ORIGIN OF THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF GOOD TEMPLARS

Source:  "Weekly Recorder," March 28, 1889

In 1851, there were eleven members of the Good Templars that existed in Oneida Co., and another known as "Excelsior Lodge, #14 was started in Syracuse.  The Syracuse group met in a hall on the fourth floor of the Empire House.
 
At a convention of this order held in Utica in July 1852, T. S. Truair and Levrett Coon withdrew.  At this time William J. Stoddard of Excelsior Lodge had correspondence with some young men of Fayetteville, and on July 17, 1852 in Academy Hall, he met and obligated James H. Eaton, Edward P. Clark, Jewett J. Dunbar, Augustus Tremaine and W. H. Goodrich.
 
On July 20, 1852 Levrett Coon came to this village and gave the obligation to six other young men, and organized them into a lodge of the "Independent Order of Good Templars," Coon having withdrawn from the Oneida Co. organization.

The first officers in Fayetteville:  W. C. T., James H. Eaton; W. V. T., Ansell Prescott; Rec. Sec., Jewett J. Dunbar; Treas., Augustus Tremaine; Fin. Sec., Wm. H. Goodrich; M., Edward, P. Clark; D. M., Calvin P. Clark; Chap., Daniel Rider; O. G., C. J. McLyman; L.G., William Johnson; P.W.C.T., Orrin D. Torrey.
 
The charter of this lodge was called "Eureka Lodge, No. 2" - in 1889 this charter was in the office of D.W. Hooker, Sec. of Grand Lodge of New York State in the White Memorial Building, Syracuse.
 
On his return to Syracuse, Coon succeeded in getting the Excelsior Lodge to withdraw from the "Good Templars," and become Excelsior Lodge No. l, I.O.G.T. although the number really belonged to the Fayetteville Lodge (because it was formed first).
 
The new order spread rapidly at first, then languished.  In 1866 an effort was made to revive the order in Fayetteville and "Minnehaha Lodge, No. 47" was organized and had a prosperous existence for some years.  Its charter members were:  Justus Wells, Sophia R. Robinson, O. D. Blanchard, M. A. Hatch, E. Doyle, A. Wood, J. J. Morse, Jane Bangs, Hiram Wood, Ira Beard, Sarah A. Wells, C. T. Palmer, N. M. Gillett, August Tremaine, M. A. Nichols, Harriet C. Gillett, Emma L. Ecker, T. B. Robinson, C. E. Hale, I. A. Oxner, R. W. Eaton, C. T. Decker, Sarah E. Hale, Emma Wood, Jennie Z. Eaton, J. A. Nichols, Jane E. Hurd, E. T. Bangs, H. L. Blanchard.
 
On December 21, 1866 Minnehaha Lodge organized "Union Degree Temple, No. 18, I.O.G.T."  Its charter members were:  Mrs. Zaide Cameron, R. F. Weston, H. J. Knapp, F. M. Byington, O. D. Blanchard, Augustus Tremaine, Lizzie Spooner, Jennie Z. Eaton, Justus Wells, J. H. Mathews, J. S. Marshall, Charles Palmer, John Oxner, Aurilla Wood.
 
The charters of these bodies were signed by Silas Ball, then Chief Templar of the Grand Lodge of New York State, and who at that time was a Methodist clergyman residing in this town.
 
The Order which in 1852 was founded here by 11 young men now (1889) contains 725,000 members.  Its lodge rooms are found in every land, and it may be said of this great temperance army, work in Faith, Hope and Charity, that somewhere a Chief Templar's gavel is calling a lodge to order.
 
The third lodge of the Order that was established in Fayetteville received its charter on June 18, 1885 and is now struggling for existence.  The lodge should be supported, if for no other reason, because it occupies the field which gave the order birth.
 
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The lodge was to meet at the house of William Taskey in Fayetteville on Thursday, 7:30 p.m., March 28, 1889.  Unlike some other Fayetteville organizations, it did not have clubroom at this time.