Celebrating History: Havre gets ready to celebrate Easter

Emily Mayer

Havre was keeping itself very busy this week 100 years ago. Easter was happening at the exact same time, and each church submitted detailed information as to their Easter services. They included the Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist, Catholic and Lutheran.

Because of the Lenten season, few parties and balls were being held. However, that didn't mean planning wasn't going on to hold celebrations after Easter. Here is one article that appeared on the front page of The Havre Plaindealer's April 3, 1915 issue:

ODD FELLOWS ARRANGE FIRST ANNUAL DANCE

Will Occur in Lyceum Hall Evening of April Ninth.

Next Friday evening, April ninth, the Odd Fellows lodge of Havre will hold their first annual dance in Lyceum hall in this city. Invitations for this event, which promises to be an enjoyable one, have already been mailed to members and friends.

The anniversary of the Odd Fellows occurs the latter part of the month, and elaborate preparations are being made by the local lodge for a fitting celebration of this important occasion. Details of the celebration will be published later.

In the Plaindealer's "The Social Whirl" society pages, news of various gatherings and parties were not as numerous as they would be had it not been the Lenten season. Here are a couple of those gatherings:

Woman's Club Ball

One of the most eagerly anticipated and delightful functions of the post-lenten season will be the Woman's Club ball on April thirteenth, for which invitations were this week issued. The ladies in charge of the various committees are Mesdames Skylstead, Wilson, L. R. McKenzie and Lewis and Mesdames Benson, D. S. McKenzie, Boone and Bossout, past presidents of the club, will act on the reception committee. The affair will undoubtedly be one of the pretties of the season and the committees are endeavoring to make it a perfect success.

Silver Tea

The ladies of the Methodist church will hold a silver tea this afternoon, Saturday, from two thirty to seven thirty in the furniture department of the F. A. Buttrey store. A very dainty menu of sandwiches, salad, ice cream, sherbet, assorted cake and coffee will be served. In addition to the tea a supper will be served from five thirty to seven thirty.

In other entries in the social pages about buildings, in the Plaindealer, were:

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Jestrab, who have had apartments in the Clack flats during the winter months, have moved into a cozy bungalow in University addition.

A building permit was issued yesterday to G. C. Greene calling for the erection of a home on Seventh street between Second and Third avenues. The home will cost $2,500, and J. F. Krause has been awarded the building contract.

The shack on the homestead of E. C. Carruth, near Kremlin, was destroyed by fire last Monday morning. the loss was about $500.00 and was partially covered by insurance.

Edwin Cooley Carruth was one of this area's most active and productive citizens, one for whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration. He, along with Ted Oltesvig and K. C. Farley, organized the town of Kremlin. He had his hands in everything from the newspaper business to the "Good Roads" movement during his lifetime. His resume of doing good things for Havre is impressive. His greatest accomplishment, however, was the hard work he did to help create Northern Montana College.

In the Hill County Democrat's edition, we find:

The board of county commissioners will meet April 1 at the office of the clerk and recorder, when they will call the bids for the erection of the new court house.

Six building permits were issued Monday from the city engineers office to the following parties. A dwelling one story high by S. Belland, to cost $1,750. A dwelling on Third avenue, to cost $655, by S. R. Frost. Shepard and Pierson company, three dwellings in East Havre to cost $1,500. A dwelling to cost $1,800 on Eleventh street, by Frank Nelson.

The W. C. T. U. met with Mrs. D. O'Neil, 432 Second avenue, on Wednesday, March 31, at 2:30 p.m.

The newspapers carried various articles about the Prohibition movement in Montana, and at the forefront was the Women's Christian Temperance Union, of which Havre had a dedicated and strong club. So far, the newspapers in Havre are making it clear they do not want Prohibition, but for those who know their Montana history, Montana voters passed the Prohibition initiative in November 1916, nearly four years before the Volstead Act took effect nationwide. And, we all know how that turned out.

There wasn't any building information to report on from Box Elder this week, but the Hingham Review's April 2 issue reported:

The carpenter boys of Hingham have made some very artistic seats with mission finish for the Union Sunday school.

The small school building which was purchased by the Commercial club has been moved to the west side of Central Ave., three lots north of First St. South. The club will hold its sessions in this building after it is furnished.