PART II

THE MEGEATH HOUSE GANG

1930 - 1945

It is easy to romanticize the past . . . an era that is long gone can be whatever the memory allows.

Half a century later, most memories of growing up in the Megeath House are fond ones. Friendships of 65 years standing were made there.

They were like "one large family", each boy being assigned a nickname to show "he belonged".

There might have been fights, now and then, but only to determine where a boy belonged in the pecking order. The fight ended when one fellow said "That's enough".

On many a Wednesday, the boys were reminded the Board of Directors had met in the library the night before . . . for the smell of cigar smoke lingered a long while.

On one of those Board meetings in 1930 it was decided to purchase a farm 4 miles north of Elkhorn, NE. The large house could handle a number of boys, and there was plenty of space for vegetable gardens and raising crops and animals.

The Home's superintendent, James Noble, added a farm couple to his small but growing child care staff.

"We stayed on the farm from Monday until Saturday in the summertime. Mr. Stanley as the farmer in charge of the boys, a very nice man but he sure believed in hard work . . . every Wednesday he took us swimming in the Elkhorn River, just downstream from a herd of cows. It wasn't all that much fun to hoe potatoes. The rows seemed to go on forever. Mrs. Stanley really fed us well, with big silver pitchers of milk that were never empty. We could drink all the milk we wanted at every meal. We could stay up until 10 o'clock, but everyone was in bed asleep by 8 or 9. That's life on the farm."

- ERNIE THOMPSON, a resident from 1933-39

Crippling arthritis was to force the early retirement of James Noble in 1934, and he and his wife and 3 boys moved to a home close to Carter Lake in northeast Omaha.

The new superintendent was William Nielsen - who had been a member of the Home's Board of Trustees - and Bill Nielsen and his wife Amelia were to guide the Home for 9 years. They ruled with love and strict discipline.

Miss Havercamp, the matron, is surely remembered by all the boys who knew her . . . short and stocky, she could swing the paddle as hard as anyone, when necessary.

She read Bible passages after dinner, and each Saturday night, just before bedtime, every boy got in line in the medicine room for a spoonful of cod liver oil.

Then Miss Havercamp would pull slivers and doctor scratches and cuts with "the hottest iodine in the world".

The Nielsens and Miss Havercamp ran the Home through the years of the Great Depression, and while the Home was not "wealthy" it was a point of pride with the local Masons that they kept running through the hard times.

To the annual fundraising campaign, held each fall among the Masonic Lodges, were added appeal letters at Easter and Christmas.

And in 1938 the Home published a newsletter for the first time - "Boys At Home", a publication which would continue for nearly 3 decades.

The boys at the Home considered themselves lucky, as the Megeath House was sandwiched between 2 great places for youngsters to play . . . Hanscom Park to the east, and to the west a large play area donated by the Megeath family.

It was called, simply, "the lot".
". . . it was about the size of a football field, enclosed by a chain fence. I seem to recall that on each end there grew a huge cottonwood tree. On a lazy hot summer day one could climb all the way up to one of the branches and stretch out with a 'Horatio Alger' book and, at the same time, catch a soft breeze that made the leaves dance . . . You could take part in a ball game or down at the other end of the lot someone might be digging a cave, which was nothing more than a hole covered over with pieces of wood or cardboard, whatever could be scrounged up."

- HAROLD THOMPSON, a resident from 1930-39

"The lot" was important to others as well - not just the boys of the Home. Sometimes there were scuffles between the Home's boys and a team of players from a nearby church.

Boys from each side would pair off by size, and short lived battles held to see who would control the baseball diamond that day.

And a major leaguer developed his skills on the Home's playground as well.

Rex Barney practiced almost nightly on the ballfield with his father during the 1930's - his blazing fastball carried him to the big leagues after World War II.

Pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he appeared in 4 World Series games in the last 1940's. A career highlight came when he no-hit the New York Giants in 1948 . . . a long way from the diamond on "the lot" on South 35th Street.

