The History of Quincy Lodge #230 F. & A.M.
(Text taken from the Rededication Ceremony booklet October 6th, 2001)
143 Years and counting...
The Rededication ceremony of Quincy Lodge #230 F. & A.M. shall serve as a
foundation for the bright future. It will also, indeed, stir many memories of bygone
days, events, and lost Brethren. With almost a century and a half, the narratives and
memories go on virtually forever. Now, let us travel back into days gone by, to the
time when the seeds of Quincy Lodge were first planted.
Picture, if you will, a railroad boxcar shanty alongside the tracks, running through the small rural town of Quincy, Indiana (Elwood's former name). According to the late Brother Austin Brumbaugh, this boxcar was actually the unlikely setting where a handful of Master Masons, from various Lodges, informally meet and first discussed the possibility of forming a new Lodge.
Quincy Lodge officially started on June 12, 1857- the date of the first meeting as Quincy Lodge U.D., after the Grand Lodge of Indiana granted the dispensation on May 25, 1857. Meetings were held on the Tuesday on or before the full moon, and the entire membership consisted of A. J. Griffith, Worshipful Master; James M. Dehority, Senior Warden; G. W. Douglas, Junior Warden; John T. Hunter, Secretary; Robert R. Douglas, Treasurer; Levi B. Collins, Senior Deacon; James N. Decker, Junior Deacon; and M. Black, Tyler. The new Lodge received its first two petitions that year; the candidates were Joseph Anderson and Milton Kidwell. The seeds were firmly sowed.
A little more than a year later, on June 28, 1858, Special Deputy Grand Master, Illustrious Brother C. P. Peno opened the stated meeting and presented the Lodge with its Charter. The Lodge Hall was located on the second floor of a store building owned by Brother James M. DeHority. By December 31,1859, the Lodge membership had increased to thirty-six Master Masons in good standing.
The next three decades were particularly arduous for the Lodge. The Civil War began, and many of the brethren were called to duty. Six brothers made the ultimate sacrifice. The minutes for 1879 show no meetings at all, just blank pages. Furthermore, in December 1881, half the membership was suspended for nonpayment of dues. This toilsome era continued until 1884, when five Master Masons were raised.
The years that followed were a time of prosperity for the Lodge, as Elwood also celebrated its prosperity with the natural gas boom in 1887 and the tin mill in 1892. Lodge membership increased from thirty-eight members in 1885 to 102 members in 1895. In 1900, Brother James J. Davis approached the altar of Masonry; he would go on to serve in the United States Senate and the Cabinet of three different United States Presidents.
Prosperity nourished, even after the exhaustion of the gas wells in 1903. In 1907, under the determination of Brother S. H. Digel P.M., the Lodge bought a new Temple building, which stood as the icon of Freemasonry in Elwood untill the recent turn of the millennium. The building was purchased for $20,000, and another $5,000 was used for remodeling. The Lodge room was beautiful and well known throughout central Indiana.
"The night of April 1st, 1913, saw a young man, just turned twenty-one, standing before the Lodge alter, where two of his older brothers had stood before him, and a younger brother who was to stand there several years later. This young man standing there was well known to the Master, O.D. Hinshaw, and all the brethren present. However, little did they realize the impact this man was to have on his generation, the nation and the world. The man was Wendell Lewis Willkie."
The next few decades brought both good and bad times for both the Country and the Lodge. The years surrounding World War I and World War II saw many new faces enter the Fraternity. However, 86 members were called to service during WWI, and WWII sent 45 members to fight for the Nation, with two brethren, Ernie Gardner and Jimmie Gordon not returning. Brother Dale Noble, Worshipful Master in 1944,left for service right after his installation. During the Vietnam War Era in 1969,a helicopter gunship piloted by Brother Malcolm "Buck" Leopke went down over North Korea; he spent a year as a POW. Truly, Quincy Lodge must have great pride for the many sacrifices the members have made for our Nation.
Freemasonry can be described and detailed many ways, but it is its members, traditions, and memories that make the Lodge what it is today. Elwood had been fortunate to have such a strong Masonic tradition. From the charter date of 1858, the Lodge has been a prominent part of life in Elwood. With its appendant bodies of O.E.S., York Rite Chapter and Council, De Molay, and Job's Daughters, the Lodge has provided a place for people of all ages to come together and share in a common goal, enjoy good fellowship, and enrich this community with many charitable works. May the Grand Architect of the Universe bless us and keep this Lodge in the years to come. So Mote It Be.
