The Endicott Heritage Museum was once the clubhouse for the Societa Concordia Castellamare Del Golfo Di Endicott, NY. During the 1800s the property as with most of the north side was part of the Sliter, Day and Seagers Farm. Endicott Johnson purchased the farms in 1901. Beginning in 1912, the lot at 109 Odell Ave. was owned by a series of Italian families until 1937 when the Societa Concordia Castellamare Del Golfo Di Endicott, NY purchased the property. The Concordia Society built the clubhouse in the style that remains today.
The society was a fraternal order for immigrants from the Castellamare Region of Sicily. Membership in the Sons of Italy consisted of mainland and northern Italians. This ethnic division led the Sicilian immigrants to establish their own fraternal organization in 1927. The Concordia’s social activities and programs grew enough during the 1930s that they required a location to hold them. In a 1937 petition, members of the Concordia stated,
“Since its incorporation in June 1927, [the Concordia Society], as a benevolent and fraternal organization has worked consistently and continuously to advance the general social and economic welfare of its members all of whom are of Italian extraction, and to further advance the process of their Americanization. In this connection many social affairs are conducted among the members and their families, meetings are held regularly, and up to the present time different rooms have had to be hired and rented for these purposes. It has now been decided … that the interests of the [the Concordia Society] would be greatly advanced if the corporation were to build its own clubhouse and lodge room.”
Society members used their own funds saved over years to build the clubhouse. The Clubhouse was dedicated in 1938.
Numerous social events occurred in the clubhouse from its opening into the 1960s. Weddings, a Women’s Auxillary club, and card games were common happenings in the clubhouse.
Group of Men at Concordia c. 1930s
Women's Auxillary c. 1940s
By 1976, the Concordia Society’s role as a fraternal organization had diminished. Decreased numbers of Italian immigrants and the rising middle class identity of earlier immigrants and their children during the mid-20th century led to less of a need for the social club. The club had achieved its goal of Americanizing its members. Some members of the Concordia Society joined the Sons of Italy and the Concordia clubhouse was sold to the Loyal Order of Moose in 1976. In 1998, the Fraternal Order of Eagles bought the building. In 1998, the building went into foreclosure. The Oak Hill Avenue Improvement Corporation purchased the property in 2001 leading to its current use as the Endicott Heritage Museum.
This project is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
