Clarksville in Montgomery County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery

Since 1898

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 4, 2022

1. IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery Marker

Inscription.

IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery. Since 1898. This marker is to honor the thousands of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs of Tennessee (past and present) who have supported the Odd Fellows Home of Tennessee (1898-1948) and this cemetery, established in 1898. It also honors the hundreds of boys and girls who were raised in the Odd Fellows Home of Clarksville, Tennessee. These children were given a home to establish them in life and were guided by their dedicated teachers, supervisors, and superintendents who carried on, for fifty years, this mission for young children. Two superintendents were outstanding as they were at the home most of the fifty years. They were: Mr. and Mrs. E.E. York (1912-1927) and Mr. and Mrs. Gray Acree (1928-1944). This monument honors all who had a part in this great mission., In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40, Reverse , Approximately five hundred feet west from this cemetery were four large brick buildings, the center of the Odd Fellows Home. The first was the boys' dormitory and schoolrooms; the next housed the superintendent family and the matrons; then the kitchen and dining room and the girls' dormitory: and lastly, the building for the old people., On the 260 acres of woodland, pastures, and farmland was a large dairy barn and a mule barn; all tended by the Odd Fellows Home. With electricity, furnace heat, running water for bathrooms, and a large laundry room, all were quite modern in the early 1900's., Most of the children at the Home had lost their fathers; some both parents. Here they were taught discipline, principles to live by, and the meaning of true values., World War II took many of the boys into military service. We honor here the ones who gave the final sacrifice for our great nation's freedom and the freedom of Western Europe and Japan. Here named are those heroes: , James Bryant . Carl Edwards . J.F. Gurley . Howard "Smiley" Johnson . Charles "Eddie" Moore . Lewis Smith, Odd Fellow Home Cemetery Committee: Vester Powers, Chairman . Carl James . W.C. Edwards II . Allen Walker

This marker is to honor the thousands of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs of Tennessee (past and present) who have supported the Odd Fellows Home of Tennessee (1898-1948) and this cemetery, established in 1898. It also honors the hundreds of boys and girls who were raised in the Odd Fellows Home of Clarksville, Tennessee. These children were given a home to establish them in life and were guided by their dedicated teachers, supervisors, and superintendents who carried on, for fifty years, this mission for young children. Two superintendents were outstanding as they were at the home most of the fifty years. They were: Mr. & Mrs. E.E. York (1912-1927) and Mr. & Mrs. Gray Acree (1928-1944). This monument honors all who had a part in this great mission.

In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40

Reverse
Approximately five hundred feet west from this cemetery were four large brick buildings, the center of the Odd Fellows Home. The first was the boys' dormitory and schoolrooms; the next housed the superintendent family and the matrons; then the kitchen and dining room and the girls' dormitory: and lastly, the building for the old people.

On the 260 acres of woodland, pastures, and farmland was a large dairy barn and a mule barn; all tended

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by the Odd Fellows Home. With electricity, furnace heat, running water for bathrooms, and a large laundry room, all were quite modern in the early 1900's.

Most of the children at the Home had lost their fathers; some both parents. Here they were taught discipline, principles to live by, and the meaning of true values.

World War II took many of the boys into military service. We honor here the ones who gave the final sacrifice for our great nation's freedom and the freedom of Western Europe and Japan. Here named are those heroes:
James Bryant • Carl Edwards • J.F. Gurley • Howard "Smiley" Johnson • Charles "Eddie" Moore • Lewis Smith

Odd Fellow Home Cemetery Committee: Vester Powers, Chairman • Carl James • W.C. Edwards II • Allen Walker

Erected by International Order of Odd Fellows.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Charity & Public Work • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.

Location. 36° 32.928′ N, 87° 22.133′ W. Marker is in Clarksville, Tennessee, in Montgomery County. Marker is at the intersection of North Ford Street and E Street, on the right when traveling north on North Ford Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Clarksville TN 37042, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8

IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery Marker - Reverse Side image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, April 27, 2024

2. IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery Marker - Reverse Side

other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Valentine Sevier Station (approx. 0.4 miles away); Sevier Station (approx. half a mile away); Valentine Sevier, Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Freedmen School and Church (approx. half a mile away); Fort Defiance (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Fort Defiance (approx. half a mile away); Fort Defiance Interpretive Center (approx. half a mile away); Bringing the War to Clarksville (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clarksville.

Also see . . .
1. Orphanage may be long gone, but Odd Fellows still evening odds in Clarksville. During its heyday in the 1920s, the facility housed about 200 boys and girls, along with about 60 retired Odd Fellows. (Tim Parrish, The Leaf-Chronicle, posted May 22, 2020) (Submitted on September 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery. Find-a-Grave page on the cemetery includes photographs and burial details. (Submitted on September 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 4, 2022

3. IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery Marker

Odd Fellows Home, Clarksville image. Click for full size.

via Tennessee State Library & Archives (Public Domain), 1925

4. Odd Fellows Home, Clarksville

Several Odd Fellows members pose on the front steps of the home.

IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, April 27, 2024

5. IOOF Tennessee Odd Fellows Home Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 85 times this year. Last updated on June 21, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. Photos: 1. submitted on September 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on May 19, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 3, 4. submitted on September 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 5. submitted on May 19, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.