Graceland's Dormitories Through the Years
 
 The Board of Trustees voted on December 10, 1900 to allow Clayton Frisby the privilege of sleeping in a room in the Administration Building. This was agreed with the janitor and “during good behavior.” Thus was the beginnings of Graceland's dormitory system.

Official on-campus housing, then referred to as “hotel facilities,” began in 1906 within the Administration Building under the supervision of Charles B. Woodstock. Included with this arrangement was a kitchen in the southwest room and a dining area in the northeast room. The male students who were residents, slept either in the museum room located on the third floor on in a basement room adjoining the furnace room. Some of the students boarded at the college farm for the 1906-07 school year. During 1906-07, room and board cost $2.50 a week.

The first action taken toward the creation of Graceland's dormitory system was made on May 6, 1905 when the Board of Trustees approved the construction of Marietta Residence Hall. Work began on the hall in 1906 and was completed the following year. Marietta Residence Hall was open to female students although male students also resided there over the years until the building was discontinued as a dormitory in 1946.

The floors of the dormitories usually were occupied entirely of freshman or entirely of sophomores. During the fall of 1955 the two classes were mixed within each hall for the first time. During the fall of 1955, students living off-campus asked to be assigned to basic dormitory units so that they could become involved in dorm social functions and have more contact with other students. This helped bring about Graceland's basic residence unit system which began during the 1956 fall semester, followed by the residence hall house system in the fall of 1962.

Throughout Graceland's history, several buildings located both on-campus and off have been utilized as official dormitories. They are listed below in chronological order with years used as dormitories:

Marietta Hall 1907 – 1946. Formerly the Marietta farmhouse, also called East Hall, this house was purchased by Graceland in 1907 an initially housed male students, later housed female students.

Original Patroness Hall 1909 – 1927. Constructed as a women's dormitory in 1908-09 and was continued as a dormitory until the building was destroyed by fire in 1927.

East Hall stood at the southeast intersection of College Avenue and the road that leads to the east side of the Administration Building. Originally, Marietta Walker's farmhouse, Graceland purchased the building in 1907 and converted it into a dormitory for male students. In the fall of 1954, thirteen sophomore women redecorated and repaired the house for occupancy, at which time the building was named East Hall. East Hall, along with Derry Hall and Weldon's Hall, became the home for Sariah House when the first house names were selected in October of 1962. During the late 1960's, East Hall was used as temporary housing for new faculty.

The building became known as Black Culture House during the 1970-71 school year at the request of several black students who wished to establish a social center. Leonard Perry served as president and manager-in-residence of the Black Culture House, living on the second floor with his wife and daughter. The first floor included an office, a library of black literature, a lounge and a study area. Guests were welcome but only at the invitation of a black student.

During the summer of 1974, plans were to tear down East Hall but with the impending of an enrollment increase of 150 students, East Hall was renovated instead. Nine members of Paloma House took up residence at East Hall during the fall of 1974 and the building served once more as a dormitory during the 1975-76 school year. East Hall was then used as storage before it was ultimately torn down in 1982.

B.I.C. House, 1912 - 1913. B.I.C. House was a 10-member men's dormitory farm group that existed in 1912 – 1913. Lockwood Moore, who resided on the farm that year with his wife, was the dean, and Sterling Cox served as house president.

Arbor Villa, 1915 - 1921. In 1909, a house was moved to the present-day [2015] site where Walker Hall's north parking lot is located. It was used as a residence by Marietta Walker, for whom Walker Hall is named. Graceland purchased the house in 1915 from C. B. Woodstock and it was converted into a dormitory for women students. It was converted into an auxiliary hospital space in 1921. Arbor Villa was expanded in 1923 when it was jointly occupied by the college's business manager and treasurer. The building was remodeled in 1934 prior to A. Neal Deaver, college business manager, took up occupancy. James Burdick had occupancy from 1946 until he resigned his position in the spring of 1956. Arbor Villa was redecorated and modernized in 1955. Early in the morning of Monday, July 2m 1956, lightning struck a tree which consequently fell onto Arbor Villa and the resulting fire completely destroyed the structure.

Bide-A-Wee, (1921 – 1929). Bide-A-Way women's dormitory was located on the third floor of Briggs Hall and was began in September of 1921. Sometimes the name “Bide-A-Wee” referred to the entire building prior to it was officially designated as Briggs' Hall. It had been intended that this floor in Briggs' Hall be used as dormitory facilities until new housing for women could be constructed. Vida E. Smith, who was the dean of women, served as dean of Bide-A-Way Hall.

