History of St. Joseph Lodge 970 - written by Charles W. Dale in 1963

 

A group of Masonic Brethren, living in St. Joseph, Illinois petitioned twice for the institution of a Masonic Lodge at St. Joseph, before obtaining one.  In asking the three nearest Masonic Lodges in this jurisdiction, Sidney and Urbana lodges voted favorably and Ogden voted against us.

 

In 1912 another petition to the three lodges ended with the same results.  A committee consisting of Brothers U.G. Swearingen, U.G. Glascock, Lew E. Stevenson, A.B. Glascock, Dr. H.E. Davis and Charles W. Dale, attended Grand Lodge meeting in Chicago, at their own expense.  This committee made a request of the Grand Lodge for a dispensation to work as an U.D. Lodge.  This request was also denied.  Right Worshipful Delmar Darrah was the presiding Grand Master at that time.

 

In 1913 the same committee went to Chicago again and at this time Brother John D. Lester accompanied them.  R.W. Delmar Darrah, who was still the Grand Master, had made a previous visit here to acquaint himself with the condition of affairs in St. Joseph.  So when the question came up this time the vote by the three nearest lodges was still the same.  Ogden voted against us having a lodge in St. Joseph.  However, the Grand Master did grant us a dispensation to work as a U.D. Lodge.

 

The committee came home quite elated and immediatly called a meeting of the Bretheren- some forty members were living here at the time.  The Knights of Phythias Lodge kindly gave us permission to use the K of P Hall for a meeting place.

 

At this first meeting after receiving the dispensation from the Grand Master, the following officers were elected to serve as the first officials U.D. in St. Joseph:

Worshipful Master - John D. Lester

Senior Warden - Dr. H.E. Davis

Junior Warden - W.C. Peters

Senior Deacon - A.W. Firebaugh

Junior Deacon - Charles M. Walker

Chaplain - Asa Kilbury

Senior Steward - Roscoe E. Perry

Junior Steward - Foster McCarty

Treasurer - U.G. Swearingen

Secretary - Larry Hall

 

I could find no record of a Marshal having been elected at that time.  However, the first account of anyone serving as Marshal was on November 20, 1914, Cady L. Hall was serving in that office.  David Bruffet, of the Urbana Masonic Lodge, was secured to coach the new officers in their respective parts.

 

The U.D. Masonic Lodge AF & AM in St. Joseph was instituted on Saturday evneing, October 18, 1913, by the Distirct Deputy Grand Master, Wilson P. Jones, of Tolono, assisted by Judge W.G. Spurgeon of Urbana, Illinois.

 

Plans for a new Masonic Temple Building, were immediately started.  A.B. Glascock, who was chairman of the committee that was organized for the purpose of building a new Temple appointed a building committee, composed of Dr. H.E. Davis, U.G. Glascock and U.G. Swearingen.

 

Lots were purchased from Norman C. Hoyt.

 

C.C. Fenwick, a brother Mason, drew the plans and work was soon underway.

 

During our year as a U.D. Lodge, eight candidates were initiates, passed and raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason, and one candidate had been started on the road, having received the Entered Apprentice Degree.

 

This fine temple was erected during the year of our work Under Dispensation and was ready for occupancy by the time we received the Charter.

 

The Committee in attendance at the Grand Lodge Meeting in October 1914 (being the same committee that had attended the previous two meetings) telephoned home to the members here on Wednesday, October 14, that the Grand Lodge had granted us a Charter and henceforth would be St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 A.F. & A.M.

 

The constitution, institution and dedication all occured on Tuesday, November 17, 1914, with Judge W.G. Spurgeon, acting as Grand Master.  J.E. Jeffers as Deputy Grand Master had charge of these excerises.  There were 22 members of the occasional Grand Lodge present to participate in the work of the constitution, institution and dedication.  There were forty-five Charter members at the time of dedication, most of them having been previous members of the Ogden Masonic Lodge.

 

Charter Members of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970

John D. Lester, Henry Elmer Davis, Walter Cleveland Peters, Nathan Levi Walker, Joshua Douglas Henderson, Carey C. Fenwick, Lawrence Lewellyn Hall, John Grant Cook, Charles Byerley, Lew E. Stevenson, Foster McCarty, Charles M. Walker, Cady L. Hall, Albert Warren Firebaugh, Roscoe Samuel Perry, Benjamin F. Youmans, John Benjamin Dunn, Mortimer Kilbury, Christian Peter Jacobson, Ulyses G. Glasscock, Austin Bowers Youmans, Charles Wilson Dale, Isaac Newton Walker, Robert E. Mathis, Asa Kilbury, Charles Joseph Walker, William F. Fenwick, Mattison Fenwick, Nathan Arnold, Ulysses Grant Swearningen, John Thomas Pence, Milford Henry Johnson, Guy Nathan Walker, Albert Green, Thomas J. Woodin, Brent Calvin Green, Clyde Hildebrand Walker.

 

Of the foregoing Charter Members there are only 5 members living at this time, viz;  Dr. A.J. Dalton, Charles W. Dale, St. Joseph; Charles M. Walker, Champaign and Albert Firebaugh Danville.  Guy N. Walker was a charter member but he demitted in 1957.