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Friday, May 18, 2012
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
August 23, 2011
So, who's Maxine? And what's with the coffin?
The name of the Archers' event center is a nod to the building's history as an Odd Fellow lodge -- and a somewhat macabre discovery when Bob and Laura purchased the building in 1999.
Many Odd Fellows orders kept human skeletons for use in initiation ceremonies and rituals -- including Independence's. When the group sold the building to a private party, its skeleton was left behind.
Locals said the skeleton belonged to "Max Smith," an Odd Fellows leader who directed that his skeleton be left behind when the lodge disbanded.
The Archers found "Max" in a mahogany coffin when they purchased the building, wired together like an anatomy specimen. It was also determined that "Max" was actually a small, adult woman.
The previous owner retrieved the coffin and the skeleton and sold them to an antique store, unaware that it wasn't legal to sell human remains without proper provenance. "Max" was later taken by the Independence Police Department, which contacted a state agency for expertise on what to do with the remains. Both the Archers and Independence police officers who recall the strange case presumed the skeleton was properly buried.
The ballroom was named "Maxine's" in honor of that nameless woman.
--Craig Coleman
ACEBOOK