In September of 1921, just as the students were taking up residency, an outbreak of scarlet fever forced the women to abandon the facilities. After the floor was fumigated, the women moved back in during October. Bide-A-Way Hall hosted an open house during Friday afternoon, November 11, 1921.

The Patroness Society put together the rooms which were furnished with rugs, draperies and curtains donated by Bishop Zimmerman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

At the conclusion of the 1928-29 school year, Bide-A-Way Hall was disbanded and a library and classrooms occupied the floor. Walker Hall had been completed and opened as a residency for Graceland's female students at the end of 1929.

Herald Hall (1921 – ca. 1971). Graceland's first off-campus dormitory was Herald Hall, located at the corner of 8th Street on North Walnut Avenue, Lamoni, Iowa.

The brick building replaced the original structure which housed the Saints Herald Publishing Company and burned to the ground on January 5, 1907. That same day, $17,000 was raised to replace the lost building.

After The Herald offices moved to Independence, Missouri in 1921, the building was converted into a dormitory for Graceland's male students who took residency in September of the same year. Initially, the building was called “Comfort Hall,” but the resident students rejected that name, preferring to call it “Herald Hall.” The Lamoni Stake RLDS Church maintained four of Herald Hall's rooms as offices for some time after the building had been converted into a dormitory.

Herald Hall's first officers in September of 1921 were: president Ned O. Calhoun, secretary Dick Hartnell, and treasurer “Blossom” Booker. Professor A. R. “Willie” Gilbert served as head resident.

During the 1920's, Herald Hall organized its own chorus and at one time around the year 1925 had their own orchestra. The 1925 Acacia noted that Herald Hall residents enjoyed breakfast, supper and Sunday dinners in their own private dining room. The residents called themselves the “Herald Angels” which was first noted in the September 22, 1925 issue of the Graceland Record.

During World War II, Graceland's male enrollment dropped significantly and Herald Hall became the sole dormitory used by the male students during 1944-45. Renamed Elm Hall, it was converted as a dormitory for 30 female students in the fall of 1945. During that summer, the old vault on the second floor became a bath and shower room. The name Elm Hall didn't stick and the building was once again called Herald Hall.

Upon the opening of Tess Morgan Hall's first wing, Herald Hall became the residence of Graceland's male students once again in late February of 1960. Blair House was the basic residence unit name for the house located in the second floor of Herald Hall. It was named in honor of W. W. Blair, a church apostle and a member of the RLDS First Presidency. During the summer of 1961, the building was refurbished. When residence hall house names were selected in October of 1962, herald Hall was Aaron House's first home. During the fall of 1965, Graceland's female students returned to Herald Hall.

Graceland stopped using Herald Hall during the 1970's. In the February 2, 1973 issue of the Graceland Tower an advertisement requested volunteers to help move beds and other furniture from Herald House. The building was sold to the Lamoni School District in 1974, and it was used as administrative offices until 2007 when it was demolished to make way for a new high school and gymnasium.

Sunnymeade, 1923 – 1927.

Gables, 1927. The former Children's Home located at 508 South State Street in Lamoni, was used during 1927 to provide housing for Graceland's male students. The residents nicknamed themselves “the Orphans” during their first meeting. Gables was destroyed by fire during the college's 1927 Christmas vacation. Gustav Platz later built his home on the site.

Country Club, 1927 – 1929 and several years later. For more than half a century the Country Club served Graceland. It was a two-story house and used for various purposes over the years. Located near the east side of Sunnymeade and to the south of present-day Graybill Residence Hall, the structure was originally a private residence Graceland purchased the home in 1923 and used it as an infirmary (dubbed “the Pest House” by the students) until 1927. In January of 1927, the building was utilized briefly as a men's dormitory; then as a women's dormitory from 1927 to 1929.

Evan Walden, superintendent of buildings and grounds, and his family resided in the facility from 1930 until the fall of 1941 when Graceland decided to reopen the Country Club as a dormitory. Because there wasn't a need for additional dormitory space, engineering instructor Ned Jacobson moved into the building. During the year of 1942-43, the Country Club was used as a hospital reserve. The college nurse used the building during the fall of 1944 and some of the college staff lived in a few of the vacant rooms. Country Club became a women's dormitory in the fall of 1959. By the spring of 1977, Country Club experienced a new lease on life as practice rooms for college music majors.