(The site, on the east side of 35th Street 2 blocks west of the Megeath House, can still be identified - homes there now date from the 1940's and are much newer than those that surround them.)

If the desire for exercise or competition was fulfilled on "the lot", then another outlet opened up - with the creation of the Masonic Home Boys' Band.

It all started on Christmas morning, 1935, when members of Omaha's Square and Compass Club arrived at the Home with musical instruments.

Enthusiasm was great, and regular practices were held. Soon, flashy red, white and blue uniforms appeared - more instruments obtained - and there were appearances at Masonic functions, county and state fairs, and in parades nearby.

Many of our boys also played in the Tech High band, one of the outstanding school bands in the state, and there was a joint appearance of the 2 bands in 1938.

Once, the band gave a concert on local radio. Many of our most experienced players left to serve in World War II . . . and then Glenn Scudder, our faithful band leader, was transferred from Omaha in 1942.

The golden days of the Masonic Home Band were over. Attempts to revive the program met with little success.

But the memories linger . . . of Donald Retz who went on to play in the U.S. Navy Band, and Robert Moore who played with the Wayne King orchestra, of Boyd Cockerill, so skillful with the baton as he led the Tech High band . . . and of the many other young fellows who shared in this special part of our Home's history.
"Since so many of us playing in the band attended Windsor School, they started a band over there. I went on to play in the Tech High band, American Legion, Nebraska State Guard, Elks, Boy Scouts and Union Pacific Bands, and with dance bands on weekends. During the war I played at Army Camps with the Midwest USO. It took a while for me to realize that the training I had received in the Home was, in many ways, way ahead of theirs in their regular homes . . . ".

- BURTON PACE, a resident from 1929-42

The Megeath House was getting old. On top of almost 3 decades of housing the Megeath family, just think of what 60 young boys under one roof could do!

The Board first started to seriously consider a campaign to raise money for a new campus in 1936.

Three years later, in 1939, a visionary report by a special committee of the Board laid the groundwork for the future of the Home:

. . . the Home should become a "national" home

. . . the Megeath House should be abandoned in favor of a new home on an acreage, where the boys would live in cottages and not a dormitory setting

. . . the Elkhorn farm, while not as successful as had been hoped, should be maintained

. . . there should be more emphasis on publicity and fundraising, and increases in child care workers

The case had been made - now to implement the plan!

Many attractive parcels of land, both inside the City of Omaha and out, were examined.

One was particularly impressive - only a few years before, as a matter of fact, it had almost become the new campus for the University of Omaha.

The 59 acre Solomon farm was located on the southeast corner of 52nd Street and Ames Avenue, 2 narrow brick roads on the outskirts of the City.

Surrounded by a large dairy farm, and cornfields in all directions, the farm held a racetrack for horses, a huge orchard, a farmhouse with a few sheds, and most of all a beautiful view in all directions.

The land was on one of the highest hills around - one day to become known as Inspiration Hill.

In February, 1941, a great opportunity presented itself. For the sum of $2,000, plus the Elkhorn Farm, the property on 52nd Street was secured for the Masonic Home's new campus.

Work began immediately on the first construction - a utility building with garages and an apartment which would serve as headquarters for growth of the new campus.

The decision was made that the new campus would consist of several cottages - and not large dormitories - built around a traffic circle along a winding road.

Efforts to raise funds were started, and in June, 1941 the Masonic Boys' Home Band and city leaders led ceremonies to put up a flag at the hill's highest point.

One of the dignitaries present was Past Grand Master Joseph Fredenburg, who, 21 years earlier, had approved the use of the word "Masonic" in the name of the independent home for children . . .
"In retrospect, those of us at the Home during the Depression and early war years probably had more and better of the basic needs -food - shelter - clothing - than many boys living with their own families, where the breadwinner was not employed . . . I need to express gratitude to all the people who supported our Home with money, time, labor and love . . ".

