Mooseheart
Encyclopedia
Mooseheart is an unincorporated village and a home for children run by the Loyal Order of Moose in Kane County
, Illinois
, USA. It is located near Aurora, Illinois
. Also known as City of Children, a short documentary film City of Children (1949) written by John Nesbitt
was in the Passing Parade
.
between Batavia
and North Aurora
on the west side of the Fox River
, located about 40 miles (64.4 km) west of Chicago. Ohio Congressman John Lentz, a member of the Order's Supreme Council, conceived the name "Mooseheart" for the new community.
On Sunday, July 27, 1913, several thousand Moose men and women (for the Women of the Moose received formal recognition that year as the organization's official female component) gathered under a rented circus tent toward the south end of the new property and placed the cornerstone for Mooseheart. The first 11 youngsters in residence were present, having been admitted earlier that month; they and a handful of workers were housed in the original farmhouse and a few rough-hewn frame buildings that had been erected that spring.
Mooseheart's construction proceeded rapidly over the next decade, but its growth barely kept pace with the admissions. The student population was nearly 1,000 by 1920. Mooseheart's student population would reach a peak of 1,300 during the Great Depression
. Housing was often "barracks" style. (Mooseheart officials now consider the campus' ultimate maximum capacity as no more than 500.) Still, by the 1920s, Davis and his Moose colleagues thought the fraternity should do more—this time for aged members who were having trouble making ends meet in retirement. (A limited number of elderly members had been invited to live at Mooseheart since 1915.)
In 1922, the Moose began to build Moosehaven, a facility for retired Moose, as an adjunct to Mooseheart.
Kane County, Illinois
Kane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, which is an increase of 27.5% from 404,119 in 2000. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora.- Geography :...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, USA. It is located near Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
. Also known as City of Children, a short documentary film City of Children (1949) written by John Nesbitt
John Nesbitt (announcer)
John Nesbitt was an actor, narrator, announcer, producer and screenwriter born in Victoria, British Columbia, who died in Carmel, California...
was in the Passing Parade
Passing Parade
The Passing Parade, a.k.a. John Nesbitt's Passing Parade, was an American radio series created, written, and narrated by John Nesbitt which was adapted into an Oscar-winning series of MGM short subjects...
.
History
In late 1912 the organization purchased the Brookline Farm, over 1000 acres (4 km²) along the then-unpaved Lincoln HighwayLincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
between Batavia
Batavia, Illinois
Batavia was founded in 1833, and is the oldest city in Kane County, Illinois, with a small portion in DuPage County. During the Industrial Revolution, Batavia became known as ‘The Windmill City’ for being the largest windmill producer of the time...
and North Aurora
North Aurora, Illinois
North Aurora is village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. A suburb of Chicago, its population was 15,848 at the 2009 census.In its early history, North Aurora was known as "Schneider's Mill" or "Schneider's Crossing" after John Peter Schneider, a German immigrant who established a mill and...
on the west side of the Fox River
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...
, located about 40 miles (64.4 km) west of Chicago. Ohio Congressman John Lentz, a member of the Order's Supreme Council, conceived the name "Mooseheart" for the new community.
On Sunday, July 27, 1913, several thousand Moose men and women (for the Women of the Moose received formal recognition that year as the organization's official female component) gathered under a rented circus tent toward the south end of the new property and placed the cornerstone for Mooseheart. The first 11 youngsters in residence were present, having been admitted earlier that month; they and a handful of workers were housed in the original farmhouse and a few rough-hewn frame buildings that had been erected that spring.
Mooseheart's construction proceeded rapidly over the next decade, but its growth barely kept pace with the admissions. The student population was nearly 1,000 by 1920. Mooseheart's student population would reach a peak of 1,300 during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Housing was often "barracks" style. (Mooseheart officials now consider the campus' ultimate maximum capacity as no more than 500.) Still, by the 1920s, Davis and his Moose colleagues thought the fraternity should do more—this time for aged members who were having trouble making ends meet in retirement. (A limited number of elderly members had been invited to live at Mooseheart since 1915.)
In 1922, the Moose began to build Moosehaven, a facility for retired Moose, as an adjunct to Mooseheart.