Thursday 2 July 2015

Tweedsmuir Thursday #2




This building might look familiar to many Dunvegan residents: the DRA (Dunvegan Recreational Association) Hall. The DRA Hall, like many historic buildings, has served many purposes and organizations in its lifetime.

Built in 1919, the building was constructed to replace the original Loyal Orange Lodge, erected in 1867 and used as a meeting place for Orangemen in Dunvegan. After the new Orange Lodge was built, the original was sold to Alex Urquhart who moved it across the road and used it as a private house. In 2005, it was dismantled and moved to the museum. Although talk of a new Orange Lodge began in 1914, the First World War stopped plans and no mention was made in minutes until Feb. 1919.

The new Lodge was built by Frank Schell of Maxville and constructed of cement blocks and originally two storeys high. Members of the Building Committee received $1.00 per day for their labour. Since its opening, the hall was used not only by the Orange Order but also other organizations in the community. It was used for church suppers and events, dances, etc. During WWII, it held parties for every boy that joined the Armed Services.

As time passed and talk of disbandment brewed among the few Orange Order members, they turned the hall over to the Women’s Institute for a fee of $600 in 1974. The Orange Order and W.I had a close relationship and a history of organizing events together including, an annual Turkey Supper to raise funds for both organizations.


In 1978, the hall underwent extensive renovations. The cement blocks at the top of the building were cracking and the walls were spreading apart. Members feared the hall was unsafe and Angus John MacLeod undertook the task of renovating the hall into a one-storey building and constructing a new roof.  The above photographs are some before and after shots of the building. Below is a photograph of an Orange Order meeting at the Hall in 1921. These are from two pages in the Dunvegan Tweedmuirs.




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