Our History

1905-1915

By 1905 the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin had been in existence for 62 years with about 21,250 members. The Scottish Rite was formed in 1863 with about 1,400 members by 1905.

World War I Began
San Francisco Earthquake
Boy Scouts Founded
First Mass Produced Automobile
Sinking Of Titanic

1916-1925

1915 brought continued effort on the part of the committee appointed by the Grand Lodge to review the offer made by Brother Van Brunt. It was important that clear title to the...

Sinking of Lusitania
Sonar Developed
League of Nations Formed
World Influenza Epidemic
Insulin Found to Treat Diabetes

1926-1935

1925 was the first full year of operation and started a never-ending project of improvements for the 'Home'. Over $31,000 was spent on improving the grounds, buildings and furnishings.

First TV Picture Transmitted
Penicillin Discovered
Great Depression
Planet Pluto Discovered
First Electron Microscope

1936-1945

The 'Home' was feeling the after effects of the Great Depression. In 1935 financial problems ensued. Mismanagement of the Home was not the source of the problem.

Radar Invented
Social Security Enacted
Helicopter Developed
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
D-Day, Normandy Invasionot the source of the problem

1946-1955

1945 brought continued improvements to the 'Home'. Masonic Lodges and Commandery #1 provided new mattresses in each room. Hospital rooms were redecorated.

United Nations Formed
First Electric Computer
Korean War Begun
Antihistamine Developed
Discovery of DNA

1956-1965

1955 found Clarence Kronschnable as the new farm manager. The Grand Master reported that Our farm is a necessary adjunct to our Home, selling the greatest part of their products to the Home...Cuban Missile Crisis

Berlin Wall Built
Alaska Became 49th State
Hawaii Became 50th State
Medicare Enacted

1966-1975

1965 saw an increase of fourteen percent in the operating budget for the Home. Major factors were; increased wages, directives of the State Board of Health to add registered nurses...

First Human Heart Transplant
Martin Luther King Assassinated
First Man on the Moon
Watergate Break in
Mickey Mouse Turns Forty

1976-1985

It was 1975 and Van Brunt celebrated its fifty-second anniversary. The list of repairs needed was too long for publication in the Grand Lodge Proceedings. For the first time the budget exceeded $1,000,000.

First Personal Computer
Vietnam War Ends
Iran - Iraq War
First Laptop Computer
Compact Disc Invented

1986-1995

1985 brought a geriatric day care center to Westview. The Waukesha County Department of Aging rented the facility to care for elderly citizens during the day.

End of Soviet Union
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Reunification of Germany
AOL Founded
The Internet Goes Public

1996-2005

In 1995, interest and dividends from the Endowment Funds approached $250,000. There are three endowment funds that supply the Home. The first was the original...

First Flat Screen TV
K-Mart Files for Bankruptcy
E-Mail Becomes Popular
Heat Wave in Europe Kills 35,000

2006-Present

In 1995, interest and dividends from the Endowment Funds approached $250,000. There are three endowment funds that supply the Home. The first was the original...

First Flat Screen TV
K-Mart Files for Bankruptcy
E-Mail Becomes Popular
Heat Wave in Europe Kills 35,000

Timeline