Steeped in History – The Meaning Behind Three Pillars Senior Living Communities’ Name
Three Pillars Senior Living Communities. It has a great ring to it, doesn’t it? But…the Three Pillars of what? What does it mean?
We’re asked this regularly and the answer is: it means quite a bit. We’re always proud to share the answer because it’s steeped in rich history and full of meaning.
A Bit of History
Back in the late 1890’s, the Masonic Fraternity, our sponsoring organization, began discussing the need for a home to serve Masons, their wives, widows, mothers, and orphans in need. In 1905, the solution became a reality with the formal beginning of the Wisconsin Masonic Home in Dousman, WI.
In the 1980s, to continue meeting the needs of our community, we added a Skilled Nursing building, the Masonic Center for Health and Rehab. (It still exists today in its freshly-remodeled state!)
Fast forward to 1990, and we had two thriving levels of care: an Assisted Living “home” and Skilled Nursing. It was an exciting time for us, as we were constructing a brand new third level of senior living, based on the growing needs and market demands of older adults in our community. Independent Living at the Village on the Square was underway.
At that time, we were looking for a new name that would accurately represent and provide a new way to talk about all we offered.
What’s in the Name?
Three Pillars Senior Living Communities became our new name. “Three Pillars” has more than one meaning.
Within the Masonic Fraternity, it represents the three tenets of Freemasonry: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. Through a series of degrees and ceremonies, these values of Freemasonry are passed from generation to generation, Mason to Mason, in a timeless and tireless effort to make good men better.
Additionally, this theme of “three” described our new expanded continuum of care and living options:
- Independent Living
- Assisted Living
- Skilled Nursing care
Today, our name proudly continues to represent our ever-important history, the invaluable importance of our sponsoring organization, and the way we continuously evolve to offer a full continuum of care.
Beyond the “Three Pillars” in our name, the word “Communities” is key. It exemplifies all we do and the contagiously-welcoming culture pervading every thread of our campus where people thrive.
Learn (and Hear!) More
Visit our website to learn more about the full slate of living options in our continuum of care and see why we were named one of only 57 “Best” continuing care retirement communities in the nation.
Finally, tune into our podcast (1m 56s) to hear Mark Strautman, our President & CEO, explain the origins of our name in his own words.
