Marceline Masonic Lodge: Architecture, Part 2
Since its erection in 1923 and opening in 1924, the Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 at 201 N. Main St. U.S.A. (N. Kansas Ave.) Street, in Marceline, Linn County, Missouri has provided space for the public and local groups to hold ceremonial meetings, gather for fellowship and festivities, and organize their charitable activities. The building’s design, the massing and decorative details on the two primary façades—one facing Main Street U.S.A. and the other facing W. Ritchie Avenue—make the Masonic Temple a noteworthy instance of its genre—a monumental Masonic lodge. This building is locally significant under Criterion C: ARCHITECTURE for the following reasons: 1) It is an exceptional example of the Beaux-Arts style popular during the 1880s through 1930s. In fact, it is northeast and north central Missouri’s best and purest expression of a Beaux-Arts style building designed for a Masonic lodge; 2) This stately building demonstrates the translation of subdued European styles to rural areas in Missouri and the conservative yet sophisticated design present in Marceline and Masonic Temples in the region shortly before the Great Depression; and 3) this Masonic Temple preserves its prime historical features. The main south and east elevations of the Masonic Temple are virtually unaltered in appearance since the building’s construction by a local contractor almost 100 years ago. The period of significance is 1923-1924, the start and finish dates of construction.
The History of Freemasonry in Missouri and the Start of the Marceline Lodge
The Order of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons or Freemasonry represents the oldest fraternity in existence. Freemasonry descends from medieval guilds and as far back as the Temple of King Solomon.[2] This is common knowledge among Freemason Brothers and numerous sources verify this sentiment.[3]
All the earliest Lodges in what is now the State of Missouri were chartered by the Grand Lodges of other states, particularly the Grand Lodges of Pennsylvania, Indiana and Tennessee.[4] In Missouri, the Masonic organization started in 1808 in Ste. Genevieve, a lodge warranted by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.[5] The Grand Lodge of Missouri, located in St. Louis, was established on 21 April 1821, five months before Missouri was granted statehood.[6] Missouri Freemasonry was officially founded on 17 February 1843, when the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Ancient Masons of the State of Missouri was incorporated 22 years after Missouri was awarded Statehood.[7]
Freemasonry spread rapidly throughout the state as settlers organized new counties.[8] The pace of new lodges forming was incredibly fast and soon there were several allied organizations both locally and nationally; these organizations included auxiliary organizations that were related to the central Lodge: the York and Scottish Rites; Shrine; Order of the Eastern Star (the male members female relatives; Order of DeMolay youth group for members’ male children); and Bethels of Job’s Daughters.[9] The Marceline Lodge is no exception. Three of these same organizations met within the walls of the lodge: Eastern Star, Order of DeMolay, and Shrine.
The Marceline lodge was and still is one of three Masonic Lodges in Linn County, Missouri. Brookfield #86 in Brookfield, Linn County, Missouri was chartered on 2 June 1866. The other lodge, Jackson Lodge #82 in Linneus, Linn County, Missouri, is the oldest lodge in the county; it was chartered on 15 October 1846. The current Marceline Masonic Lodge #481 was the last Masonic Temple in Linn County to be built. It was charted on 17 October 1889, with the worshipful Master as Milton Helwig as the first Worshipful Master of the Lodge.[10] All three lodges still exist.[11]
The previous one-part commercial block building that housed the Masonic Temple located at this corner burned down in 1903; a two-part commercial block building was built in its place and covered the original corner lot and the lot to the north of it. The 1903 building later burned down in 1923 and was replaced by the current Beaux-Arts style building.
HISTORY OF THE MARCELINE LODGE #481
According to the archival records of Marceline Masonic Lodge #481, the original building where the Masonic temple now exists was built in 1889, a year after Marceline was officially incorporated as a city. It existed on the same location as the current building’s southern half. The building can be seen on the 1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map indicates what appears to be a two-part commercial block building housing a bank in the front and a post office in the rear; there is no indication of what is on the second story.[12] No building existed on the plot where the north portion of the current building stands.[13] The Marceline Masonic Association purchased the property in 1900 for $2500 from the Bank of Marceline.[14]
Prior to the period of significance (1923-1924), the Masons met in various locations around the city. Between 1889-1898 there are no known records of the organization’s activities. Further research may turn up meeting minutes or other source material from this time. Meeting minutes between 1899 and 1901 indicate the Masons did not meet often in the original two-part commercial block building seen in the 1894 Sanborn map and situated on the corner of Kansas and Ritchie Avenues. Existing Masonic Lodge meeting minutes indicate the lodge met periodically in various places around the city, and only occasionally in the buildings seen in the 1902 and 1911 Sanborn maps. Other places include the Miner’s Hall (two blocks south, extant), the Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) Magnolia Lodge (two buildings north of the current lodge, extant), Cater Opera House (one block south, non-extant), and various backrooms and offices.
