RIDGEDALE — Fire late Sunday [May 26, 1968] afternoon destroyed the Orange Hall in the Village of Ridgedale, 20 miles northwest of Tisdale. Most of the contents of the building were saved by residents of the village.
Some insurance is carried, a lodge officer reported after the blaze. A village resident reported the fire appeared to have started on the exterior of the building but the cause had not been determined.
The building, a frame structure, was erected in 1914 three miles west of Ridgedale. It was moved to Ridgedale in 1922 and served as the first school in the village. It was later the village’s first church and until three years ago had served as an additional school room.
The building measured 26x52 feet. No plans have been made regarding replacement, a lodge official said Monday.
Tisdale Fire Department, under Assistant Chief Dudley, answered an alarm from the village, but the fire was too far advanced by the time the equipment arrived for it to be of any assistance in quelling the blaze. It was used to wet down the surrounding area to prevent the fire from spreading.
The hall, in addition to being used for meetings of the LOL [Loyal Orange Lodge] and LOBA [Lodges of the Ladies’ Orange Benevolent Association], was frequently used by village and district residents for showers, card parties and other social functions.
Most of the contents of the building, including a stove, piano and other furnishing, were saved by residents before the building was engulfed by the fire.
