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 Texas Pythian Home Posted by:  QuesterMark
N 32° 45.026 W 097° 45.374
14S E 616517 N 3624305
This marker is on the grounds of the Home, where the driveway meets the sidewalk that leads to the 'castle', in Weatherford, Parker County.
Waymark Code: WM8RW6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/08/2010
Views: 8
Marker erected by: Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Atlas data:
Index Entry: Texas Pythian Home
Address: 1825 E Bankhead Drive
City: Weatherford
County: Parker
Subject Codes: fraternal organizations; youth organizations; orphanages; institutional buildings
Year Marker Erected: 1985
Designations: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Marker Location: 1825 E. Bankhead Drive, 3 miles east of Weatherford.
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Number: 5266
Marker Text:
The Texas Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias considered building a home for dependent widows and children as early as 1886. In 1897 the Grand Lodge Convention started a fund to establish such a home. Both the Knights and the Pythian Sisters of Texas contributed to the fund, and in 1905 the decision was made to find a location and to make plans for the construction of the home.
The cornerstone for the massive main building was laid at this site near Weatherford in 1907. Of brick and stone construction, the building exhibits Moorish influences and contains 52 rooms. The first floor originally housed the girls' dormitory, a dining room, and the kitchen, while the second floor served as the boys' dormitory and contained an auditorium. Additional dormitory facilities were built later and are joined to the main building by arched walkways.
Originally known as the "Widows and Orphans Home and Industrial School", the establishment opened in 1909, with the first residents coming from Amarillo, Sherman, and Beaumont. Over the years, it has served a great need in caring for dependent widows and orphans. The main building of the Texas Pythian Home has long been a landmark in Parker County.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
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