 Springfield was one of seven cities competing for the construction of the Pythian home and sold 53 acres of land to the knights for $1 in 1909.It served as a meeting hall for the order and served in this capacity until in 1942.In 1942, during World War II, the United States Military commandeered the facility for use in conjunction with the adjacent "O'Reilly General Hospital" in entertaining and rehabilitating injured U.S. troops.