Iowa American History and Genealogy Project-Calhoun County





History of the Masonic Lodge in Calhoun County


The oldest Masonic lodge in Calhoun County is Zerubbabel Lodge No. 240, located at Lake City. A dispensation for the organization of this lodge was granted on June 8, 1868, by Reuben Mickel, grand master, and T. S. Parvin, grand secretary. The first meeting of the lodge was held on July 4, 1868, in an upper room of the old court house, with S. H. Richardson, worshipful master; Robert Shideler, senior warden; William Oxenford, junior warden; James Fleece, secretary; Josiah Lumpkin, treasurer; J. J. Hutchison, senior deacon; John Oxenford, junior deacon; and Christian Smith, tiler. In January, 1869, the lodge was granted a charter and was formally instituted with the above officers and the following charter members: Henry Sifford, Daniel Cooper and Champlin Lester.

The first Masonic funeral in the county was conducted by this lodge on June 25, 1869, over the remains of George F. Browning. The first election after the charter was received was held on July 28, 1869. No change was made in the worshipful master and wardens. L. F. Danforth was chosen secretary; J. J. Lumpkin, treasurer; Christian Smith, senior deacon; John Oxenford, junior deacon; and Philip Andrew, tiler. Of these officers L. F. Danforth was the only one living in 1915.

The early meetings of Zerubbabel Lodge were held in the old courthouse, after which a lodge room was fitted up in the building at the northwest corner of the public square known as the "blue front." In 1893 the lodge added the third story to the brick building fronting the public square at the southeast corner, diagonally across the two streets from the Citizens Bank, where meetings have since been held regularly. In 1915 the lodge numbered 130 members, with Oscar W. Lundberg, worshipful master, and L. E. Nokes, secretary.

Morning Light Lodge, No. 384, was organized at Manson in 1876 under a dispensation from the grand master, and was instituted as a "regular and well governed lodge" under a charter dated June 4, 1879, with the following charter members: G. H. Scott, worshipful master; Robert Shideler, senior warden; John P. Calmer, junior warden; C. R. Nicholson, secretary; George R. Allison, J. L. Brown, J. C. Scott, J. D. Skinner, N. P. Graves, C. P. Yates and R. L. Glover. Regular meetings of this lodge are held on Monday evening on or before the full moon in each month. On January 1, 1915, the membership numbered 107, with F. M. Grittin, worshipful master, and C. I. Jackson, secretary. Morning Light Lodge has always occupied rented quarters, but in the spring of 1915 a movement was started for the erection of a Masonic hall.

Solar Lodge, No. 475, was instituted under a charter dated January 19, 1885. It is located at Pomeroy. The charter members were: H. W. Dyer, A. A. Horton, D. W. Wight, G. W. Hamilton, C. L. Lockie, Alexander Lockie, Jacob Foster, C. H. Clark, Thomas Miller, Jacob Schofield, William Frantz, W. T. Ivey, I. C. Morrill, D. Harvey, J. H. Lowrey, Mr. Freeman and I. L. Delano. H. W. Dyer was the first worshipful master, A. A. Norton the first senior warden and I. L. Delano the first junior warden. At the beginning of the year 1915 Solar Lodge numbered forty-nine members. W. J. Julius was then worshipful master; M. Peterson, senior warden; A. T. Horton, junior warden; J. A. Benson, secretary; D. T. Martin, treasurer; J. A. Johnson, senior deacon; S. G. Hartley, junior deacon; C. A. Marple and A. Tinian, stewards; and Jacob Foster, tiler. Regular meetings are held on Wednesday evening on or before the full moon in each month.

Twin Lakes Lodge No. 478, located at Rockwell City, was organized under a dispensation dated September 3, 1885, and was regularly instituted the following summer under a charter dated June 2, 1886. In the charter D. W. Noel, D. D. Torrence and C. G. Walker are named as the three principal officers. Meetings were held in rented halls until the building at the southwest corner of Fifth and Court streets was erected, when the lodge added the upper story for a Masonic hall. Few lodges in the state, in towns the size of Rockwell City, have better appointed arrangements for business meetings, degree work or social gatherings than Twin Lakes. According to the last report to the Iowa Grand Lodge, the lodge at Rockwell City numbered 140 members, with W. A. Sandberg, worshipful master, and C. M. Randall, secretary.

Some time elapsed after the establishment of Twin Lakes Lodge before another Masonic lodge was organized in Calhoun County. Then Maple Lodge No. 56G was instituted at Jolley on June 27, 1900, by Edwin Drewry, of Sac City, assisted by members of the fraternity from that place and some of the lodges in Calhoun County. A supper was served to the visiting Masons at 6 o'clock in the evening, after which the master's degree was conferred on a candidate. Dr. D. J. Townsend, of Lohrville, delivered an address. In 1915 this lodge numbered forty-one members, with Thomas Patterson as worshipful master and H. C. Eby, secretary. Regular meetings are held on Friday evening on or before the full of the moon in each month.

Nekoda Lodge No. 597, located at Lohrville, is the youngest Masonic lodge in the county. Its charter is dated June 5, 1907, and it was formally instituted soon after the charter was granted by the grand lodge. The first officers were: F. V. Hibbs, worshipful master; C. W. Beckwith, senior warden; D. J. Townsend, junior warden; W. L. McDiarmid, secretary; Charles Allen, senior deacon; J. C. Smith, junior deacon; M. Hicks and A. Baird, stewards. On January 1, 1915, the lodge numbered fifty-six members. The officers for 1915 were as follows: A. Baird, worshipful master: M. H. Horner, senior warden; R. S. Bolander, junior warden; Fred S. Buffham, secretary; I. S. Jenkins, treasurer; A. A. Bolander and Charles Allen, senior and junior deacons, respectively; D. J. Townsend and R. H. Cummings, stewards; and M. A. Callahan, tiler.

Cyprus Chapter No. 99, located at Lake City, is the only organization of Royal Arch Masons in Calhoun County, and the only Masonic body conferring degrees higher than those of the blue lodge. In the spring of 1882 ten members of Zerubbabel Lodge at Lake City, who were Royal Arch Masons in Copestone Chapter No. 78, located at Glidden, withdrew by dimit from that chapter and organized Cyprus under a dispensation. The first officers were: L. R. Danforth, high priest; J. M. Stewart, king; I. N. Barker, scribe; David Reed, treasurer; J. M. Toliver, secretary; Jay Walbridge, captain of the host; J. D. McVay, principal sojourner; W. W. Zane, royal arch captain; Edward L. Gregory, sentinel. A charter was granted to the new chapter in 1883. In 1915 Cyprus numbered sixty-eight members. At that time J. M. Toliver, L. F. Danforth and Edward L. Gregory were the only charter members living. J. H. Bradt and W. Q. Stewart, now living in Rockwell City, were among the first to receive the degrees in Cyprus Chapter. Regular meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month. The officers elected for 1915 were as follows: L. E. Nokes, high priest; R. A. Griffin, king; L. F. Danforth, scribe; E. W. Townsend, secretary; G. E. Pearen, treasurer; M. A. Chapman, captain of the host: J. M. Toliver, royal arch captain; H. A. Low, principal sojourner.





This website created September 21, 2011 by Sheryl McClure.
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