Banta Hall, 1928 – 1938. In 1926 Graceland purchased the Banta farm and, consequently the farm house was used as a men's dormitory from September of 1928 until 1930. Original hall officers were: president Gilbert Brooks, secretary-treasurer La Rue Hall, and chef Cecil Willets. Hillard Cox was Banta Hall's dean. Fourteen men were present at Banta Hall's organizational meeting.

Walker Hall 1929 – 1985; reopened 1994. Graceland's oldest dormitory facility.

West Hall, 1929 – 1954.

Jensen Hall, 1936 – 1941. Jensen Hall, located at 305 South State Street, was a home that Graceland rented and used as a men's dormitory from 1936 to 1941. There were 12 students residing in the home in 1936. The large ornate frame house was owned by Blair Jensen who resided there while serving as Lamoni stake president.

Dancer/Dillon Hall, 1938 – 1943. In the summer of 1938, Graceland decided to use the two-story house at 408 South State Street as a men's dormitory and named it Dancer Hall. Dancer Hall became a home to 26 students during the 1938-39 school year and also served breakfast for the residents. In 1939, Ed Dillon purchased the house in 1939 and renamed it Dillon Hall with the opening of the 1939 school year. Midway through the 1942-43 school year Dillon Hall was vacated due to the loss of students who entered the armed forces during World War II.

Royce Hall, 1938 – ca. 1948.

North Hall 1941 – 1952.

Elm Hall, 1945. Elm Hall was the new and very short-lived name which was given to Herald Hall upon its conversion into a dormitory for more than 30 girls in the fall of 1945. The name never stuck and the building remained known as Herald Hall.

Baker Hall, 1946 – 1967. In 1946 the former Hyde and Vredenburg bakery building was converted into a men's dormitory. This building, located north of the grain silos in town, occupied the entire block between Maple and Linden Streets. Seth J. Temple and Arthur Temple, architects from Davenport, Iowa who had designed Gunsolley Residence Hall, were given the contract to remodel the building.

In the fall of 1947, Baker Hall became the home for 60 men. The original officers who were elected on September 25, 1946, were dorm president N. Rex Hield; vice-president Cedric “Sed” Hougas; secretary-treasurer Duco Hamaskaki; counselors Jack Swall, Don Powell, Bill Carriker; and Wallace Wells, north side athletic manager Howard Shank; and Max Mann, south side athletic manager.

McDowell House was the name of the men's basic residence unit given to Baker Hall west in September of 1956. The house was named in honor of Floyd M. McDowell, the first dean of the junior college and a member of the RLDS First Presidency.

A lounge for study and reading was added in the south central portion of Baker Hall in the fall of 1956. Opposite of the lounge was a new room that provided a soda pop machine, a piano and table tennis to the students. Further remodeling of the building was approved on March 5, 1960 when the Board of Trustees approved a $10,000 – 11,000 project. This project provided solid walls between the dorm rooms, lower ceilings, an upgraded heating system, remodeled shower rooms, improved storage facilities and an ironing room.

In October of 1962, the first residence hall houses were established. Baker Hall because the first home for Edwards house.

During the summer of 1965, Baker Hall was remodeled once again. This time the building's capacity was reduced from 53 residents to 33. Because there had been an increase in the number of female students, Baker Hall became a home for women for the first time in the fall of 1965. Newly formed Dimora House took up residence at Baker Hall. Marge McCauley was the house president and Leitha Markham was the head resident. Dimora House referred to Baker Hall as “Baker Barn.”

On January 18, 1967, Paloma House moved from Baker Hall into the newly completed third floor on the north wing of Tess Morgan Hall. Thus, ended Baker Hall's history as a dormitory.

The building was used by Farmers Co-Op as grain and fertilizer storage, then from around 1970 and into the early 1980's the east end was used as offices by The Lamoni Chronicle. The Graceland Tower was printed at the Chronicle office.

In 1989 the Co-Op torn down the building to make room for a new building.

Central Hall, 1949 – 1950. Upon his retirement, President George N. and Mrs. Briggs began traveling across the country to visit relatives. They opened their home to Graceland and the college put it into use as a dormitory for 17 male students in the fall of 1949 through the spring of 1950. During this time, the home was known as Central Hall.

Gunsolley Hall opened in 1951. First on-campus dormitory constructed for the male students.

Patroness Hall (II) 1952 – 1979. Opened in 1952 as a women's dormitory and remained as such until it was renovated into offices in 1979.

Anthony Place, 1956 - 1958. In September of 1956, the basic off-campus residence unit of Williams, Butts, Pearson and Hughes homes was named Anthony Place in honor of Joe H. Anthony. Mr. Anthony directed Graceland's band and and orchestra during 1917-1942. He also composed Graceland Yellow Jacket's Song. Anthony Place served as a group residence men's unit from 1957 to 1958.

