Texas Pythian Home
Weatherford, Parker County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Texas Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias considered building a home for dependent widows and children as early as 1886. In 1897 the Grand Lodge Convention started a fund to establish such a home. Both the Knights and the Pythian Sisters of Texas contributed to the fund, and in 1905 the decision was made to find a location and to make plans for the construction of the home. The cornerstone for the massive main building was laid at this site near Weatherford in 1907. Of brick and stone construction, the building exhibits Moorish influences and contains 52 rooms. The first floor originally housed the girls' dormitory, a dining room, and the kitchen, while the second floor served as the boys' dormitory and contained an auditorium. Additional dormitory facilities were built later and are joined to the main building by arched walkways. Originally known as the "Widows and Orphans Home and Industrial School", the establishment opened in 1909, with the first residents coming from Amarillo, Sherman, and Beaumont. Over the years, it has served a great need in caring for dependent widows and orphans. The main building of the Texas Pythian Home has long been a landmark in Parker County. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Knights of Pythias of Texas long dreamed of a home for the widows and orphans of their members, and in 1907 laid the cornerstone of this massive, Moorish-influenced brick building near Weatherford. Opened in 1909 as the Widows and Orphans Home and Industrial School, it drew its first residents from across the state and long served as a Parker County landmark.
Why it matters
The home reflects how fraternal orders built their own social safety net for the vulnerable before public welfare existed.
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