By 1902, the building seen in the 1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map still existed with what appears to be an identical footprint.[15] Any differences could be a matter of the person drawing the map. By this time, the post office had moved to the front of the property and a printing shop occupied the rear of the building.
A 1903 fire significantly damaged the original building owned by the lodge. Minutes indicate the damage was severe enough to warrant the building of a two-part commercial block building. This assessment is supported by a receipt dated January or June 10, 1903,[16] showing the sale of the north wall. Further research is needed to determine the reason the north wall was sold. As a result of the fire, the Masons decided to build two buildings to replace the damaged building that spanned the corner lot at Kansas and Ritchie and the plot immediately to its north.[17] The 1911 Sanborn Map indicates two storefronts were present on those lots. Figure 16 shows them as two-part commercial block buildings with two stories on the same lots on which the current lodge sits. It contained a grocery store and “Printing & Gasol.Eng” on the second floor.[18]
In 1920, the Masons debated over the efficacy of replacing the old 1911 building. They determined, after speaking with “the Architect, J. R. Hogg, and well-known contractors [they concluded] that now was a very inopportune time to build. Estimates of the costs of the proposed building reached $25,000, which amount was felt to be excessive.”[19] About two years later that building burned down and it was replaced by the current building.[20]
The Debate About What to Do with the Burned Down Building and Property
As early as 1916, the Masons were already considering a new Lodge on the lot where the current building rests. A 1919 Marceline Journal-Mirror article, indicates that “James F. Hogg, a Kansas City architect, is busy submitting sketches for the proposed new Masonic temple. Three years ago a sinking fund was started for the edifice, but the war has had the effect of delaying the construction.”[21] The article goes on to describe the proposed building as having a “structural arrangement of the lodge rooms and connecting galleries, crypts, etc., will aid in the exemplification of the teaching of the early craft masters” and have the meeting room and cloak rooms on the second floor.
In February of 1923, the Lodge members voted to raze “both buildings” occupying the location of the current 1923-1924 Lodge building. They contracted with Fred Newman (Figure 15), a Marceline-based general contractor to do the job for $40,000. They stipulated Mr. Newman had to remove all “plate glass from the [old buildings’] windows”, that he had to tear down the buildings carefully and “all bricks that are full size bricks [are] to be cleaned and stacked” to be used in the building.[22] After this, they debated about what to do with that property.
At their 13 March 1923 meeting, the Lodge debated what to do with the now vacant lots and “to ascertain if an option could be secured upon a suitable location for the erection of a Masonic Temple.” The meeting included mention of the possibility of selling the lots to the Standard Oil Company for $10,000, the Lodge members decided to build the new Masonic Temple on the same lots occupied by “the present Masonic location Lots No. 1 & 2 Block No. 156.” The meeting concluded with a motion that passed stating the “entire basement for the Masonic Temple be excavated.”[23]
A week later, on 19 March 1923, they reconvened. During this meeting, a letter from the architect firm of W.E. Hulse & Co. in Hutchinson, Kansas was read, and the Lodge members agreed that the President would contact W.E. Hulse to set a date to meet with the Temple Association to go over the building plans and specifications.[24]
During their 29 March 1923 meeting, the lodge members met with architect W.E. Hulse and went over the plans for the new Temple. During that meeting “the plans for the Masonic Temple were examined, from the basement to garret, by the member [sic] of the Board, making several miner [sic] changes and corrections, after which… the plans for the MASONIC TEMPLE, as corrected, presented by Architect W. E. Hulse be approved. Motion unanimously carried and plans approved.”[25]
At their 11 April 1923 meeting, they officially hired Hulse, and work began on finding a general contractor, plumber, electrician, and others.
The contract the Lodge signed with Hulse required heavy recycling of material from the old buildings. The material recovered and kept included using 72 yards of Native rock and 35,200 common bricks (Figure 19). Thus, several of the circa 1911 bricks have been incorporated into the current structure.
The Masons considered construction related “bids for erection of a Masonic Temple” by Hulse. Bids and plans were then read in the presence of the contractors and others in attendance. During this session the Brothers tabled a motion to make the cornerstone out of “Carthalite [sic] stone” and that the front entry doors should “be covered on the outer side with copper as per the specifications”, that maple flooring would be installed, and floor insulation eliminated. No records indicate the entry door specifications were changed; however, no copper is currently present at this or any other location on the outside of the building. Further research is required to determine if copper was part of the original entryway from or removed later with a non-historic entryway was installed.
