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Former Eastern Star Home Building |
Major General James A. Hoyer |
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Cindy Strakal, Worthy Grand Matron |
Cindy Strakal and General Lemons |
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Armory Dedication
General James A. Hoyer, Adjutant General West Virginia National Guard, Jackson County Commissers, distinguished guests good afternoon.
It is indeed a privilege and honor to represent the West Virginia Order of the Eastern Star today at this most important event in Jackson County. The Worthy Grand Patron and I want to thank those who organized this day for inviting us to take part in this historic event. This property has played an important role in our organization’s history. We are grateful to be included in the development of this training facility and hope we will continue to be included for many years to come. The Order of the Eastern Star is benevolent and charitable in its actions, raising millions of dollars annually throughout the world for projects that benefit all human kind. The lessons of our Order are spiritual and teach us to have a deep love for God, Country and family.
In 1858, in a home located on this property was born to Ruben and Sarah Stone Douglass a daughter named Sallie. She spent her childhood playing on these grounds and attending the local schools. She married Christopher Kneeream, a resident of Ravenswood, West Virginia and they moved to Kentucky. Several years later, she returned to the property to care for her invalid father. She learned the lessons of our Order well and served as Worthy Grand Matron of our Order in 1911. Sallie D. Kneeream believed that the protection of widows and orphans was a true obligation of our Order and worked tirelessly to establish an Eastern Star Home in West Virignia.
Prior to her death in January 1934, through her great desire to have an Eastern Star Home for West Virginia’s aged Eastern Star members, she bequeathed to West Virginia Eastern Star her 400 acre beautiful farm and home. She stipulated that a new building be erected. On June 12, 1935, the corner stone of the Eastern Star Home was laid. The home was named the R. & R. H. Douglass Memorial Eastern Star Home in memory of her father.
By the mid 1980’s, there were no longer residents in the home and the Eastern Star established a Benevolent Trust Fund to aid needy members in 1989. Following the recent sale of the Eastern Star property to the state, the R. & R. H. Douglass Memorial Endowment Fund was established to comply with the will of Sallie D. Kneeream. This fund was created from funds received from the sale of this property. The charitable fund was decreed by the Jackson County Court to be created to provide assistance to aged members, widows, and orphans of members of the Order of the Eastern Star. In addition to the trust fund, the Eastern Star grand trustees also ordered the funds which had accumulated for the maintenance and operations of the property be placed in a scholarship fund for Eastern Star members and their children and grandchildren. The scholarships awarded from that fund are given today as the Sallie D. Kneeream Memorial Scholarships.
Sallie Kneeream had a vision for this property to be used to benefit those in need. That vision lives on in Eastern Star with the proceeds from the sale of this property in its trust fund and in scholarships to deserving members and their children. Not only does Sallie’s vision live on, but this facility will continue to benefit the Jackson County community for generations to come. On this Veterans Day, we honor our service men and women, how fitting it is that we dedicate this facility to their continued training and to a facility that will benefit our citizens. Eastern Star has always been an organization that supports veterans and the military services. We are active with projects in West Virginia’s VA Hospitals and Veterans homes in Barboursville and Clarksburg. Our chapters will be having programs to honor veterans not only on this special day but throughout the month of November. Our members, like all Americans, are thankful for the sacrifice of our dedicated service men and women and we thank all of you for your service. May God continue to bless all of you. God bless America. God bless West Virginia
