Leonard Mansion

In September, 1914, local lodge number 1274 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks purchased the Charles E. Leonard House on High Street for use as a meeting place. The house had been constructed on a large parcel of land by Leonard (1830-1904), a partner in the Middleborough shoe manufacturing firm of Leonard & Barrows in the 1870s. An exuberant mix of Italianate and Flemish Baroque details, the Leonard House for many years was a showplace in town, noted for its porte-cochère, four-story tower with ocular window and large carriage house connected directly with the main house. The grounds of the estate covered four and a half acres and were among the most beautifully landscaped in town.

Following Leonard's death, the house was inherited by his sons, Charles M. and Arthur H. Leonard. Charles M. Leonard later became the sole owner, and it was he who sold the house to the local Elks in 1914.

The Elks maintained the house for many years, and residents still recall the beautiful architecture of the building's exterior and interior spaces. In time, however, the Elks made changes to the structure and by the 1960s much of the architectural detail, costly to maintain, had been pared down or removed altogether including most noticeably the upper two stories of the tower, but the shutters, porch railings and iron finials on the gables, as well.

Additions were also made to the house in order to accommodate the needs of the growing organization, including the construction of a one story shed-roofed addition on the west side of the structure. In 1970 more space was created when the rear wing of the house and the porte-cochère were demolished to make way for the construction of a 90 by 50 foot wood-frame addition containing a banquet hall, Boy Scout meeting room, kitchen and sauna on the ground floor and a lodge hall on the upper floor.

The mansion was destroyed by fire in 1980. In 1982, the present Elks Lodge was constructed upon the site.

Elks' Ball, 1912

The Middleborough Lodge Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was organized in the spring of 1912. Among its very first social occasions was a ball held Wednesday, May 29. The event, which became an annual Elks' tradition, was a marked success as indicated by the following article carried by the Middleboro Gazette two days after the dance.

A brilliant social event was carried through Wednesday evening when Middleboro Lodge of Elks held their first concert and ball.

The decorations of the hall were a feature, the effect being white and purple, streamers being draped from the centre to the sides. The stage represented a large garden, the front decorated with American flags and an elk's head, surmounted by an illuminated clock, the hands set at the hour of eleven. Around the receiving station were small trees, representing a forest glen in which stood a life sized elk.

During the first of the evening an orchestra rendered a concert while the patronesses, Mrs. Bourne Wood, Mrs. Ivan Rogers, Mrs. James P. Leahy and Mrs. William F. Stone received. The ushers were John V. Sullivan, Harold S. Wood, Louis T. Perkins, Reginald Drake, Ernest M. O'Toole, William B. Crossley, Hugh Rogers, Abraham Levy, Edmund Pratt, [and] Frank Moriarty.

Dancing was enjoyed until after midnight. The gowns worn by the ladies were the most brilliant and attractive of any seen recently on a local dance floor. William F. Stone was in charge of the dancing and Bourne Wood, Dr. J. P. Leahy, H. E. Lunt, E. A. Perry, A. Martenson, Ivan Rogers and W. F. Stone, the committee in charge.

Promptly at eleven o'clock the hall was darkened and with the Elks in a circle in the centre of the hall in front of the illuminated clock, Hon. Ambrose Kennedy of Woonsocket, speaker of the Rhode Island house of representatives, gave the eleven o'clock toast to the absent members, after which "Auld Lang Syne" was sung by the members.

Illustrations:
Middleborough B. P. O. E. first annual ball, dance card, May 29, 1912
The cover of the dance card depicts an elk head with the animal's zoological name, Cervus alces, featured on the purple banner. The large clock with its hands set to eleven, and the purple and white color scheme were also reflected in the decorations for the local Elks' first ball. Dance cards such as this were noted features of formal dances of the period, and were completed by ladies who would pencil in their partners for each dance. The long purple cord on this card permitted the lady to wear it from her wrist.