Most of us have probably heard of the Masons, the Moose, the Elks, and the Eagles- fraternal organizations mostly named after animals whose lodges dot our local landscape. Some may have even heard of more obscure groups like the Odd Fellows or the Knights of Pythias! I’d only ever known Modern Woodmen of America through the distinctive grave markers left by some of its members, and it wasn’t until I stumbled across an old lodge hall in Eaton that the organization suddenly took on more of a physical presence.
With a population of only 1,600, Eaton, Indiana, is not a large place. Along Harris Street, though, the town’s compact business district still preserves a nice collection of buildings that rose during the boom years of east-central Indiana’s natural gas era. One near the western boundary of the strip, is Eaton’s old M.W.A. Lodge.
Modern Woodmen of America traces its roots to 1883, when it was founded by Joseph Allen Root of Lyons, Iowa. Root belonged to several fraternal societies over the years, but he saw a gap that none of them fully addressed: protecting families through life insurance when the loss of a breadwinner left them most vulnerable1.
Root set out to build something more purposeful, an organization grounded in mutual aid, security, and shared responsibility. One Sunday at church, he heard a pastor describe pioneer woodmen clearing forests to create homes, communities, and stability for their families. The image stuck, and Root adopted “woodmen” as a symbol of strength and cooperation, adding “modern” to emphasize progress and “of America” for patriotism2.
Eaton’s M.W. of A. Lodge No. 5716 was organized in 1909 with thirteen charter members. Omer R. Fisher was chosen as the lodge’s captain. The new fraternity made its first public appearance that June, when all of Eaton’s secret societies turned out together for a community event3. It’s hard to think of tiny Eaton as the home of a variety of lodges, but it’s true! The MWA group even extended an invitation to William Jennings Bryan -the recent Democratic nominee for president- but Bryan was predictably unable to make time4.
In 1911, Eaton’s Camp No. 5716 welcomed eight new members into the order during a well-attended initiation. The ceremony even drew visiting Woodmen from Montpelier, Hartford City, and other nearby lodges5! Unfortunately, the research trail sort of dries up from there. A 1920 Sanborn fire insurance map of Eaton lists the building as a grain storage facility6, but it still hosted occasional dances as late as 19227.
I’m not sure what Eaton’s old Modern Woodmen hall is used for today, if it’s used at all. The building has been extended to the rear and is now sealed tight, boarded up everywhere except for a single garage door cut into its center. On the north side, a ghost sign seems to spell out “GARAGE,” but there’s little else to suggest what, if anything, still stirs inside the structure.
Even in its silence, the old lodge still does its work. Eaton’s Modern Woodmen hall may no longer host meetings or initiations, but it remains a physical reminder of a time when fraternal organizations helped knit small towns together.
Sources Cited
1 Uzzel, R. (n.d.). Joseph Cullen Root – Giant of American Fraternalism. Web. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
2 About Us (n.d.). Modern Woodmen of America [Rock Island].Web. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
3 Bryan Unable To Attend (1909, April 18). The Muncie Star. p. 12.
4 (See footnote 3).
5 Eaton Woodmen Initiate Class (1911, April 3). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 4.
6 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Eaton, Delaware County, Indiana (1920). Sanborn Map Company. Library of Congress. Map. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
7 American Legion Dance (1922, January 4). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 5.
That looks like the building that had a Massy Harris tractor dealership in the early 1950s??
Your guess is as good as mine!