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The Historic Slovene Center
The Slovene Center is a historic event hall located in Ohio, dedicated to hosting dancing events, memorable weddings, anniversaries, and keeping our community connected. Our space has hosted many beautiful festivities and we look forward to creating many memories in the years to come.
OUR HISTORY
The Slovenian Independent Society Home Continues to Celebrate Slovene Culture
Those Slovenia immigrants who settled in Barberton early in this century brought with them a rich heritage from their native land in the former country of Yugoslavia.
That heritage continues to this day, 90 years after the founding of the Slovenian Independent Society Home - an organization whose initial purpose was to provide sick and death benefits to its members.
The Society was organized December 8th, 1918 and was incorporated and chartered on January 2, 1919, when the following organizers signed the charter: John Debevec, Joseph Hite, John Ujcic, Frank Ambrozic and Frank Poje.
By May of 1919, members were already planning to build a hall for meetings and cultural affairs. Money was scarce, but the members pooled their resources and accumulated over $6,000 to begin the project. By September of that year, the building was ready for use at a cost of $11,718.00.
Over the next 20 years, there were no benefit programs for workers, so the Society served an important role in providing sick and death benefits to its members. Assessments were only $1 a month per member, but this provided $300 in death benefits and $1 per day sick benefits.
Those early Slovenian immigrants were a hearty people; consequently, the assessments quickly bolstered the Society's finances and paved the way for future projects, including a modernization and expansion that included an enlarged club room, remodeled hall and a modern eight-lane bowling establishment. This was completed in January 1942.
An additional expansion was already on the drawing boards - a spacious ballroom for cultural and community activities as well as weddings and dances. This addition was completed in September 1951 - providing the Barberton community with its most modern and attractive ballroom.
The seventies and eighties saw a declining membership. The drain on the Society's financial resources became severe as members aged and illness struck. The 25-year paid up plan, which had been instituted some years earlier, severely reduced income needed to provide sick and death benefits to active members.
These years were a source of serious concern to the Society's leadership. Funds were unavailable for necessary repairs and refurbishing. A period of decline set in. This was not fully reversed until the early years of this decade.
Under new leadership and a revitalized membership, the Society instituted a renovation program that has resulted in the refurbishing of the ballroom - a new roof for both the ballroom and the original hall - and a repaved parking lot. Future projects included the refurbishing of the original hall, which serves as a meeting room and facility for weddings and parties.
Along with these improvements has been the introduction of activities geared to the membership and the community; monthly Sunday dinners in the ballroom and a weekly polka jam session in the private bar. Additional cultural and social activities are planned.
From its beginning, the Society, or "Domovina" (homeland) Lodge, as its members lovingly refer to the organization, has been a center for cultural and social activities - both for its members and the community. The tradition can be expected to continue.
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