Fellowship lodge #89 of the Masonic order chartered at Marion October 8, 1850 is credited with being the oldest and established fraternal society in the county. The lodge was established by the following charter members: Robert Marron, Worshipful Master; Joseph Hopper, Senior Warden; William H. Eubanks, Junior Warden; James Askew, James M. Campbell, Joseph Huffstutler, Robert Hopper, and Robert M. Hundley. In the first charter year, membership is reported at 85 members including many of the leading and influential citizens of the county including congressmen, judges and law enforcement officers.

(Locations for the Marion lodge have been a bit sketchy to track and no official records have yet been found by the lodge so this is my attempt to track their various lodge locations in Marion by using directories and fire reports. Editor)

 In April 1881, a fire occurred at the Goodall and Mohler Cigar and Tobacco Company in the Northeast corner of the square. The fire was intense enough to damage the windows of the Masonic lodge in the Askew building just south of the it. I suspect this location to be the first building on the East Side just south across the alley from the Old City Hall building in the NE corner of the square.

In September 1899 a fire broke out in the Denison Building at 301 Public Square and caused serious damage to businesses and fraternal organizations which met in the building. “The Masons lost their paraphernalia which was insured for $150 but this will not near cover the loss. The Odd Fellows carried $232.70 in insurance but lost paraphernalia and fixtures to a much greater value. The Eastern Star, the Rebeccas, the Modern Woodmen, the Golden Cross and the Miners lost their all and we are informed that none of them carried any insurance.”

The Masonic Lodge and a host of other Marion Organizations were still meeting at this location per a 1907 Marion Directory listing them as Masonic Lodge 301 Public Square.

A small fire in 1921 at an undisclosed location on West Main Street put the Masonic and Knights of Pythias hall at risk. A directory shows their location in 1922 at 313 W. Main St. The 1927 street directory still lists the Masons and KP lodges at this location.

In 1927 or 1928 the Masonic lodge appears to have made a move toward ownership of their lodge hall because by the 1928 city directory they are listed at 805 ½ Public Square in a three story building at the corner of South Market. The following excerpts are taken from a local newspaper reporting fire that occurred on March 17, 1930. “Fire discovered at 6:20 am Monday morning did damage estimated at over $5000 to the Masonic building at the corner of S. Market and Public Square. The fire originated in the paraphernalia room on the third floor and is believed to have been caused by defective wiring. Insurance of $10,000 was carried on the building by the Masons. The fire destroyed most of the regalia used by the different Masonic orders although that of the Eastern Star is believed to have escaped with less damage that the others. The building was used by the Royal and Selected Masters, Royal Arch Masons, Order of Eastern Star and Fellowship Lodge 89, I.O.O.F. Lodge 1036 also met in the building until recently when it moved to the I.O.O.F building at 315 W. Main St. The question of whether to repair the building or to wreck it and build a new one confronted the Masons after the fire.” Another fire broke out on the second floor again on June 10^th but didn’t cause major damage.

Evidently it was decided by the lodge that ownership wasn’t in their cards at the time because by 1938 they are back to renting the space at 315 W. Main which is where they appear to have remained until a building committee was formed in 1969 under the term of Master Dewey Horn. Master Horn appointed the following Masons as a building committee: R.H. Nolen, Clarence Kobler, Harold Lowry, Hubert Armstrong, Harold Nipper, Clyde Young, Albert Frick, Ronald Troutman, M.E. Overby and J. Neale Stewart. Numerous sites were evaluated and the decision was made to purchase a 125’ x 275’ plot from Charles Emery and his brother on Route 37 just north of town for $2,900. The Emery’s were also owners of the Emery Bros Skating Rink on Rt 37. Both properties were annexed into the city of Marion. The cornerstone was laid on March 12, 1972 by the Grand Lodge of Illinois, M.W. Grand Master John R. Murphy officiating. The building was dedicated on October 29, 1972 by the above Master.

Those who took part in the dedication ceremony were:

Symbol Bearers: Clarence Kobler, Ronald Troutman, G.W. Barekman and Clyde Young, Grand Purvisant: Carl Bond, Oldest Master: M.E. Overby, Standard Bearer:Wayne Kelley, Grand Architect: Rudy H. Noleen, Senior Warden: John Ferguson Jr., Junior Warden: Thomas Reichert, Senior Deacon: Harold Lowry and James Gulley, Junior Deacon: Gene Wicks and Robert English, Senior Steward: James Carter and Ruhl Jent, Junior Steward: Fred Carter and Rubin Jent, Chaplain: Carl Bond and Ray Hawkins, Secretary: Clyde Young and Russell Spitzner, Treasurer: Albert Frick, Marshall: James Garrison and Cyler Totsch, Tyler: John Hall and John Ferguson Sr., Worshipful Master: Hubert Armstrong Jr.

The first meeting in the new temple was held on May 26^th, 1972 and the old building on Main Street was officially closed on June 1, 1972. As of this writing in December of 2012 the masonic lodge is still at its present location and still active though remodeled due to storm damage in 2008.

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(Excerpts taken from fire reports in local newspapers, city directories, 1905 Souvenir Book of Williamson County WCHS, People Folks and Places by Barbara Hubbs and local Masonic Lodge #89 records. Compiled by Sam Lattuca 12/09/2012)