Derry Hall, 1956 – 1960's. Derry Hall, a two-story concrete block home located at 201 East 1st Street, was used to house around a dozen women students during the 1956-57 school year. When the first house names were selected in October of 1962, Derry Hall, along with East Hall and Weldon's Hall were the home of Sariah House. Derry Hall was last advertised as a dormitory in the 1966-67 college catalog.

Ullery Hall/Tower Apartments, 1957 – 1971. Opened in 1957 as Ullery Hall dormitory for male students; reopened in 1972 as Tower Apartments for married students.

Ricker Hall, 1959 – 1960.

Tess Morgan Hall opened the first of its three wings to women students in 1960.

Weldon's Hall, 1960 and continued for a few years.

Graybill Hall constructed 1965; opened as Gunsolley Annex for male students; renamed Graybill Hall in 1989.

Maple Arms Apartments, Independence, Missouri, 1970's, Complex rented by Graceland during the 1970's to accommodate Graceland nursing students.

Whispering Pines Motel, 1974. Located in southwest Lamoni along Highway 69.

The Units, three buildings which began housing students in 1975.
The Bus.
During the 1940's, Graceland provided bus services to transport students from off-campus housing to campus. In the fall of 1941 the college purchased a large panel van which transported students to and from North Hall and Herald Hall. The bus was painted a bright orange and consequently was dubbed “the Orange Crate” by Roscoe Faunce. During the summer of 1943 the bus was repainted blue and then was called “the Blue Drag-In” which not only described its new color but the noise that it made as it went down the street. Pleasant Cole drove the “Blue Drag-in” during the 1943-44 school year, the first year that female students resided at North Hall. This bus contained seats lined along the vehicle's left and right sides.

A second nine-passenger station wagon sized bus came into use during the 1943-44 school year. Dorace Fike, a sophomore student who drove this bus, dubbed it “Patsy Lynn North” or “Patsy” for short after a little girl she knew from her hometown of Independence, Missouri.

”The Silver Eagle,” an aluminum-colored bus, was purchased in the fall of 1944. Bus service was offered to the male residents of Herald Hall on rainy and very cold days starting in the fall of 1947. However, the female residents of North Hall enjoyed bus services on a regular basis.

Graceland purchased a 1942 Dodge bus on October 21, 1949 to replace the Ford “Blue Bolt” that provided transportation for the North Hall women. The new bus seated 37 passengers.
 
Laundry Facilities
Although it isn't certain what year, laundry facilities existed on campus prior to 1906 when the campus laundry moved from Marietta Hall to the original Patroness Hall. For years the college utilized a steam machine during winter months. On February 19, 1912, superintendent of buildings and grounds Amos Berve, requested that the Board of Trustees approve the purchase of a motorized washing machine at an estimated cost of $60. In 1915-16, a student-employed laundry was started on-campus.

In January of 1950, an automatic Maytag washer was installed at Baker Hall for use by its male residents. A quarter bought 30 minutes of washing time. The machine, placed on a trial basis, would determine if additional machines should be placed in Walker Hall during the next school year.

On December 1, 1952, a student laundry opened in Patroness Hall with two machines, one for student use and the other for the athletic and facilities departments. Students could purchase All Soap and a quarter bought 45 minutes of washing time.

After Graceland's dining facilities moved from Walker Hall's basement to the new Floyd M. McDowell Commons during the spring of 1961, the laundry room was moved from Patroness Hall and into the recently vacated dining room at Walker. It opened during October of 1961 with 15 new washers, four new dryers, one extractor, seven old washers, a coin changer and a soap dispenser. The new machines provided washing time for 20-cents and drying time for a dime. Accessed by a new outside door or an inside spiral staircase, the laundry was open during evenings and weekends.

When the north wing addition of Tess Morgan Hall opened for the 1966-67 school year, additional laundry facilities were included. Several years later a laundry room was added to the original south wing.

During the spring of 1981, there were 21 washers and nine dryers available for Graceland's 849 on-campus residents. On April 1, 1981, the student Senate voted to purchase additional washing machines and dryers to be installed in Gunsolley Annex (Graybill Hall). The following summer, rooms 102 and 104 on the northwest corner of the first floor were converted into a laundry room with the installation of six washing machines and four dryers.
 
SOURCE: Goehner, David. “The Graceland College Book of Knowledge: From A To Z.” Pp. 75-77. Herald House. Independence MO. 1997. Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, February 2017
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