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PM Park is a restaurant and lodging establishment in Clear Lake, Iowa. It was previously run by the Patriarchs Militant as a children’s summer camp for the less fortunate. ==History== The history behind the PM Parks begins in the 18th century in England. It was there that the Oddfellows were taking care of the sick, the orphaned, the widowed, and the less fortunate. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was founded on the North American Continent in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 26, 1819 when Thomas Wildey and four members of the Order from England instituted Washington Lodge No. 1. This lodge received its charter from Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows in England. According to Patriarchs Militant literature, occasionally a war would erupt and the men would be summoned to fight, but someone would have to stay behind to take care of the children, the orphans, women who were left alone, and the elderly who still needed care. These people were called the Patriarchs Militant.〔Bragger, Cristine. Personal interview. 10 Feb. 2008〕 The Patriarchs Militant are the uniformed branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), established in 1886 by the Sovereign Grand Lodge, the international governing body of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.〔(Patriarchs Militant - IOOF Grand Lodge of Michigan )〕 The Patriarchs Militant were known as protectors; the motto the Patriarchs lived by was “Justitia Universalis, Pax aut Bellum”, (Universal Justice, Peace or War).〔(The Odd Fellows ) A summary of the history of the Odd Fellows, primarily the American IOOF, written by an American Freemason, and appearing on an American Freemasonry website.〕 In 19th century America (and Britain and Australia), orphanages were common. As part of their role to care for the widows and orphans, the Patriarchs Militant set up "PM Parks". At one point in time, every state in America had one or more PM Parks. The Clear Lake PM Park is one of the few PM Parks left. There were two purposes of PM Park. The first was to provide a gathering of places for meetings and training sessions of the Patriarchs. The second was to provide a summer camp for children who were less fortunate. PM Parks gave children a summer vacation in a life that didn’t offer much luck. The PM Park in Clear Lake, Iowa was established in 1914. When it was first built, it included two buildings. One of the buildings was used for a gathering place for eating and entertainment. The other building, that sits right next to the first, was a dormitory for the children to stay in. They are located on the south side of the lake. Still to this day the PM Park in Clear Lake, Iowa is owned by the Patriarchs Militant. The Patriarchs lease out the facilities to Cristine and Rahn Bragger to run a restaurant and lodging facilities. At least once a year, the Patriarchs Militant make their way to the park for a week at a time holding meetings, ceremonies, and various other events. This point of time is called PM Week. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「PM Park, Clear Lake, Iowa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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