- GENE THOMPSON, a resident from 1933-43

A word about the Elkhorn Farm - it had never quite lived up to the hopes of the Board, its remoteness and muddy country roads could cause problems.

In 1941, though, it fulfilled its greatest mission - by helping make possible the Home's final location on 52nd Street.

The large farmhouse and most of the same buildings - north of Elkhorn at 20906 Rainwood Road - are there yet, and to this day brick pillars with their Masonic symbols stand guard at the entrance to the driveway.

Like the Megeath House, the Elkhorn Farm will forever hold a special place in the history of the Home.

By late 1941 it could be reported that 6,200 gifts for $96,000 had been pledged for the construction of new buildings.

In early 1942, the Home officially became the "Omaha Masonic Home for Boys" . . . a farm manager was hired for the new property, and he took up residence in the utility building . . . and an architect was hired to draw a master plan for the new campus.

George Prinz designed a campus with residential cottages centered around a traffic circle on a winding road, and he selected the Georgia Southern style of architecture featuring brick construction with stone lintels over the windows and doors - a style faithfully followed through the years.

World War II intervened to slow building construction, as certain materials came in short supply, but it allowed good time to plan, as well.

For, if the Home was to expand from the Megeath House to a brand new campus with many cottages, this called for administrative changes as well.

Jesse Arnold was hired in 1942 to be the General Superintendent and to guide the business and fundraising functions.

It was recognized that the annual fundraising campaign among the Masonic Lodges, even though it still raised the bulk of the Home's annual budget, could not continue to do so if the Home grew as planned.

To the Home's mailing list of 7,500 names would now be added promotional names in an effort to gain more donors, and a more ambitious mailing schedule was organized.

Of all of those things the boys knew little. They knew about the War, and they saw many of the Home's young men leave to serve their country in it.

Otherwise their world continued to center around 33rd Street and the many places its sidewalks could take you.
"Why was the Masonic Home so great? . . . It was all the people associated with it - and because of the customs and traditions established by the youngsters themselves. You did your work and you went to church every Sunday . . . You didn't smoke and you didn't steal and you didn't show any form of disrespect to your elders. Why? Because you were a 'Masonic Home Boy', that's why!!

- WALLACE NELSON, a resident from 1938-43

They also knew the Home had the new farm, and soon a few of the older boys got to stay at the new location to help the farm manager with the crops and by planting trees.

Harold Fisk was the first of those boys, so it may be said he was the first boy from the Home to live on the new campus.

At the November, 1943, meeting of the Board a letter concerning the "hazardous conditions" at the old Megeath House was received from the City Building Department.

Two decades of all those boys had taken their toll.

It was time to move, and a proposal was adopted to build 5 cottages for 16 boys each on the new site.

The Board voted to name cottages after a sponsor, providing each sponsor would donate $15,000 toward the cost of construction.

The first 3 cottages were sponsored by the Tangier Temple - to be known as the Shrine Cottage - and by Earl K. Buck and Henry B. Neef.

Cornerstone ceremonies for these 3 cottages were conducted on October 21, 1944, and because foundation work had been completed already the Home planned for a move to its new campus the next summer.

1945 came, the War was nearing an end thankfully, and the construction schedule was met.

The Board made plans to sell the 7 lots on 35th Street, the fabled playground, for housing construction - and Our Lady of Lourdes Church tendered an $11,000 offer for the

Megeath House and its spacious grounds.

It was understood, however, that the playground equipment used by the smaller boys would accompany them to the new location.

The big day took place in July, 1945 when the boys boarded a bus, carrying with them their clothing and personal possessions, and left the Megeath House for the first 3 cottages on Inspiration Hill.

The Megeath House, home to countless boys for 22 years, was to be demolished. The location is now a paved school playground, with only the driveway entrance in the curb along the street to remind the visitor of what once was there.

But in the bargain, the Home had found "its home" . . at last.

 

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