodson, Bill Campbell, John Masten, Greely Bryant, Ord Rice and Amos Fultz.
ORDER OF REBECCAS
Some of the ladies having membership in the Rebeccas were, Mrs.Greeley Bryant, Maude Lakin, Emma Masten, Daisy Knight, Nona Davis, Vicy Harris, Flora Bowen, Mrs. Billy Davis, Carrie and Ella Fultz. When the Order disbanded many belonging went to the Fillmore Lodge.
MODERN WOODMEN OF AMERICA
The Insurance as well as the secret organization was started about 1909 or 1910. The Lodge room was South of the railroad in a room that once was a second story to Kivetts building next the lumber office. A few members brought to mind from that long ago were John Greenlee, Luther Casady, Wheeler Casady, Vern Elrod, Claude Elrod, Joe Davidson, Guy Masten and Claude Morgan.
MASONIC ORDER
For quite a while the town had Masonic members but had no Lodge rooms and as a consequence the members drove to Fillmore where there was a strong membership. About 1914-15 a decision was made to organize a Mason's Lodge here. Among the early members of the new Lodge were the following: Greely Bryant, John Masten, Allen Campbell, Ollie Larkin, James Davidson, Chauncy Knight, Win Bridges, Arthur McClure, John B. Newman, John N. Wise, Wendell Elrod, Joe Sharp, George Hughes, Josephus Gambold, Newt Lakin, Otto Lakin, Charles Gambold, John Gross, Otto Masten and Olney Phillips. The Lodge room was the upstairs' room of the old school building that stood back of where Mr. Glenn Wellman now resides.
ORDER OF EASTERN STAR
Coatesville Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star No. 558 was organized in June 1939 with 30 Charter members:
Helen Alexander Grace Gambold
Laura Biehl Florence Harper
Lou Bryant Oval Harper
Anna Christy Geneva Herod
Fern Cline Paul Herod
Herschel Cline Charles Hodson
Dexter Darnall Margaret Hodson
Lillian Darnall Daisy Knight
Oakie Darnall Elsie Masten
Woodson Darnall Emma Masten
Geneva Dillon Flora Masten
Max Dillon Otto Masten
Agnes Eastham William McAninch
Ruth Ann Elrod Clara McCammack
Lucylle Fuson Christine Stanley
The first corps of officers were:
Lillian Darnall Worthy Matron
Woodson Darnall Worthy Patron
Florence Harper Associate Matron
Orval Harper Associate Patron
Secretary Grace Gambold
Treasurer Anna Christy
Conductress Daisy Knight
Associate Conductress Christine Stanley
Chaplain Lou Bryant
Marshall Elsie Masten
Organist Geneva Dillon
Adah Ruth Ann Elrod
Ester Margaret Hodson
Martha Laura Biehl
Electa Geneva Herod
Warder Clara McCammack
Sentinel Otto Masten
The Chapter once had 220 members. The first meeting in the new hall after the 1948 tornado was held Oct. 11th, 1950 (The Star closed its doors and has given up its charter in the late 1990's (1997?). Most members were transferred to Plainfield, IN.)
COMMERCIAL CLUB
Mention should be made of the Coatesville Commercial Club that was organized about 1912 and to which most all the town's business men belonged. These enterprising men brought to the town a number of excellent speakers for Sunday afternoon addresses and the Club was responsible for organizing and building the Coatesville Public Library. Much honor is due these members.
TOWN BROTHERHOOD
The Brotherhood began several years ago as a Methodist organization, the purpose being to bring the church men together once a month for singing, pleasant talks and listening to some well-ordered talk. A few early presidents were Harold Powell, Joe Davidson and Bill Biehl.
At a later time the Brotherhood ceased being a Methodist men's meeting but opened the doors to any public spirited man in town who wished to join. In purpose it became more nearly a service club for each year it provides a Christmas tree for all the children of the town and gives each child a treat. Later presidents have been Lewis Hadley, Paul Herod and Irvine Bennett. Speakers who have talked to the Brotherhood at different times have been Mr. Hobbs of Bridgeport, the President of Butler, the president of DePauw, Joe Davidson and a jeweler from Greencastle who talked about diamonds.
The year 1914 saw the organization of a young men's club known as the Beta Delta Sigma club. The ones at the helm of this affair were Guy Masten and Joe Davidson. The last named give the name to the club, drew a design of a brotherhood pin to be worn and sent the design to a company at North Attleboro, Massachusetts. When the pin came back there was a unanimous call for more pins. The pin was the shape of a triangle, and had a raised, black enameled center in which the Greek letters Beta Delta Sigma were imbedded and in gold. Entirely around the triangle was a row of pearls.
The members had a particular handshake in their greeting of one another.
The club room was in the old school building. The room was re-floored, the walls decorated and college and high school girls furnished school pennants to brighten the walls. About once a month through the winter a dance was held, each member inviting his steady or some girl he knew who liked to dance. These dances lasted until twelve O'clock, were always chaperoned and was dress-up affairs. Girls came from Clayton, Stilesville, Greencastle, and occasionally one or two from Indianapolis and Terre Haute. Music was furnished by two colored boys from Greencastle, and one pianist, the other a trap-drummer.
Those belonging to this club were Emmett Bourne, Guy Masten, Joe Davidson, Frank O'Neal, Frank Hope, Bill McAninch, Joe Steers, Melville McHaffie and Wallace Brown.
Many elderly folks and church members considered these club members a bunch of young blades who did not know how to properly spend their money.
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Questions about Coatesville:
Contact Town Hall at 4994 Milton Street
Coatesville, IN 46121 765-386-7205
