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About Us
Milestones in the History of the Independent Order of Svithiod
(1880-2000)
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On December 3rd, 1880, a group of eight men met
at Bowman's Hall, now 370 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL.
There the cornerstone was laid for the Svithiod of today. On March
14, 1881, Simon Hallberg was officially
elected Chariman of the newly-formed organization and a committee
was appointed to draft the by laws. The
Independent Order of Svithiod, a fraternal beneficial society, was
officially chartered on September 2, 1881.
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The year 1893 was a very important milestone in
the history of the Svithiod Order. On the 25th of June, the
Grand Lodge came into being with Axel Blomfelt as the first Grand
Master and Bernhard Peterson as Secretary.
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The year 1916 was a very important year because
it was decided to allow women to become members.
Adga C. Nordlund of Skandia Lodge No. 27 became the first woman
to sign an application for membership and
was admitted on May 10, 1916. In June of 1916 the first ladies'
lodge, Alpha No. 50 was instituted.
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Six more new lodges were organized to accommodate
the growing I.O. Svithiod, bringing the grand total to 67 lodges
in all. The membership role reached the 16,000 mark. During the
Grand lodge year 1923-1924, a record total of 2,260 new members
were admitted to membership.
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In August of 1962 at the convention held in Rockford,
Illinois, an important resolution was adopted, allowing
persons of Scandinavian birth or extraction to become members of
Svithiod. Up to this time, only persons of
Swedish birth or extraction had been accepted into membership. Now,
persons of Scandinavian heritage: Danish,
Icelandic, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish, were eligible to join
the Order. This was a very important milestone
in Svithod's history.
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Our Centennial Year, 1980, was momentous in Svithiod's
history. Observances of various kinds were held throughout the year
in the subordinate lodges to celebrate our 100 years of existence.
On Sunday, October 19, 1980, a Centennial Pageant was held at Mather
High School in Chicago, portraying our Order's 100th Anniversary.
It was attended by over 500 people. The climax of the year's festivities
was the 100th Anniversary Banquet, held at the O'Hare Marriott Hotel
in Chicago on November 30, 1980. Seven hundred people attended this
fitting finale to a spectacular era. These festivities were chaired
by Past Grand master Edna Hofverberg along with many other hard-working
and dedicated Svithiod members, which made these events successful. |
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Officers
Grand Master
Daniel C. Schubring, Orion No. 64
Vice Grand Master
Warren G. Marrs , Svithiod 1 & Verdandi 3 Lodges
Secretary-Treasurer
Arlene J. Lindell, Svithiod 1
& Verdandi Lodge No. 3 |
Board of Directors
Fay Anderson - Svithiod 1 Lodge
Susan Bloss - Svithiod 1 & Verdandi 3 Lodges
Janice Marrs - Svithiod 1 & Verdandi 3 Lodges
Rhonda Santana - Orion 64 Lodge
Sandra Schroeder - Svithiod 1 Lodge
Robert Sklar - Svithiod 1 Lodge
Bill Geist, Verdandi Lodge No. 3
William Wajvoda, Orion Lodge No. 64
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SVITHIOD NO. 1
3rd Tuesday (starting May 2016)
7:00 P.M. Svithiod Hall
5516 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60630-3493
Chairman - Sandra Schroeder
VERDANDI NO. 3
2nd and 4th Thursday
7:00 P.M. Svithiod Hall
5516 W. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60630-3493
Chairman - Janet Nelson
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BRAGE NO. 29
2nd Friday of the Month
6:00 P.M. for Potluck at
Salem Lutheran Church
1700 W. War Memorial Drive
Peoria, IL.
Chairman - Nadine Willems
ORION NO. 64
3rd Thursday
7:30 P.M. at
Laurel Masonic Temple
2401 N. Ernst
Franklin Park, IL. 60130
Chairman - Harold Johnson |
