Chapter IX- Early Organizations Now Gone

 Millville - The First 200 Years 

 Chapter IX

Early Organizations Now Gone

    A community removed from the high social activity of the coastal city many times withdraws into family units and fails to establish an organized social relationship. A settlement fails occasionally because of this inward turning. John Eves and the other early settlers did not permit this to happen in this area.

    Religion came to the community with the first family, and as the town expanded, many social groups were organized. Some still remain while others made their contribution and passed from the scene. A short summary of these organizations now gone is presented here.

    A lodge of Odd Fellows I.O.O.F. (No. 809) was organized on July 29, 1872, with twenty-one members. Shortly it disbanded, but in 1880 the charter was restored. In 1886 it was again surrendered and again restored in 1888. A more stable history followed and this fine organization continued till January 18, 1958, when the Orangeville lodge took in the twenty-one members from Millville, and the charter was finally laid down.

    While the lodge was active, a Lodge of Rebecca's was also organized. This group of Odd Fellows' wives and daughters served well until they too combined with their Orangeville sisters.

    Both of the lodges met for years on the third floor of the bank in facilities specifically built for them after moving from the old Odd Fellows' Hall.

    On September 3, 1886, a post of the Grand Army of the Republic was organized. Twenty-two men who had fought in the Civil War banded together for comradeship as the John R. Eves Post No. 536. The post was named for a descendant of the original founder, wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg. He died in the field hospital and was buried in an unmarked grave on the Rappahannock River. A member of Company I, 136th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, he gave his life for his principles.

    Several other fraternal organizations were established in the area. Rohrsburg Grange No. 108 was organized on February 12, 1874, with thirty members. It grew to number more than one hundred members before its decline. In 1870 a lodge of Freemasons was organized in Iola and moved in 1881 to Pine Summit. A lodge of Odd Fellows was organized shortly after the Masons left Iola, but surrendered their chapter within a few years. A camp of the Woodmen of the World was organized in Millville and the Junior Mechanics met here also for a period of time.

    All of these bodies have now ceased to meet. They are but a memory to the elderly.

    Societies for educational advancement were popular, although none have continued to this date. Many had long histories of service to the area. The earliest recorded was in 1857 when the Greenwood Literary Society was organized. Many other reading circles were organized and eventually, all were combined into the Society of Good Intent. This club continued for many years and helped sponsor the Lyceum Courses and the Chautauqua Society presentations held at various meeting halls. They included the Union Hall (now an apartment over D. W. Woolcock's Store), the Community Hall (removed in 1966 from the Community Park), and the Opera House (on the second floor of the building at the southwest corner of Walnut and State Streets).

    One of the organizations with a complete history is the band. George DeMott, a local boy, who became a professional entertainer of national renown, has preserved a complete history of these musical groups. Some of it is reproduced here.

    The first Millville Band was organized in 1875 and ran for about ten years. Worley Munroe, who was a teacher in the Millville Public Schools, was the teacher of the band and also its conductor (or director). Membership included the following men: B-flat cornets-Joe Leggett and Webb Heacock; E-flat cornets-John Emory Eves and D. W. Robbins; First and Second Alto Horns-Aquilla Eves and Harvey Parker; B-flat Tenor Horns-Hiram DeMott and Burgess Heacock; Till Stadtler on Baritone Horn; Harry Hayman-Bass Horn; Sherman Heller-Cymbals; Charlie Robbins-Snare Drum; Jesse Brumstetter-Bass Drum. The band rehearsed in Kisner’s Blacksmith Shop, and later at the suggestion of Worley Munroe, in a room in the school building. This band finally disbanded.

    Shortly thereafter, the second Millville Band was organized (about 1885).

    The third Millville Band was organized in 1906. Professor Rishel, then the principal of Millville High School, was the conductor. Rehearsals were held in the Millville Hotel at the corner of State and Main, in a third-floor room. This band had a nice set of uniforms and a good set of instruments. They also had their own bandwagon, pulled by a team of horses, and they used it to travel as a body to and from out-of-town engagements.

    When Professor Rishel left this section, Clinton Johnson took over as the band's conductor (or director) and remained in that position for the duration of the band. There was a brief period, sometime after World War I when for two or three years the band did not function very actively. But in 1927, it became increasingly active.

    After the band ceased to be allowed to rehearse in the Hotel, it did rehearse for a time in a vacant room over Billy Robbins' Farm Implement Store. Then for a period of years, it rehearsed in a room over the bank in the bank building, with this room being furnished by the local lodge of I.O.O.F. The last few years of the bands' duration, it rehearsed in a room over Baker's Store. This room was one which was rented by the local fire company and they donated its use to the band for weekly rehearsals. When Luther Baker decided to remodel the store, the band had to move out. No room in town could be found for the band to rehearse in. It eventually disbanded at a special business meeting in 1941 upon secret vote of the members.

    Back at the turn of the century, Millville also had another band. This was known as "Southwick's Band". It was directed and managed by a man known as Professor Southwick. This was a youth band and included, besides the Southwick children, several other local youngsters. Professor Southwick was a clarinetist, but he taught all band instruments.

    The Iola Band was organized around 1890 and was an active organization for about ten years or a bit more. Included among the members at the time it was organized were: Clint Hock, Warren Hayman, Tom Lewis, Tide Johnson, Charlie Robbins, Quill Eves (the director), Wood Schultz, John Emory Eves, John Harlan, Clint Johnson, John Russell, Frank Norman Watts, Marshall Thomas, Riley Karschner, Lossen Schultz.

    The rehearsals were held in an upstairs room in the Quill Eves General Store building in Iola. This band had a lovely set of fine uniforms and a good set of instruments. It owned its own bandwagon which was drawn by a team of horses. This was the old Stowe Band Wagon' purchased from the old 'Stowe Band' of Danville, Pennsylvania. It had been purchased by the early Millville Band who sold it to the Iola Band when the Millville Band disbanded temporarily.

    There were several other adult bands in this immediate section in the days gone by. Jerseytown had a fine band with good instruments and nice uniforms. Greenwood Valley, Sereno, Dutch Hill, Exchange, Buckhorn, and Orangeville all had good town bands. Unityville, Forks, and Derrs all had fife and drum corps. Eyers Grove had an eleven-piece orchestra.

    On November 19, 1956 (with special help from George DeMott) the Millville Community Band was organized. This band started from `scratch' and lasted for four years when it ceased to actively function. This band also had a nice set of uniforms. The late Wallace W. Eves was the director. Both men and women were members of this band, which was a very nice little band while it lasted. It rehearsed for a time in the music room of the local high school and later in the old fire hall.

    Traveling circuses and road shows appeared often in the community. In 1907, a large circus was performed for the residents and many followed to entertain the townsfolk. The last circus, the Von Brothers Circus, was set up near the present swimming pool and played for a week in the summer of 1953. Heavy rains turned the grounds into a sea of mud but the performances continued uninterrupted.

    The first motion pictures were shown by the Reverend Franklin Artley in the Methodist Church in town. Some said at the time this practice was not proper, and a general disagreement continued for some time over the activity. Here, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and many others performed on the white sheet hung for the entertainment of all. Later the Community Club arranged to provide these shows at the Community Hall. They continued there for several years.

    A commercial theater was built in 1947 to provide a more regulated presentation. Known as the Millville Theatre and later as the Roy, it provided a great show when movies were not competing with television and it was the place to go for a trip into make-believe. With some structural changes, Woodrow Kindt converted the building for use as a lawnmower sales and service shop after the theatre could no longer operate profitably and closed in the early fifties.

    With this many exposures to the entertainment business, it is interesting to note that several area citizens left town to follow that profession: Iris Seidel, Brooks Welliver, Helen Eves, Samuel Eves, George DeMott, Sunny Sue and Pappy Phillips from Rohrsburg and Ray Artman were a few of these in later years.

    These clubs, societies, fraternities, and entertainment groups were organized for the improvement of the communities they served, and many are missed as their objectives are not being accomplished by others today. Others completely failed to establish sufficient accomplishments to remain if only in the records of their accomplishments.

Additions and corrections made for this Second Edition. DBG

Second Edition- Copyright Dean B. Girton Dec. 30, 2022