Two weeks later, during the 26 April 1923 meeting, the Lodge members hired the work crews: John Scott and Son of Memphis, Missouri was awarded the General Contractor contract for the sum of $32,715.00, Nathan DeYoung was hired to do the electric work for $493.53, and G.W. Bigger Heating and Plumbing Co. of Marceline got the heating and plumbing contract with a bid of $4080.00. Finally, the motion to make the “FACE BRICK be of the No. C.P. Shade No. 123, as made by the RELIANCE BRICK CO. of Kansas City, Mo.” carried.[26]
During the 15 May 1923 meeting, the Brothers agreed to have a Carthage Stone or Granite cornerstone. Carthage won out (Photos 1-2, 6-7).[27]
The minutes of 5 June 1923 discuss changes in the partitions of rooms as indicated on a pencil sketch presented by E.W. Taylor.[28] These changes were to be made and the same be referred to the Architect and Contractor. Specifically mentioned is that The Red Cross Room was to become one room with an angular wall [referred to as a dogleg in Section 7’s discussion of this room] at the northeast corner of the new room. This change also effected the wall of the Lobby on second floor when the wall was moved east to match the location of The Red Cross Room’s east wall, thus the dogleg angle. The floor in the Red Cross room indicates that change was implemented prior to construction of room, no indication of a wall ever constructed. Figure 21 shows there was a penciled in alteration of this area.
The foundation was completed by August 1923. On 3 August it was reported that the brickwork had started after a delay caused by waiting on the bricks to arrive.[29]
The cornerstone was laid 14 August 1923 with the east elevation cornerstone inscription reading “Aug. 14, 1923, A.L. 5923, Bert S. Lee Grand Master” and the south elevation cornerstone inscription reading: “Marceline Lodge No. 481 A.F. & A.M. with the Masonic symbol centered between “481” and the “A.F.” line (Photos 1-2, 6-7).[30]
As the erection of the current building ensued, the members of the lodge discussed all the details of the new lodge, including the types of windows,[31] decided on the cornerstone inscriptions, which cornerstone inscription would face which direction (south or east), dealt with defective face brick, and then, on August 14, 1923, they laid the cornerstone.[32] The box sealed within the cornerstone contains a number of objects, ranging from minutes, by-laws of each chapter in the building (Knights Templar, DeMolay, etc.), lists of officers, one copy each of the Marceline Journal-Mirror and Herald, among other items.[33]
Once these “housekeeping” issues were completed, the Masons focused on such tasks as the basement, voting to have it include “concrete bases 12” x 12” and 18” high with an iron clad plate on the top placed until the Ten (10) 12” x 12”[34] wood posts” and to lower the ceiling of the property room, toilets and other rooms as the Committee [sic] deems advisable.”[35]
A letter from Joseph S. McIntyre, Grand Master of the St. Louis Grand Lodge, dated “January 24th, 1924,” indicates that the new Masonic Temple would be dedicated on 22 February 1924.[36] During the 8 February 1924 meeting, it “was mutually decided that … the Contractor, John Scott and Son, and the Architect, W. E. Hulse and Co., that the Marceline Masonic Temple Association” be paid off immediately.[37]
On 27 February 1924, Marceline Masonic Temple #481 held a public open house.[38] One article gushed about everyone seeing “a building stately to the eye,”[39] while the following week’s Herald article about the dedication stated that 650 people were in attendance to look at the new building and enjoy the dedication festivities.[40]
[1] “Our History!” City of Marceline. http://marcelinemo.us/home/history.html. Accessed 1 May 2023.
[2] “Freemasonry: The First Masonic Grand Lodge.” The History Press.
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/freemasonry-the-first-masonic-grand-lodge/.
Accessed 29 April 2023.
[3] Lewis, Fred. Personal Interview. 1 February 2023.
[4] “Grand Lodge of the Month for June 2017.” The George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
https://gwmemorial.org/blogs/gl-of-the-month/the-grand-lodge-of-missouri#:~:text=From%20these%20Lodges%20the%20Grand,four%2Dyear%20liberal%20arts%20college. 2017 June 01. Accessed 2 May 2023.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] “Grand Lodge of Missouri.” Wikiwand. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Grand_Lodge_of_Missouri. Accessed 12
February 2023.
[8] “Freemasonry’s First 150 Years in Missouri”, Kansas City Star, 26 September 1971, Star Magazine Section, 25.
[9] “Grand Lodge.”
[10] Information is a synthesis of various pages on the Grand Lodge of Missouri website: https://momason.org/.
Also, see Figure 19 for Lodge Charter.
[11] Confirmed by Brother Fred Lewis.
[12] Sanborn Map, 1894.
[13] Sanborn Map, 1894.
[14] This information comes from a bond notice confirmed in “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple
Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 17 January 1901, Marceline, MO.
[15] Sanborn Map, 1902.
[16] The minutes are incomplete at this time and not as detailed as later minutes, so this information is relying heavily
on lodge interviews and extrapolation from the archived minutes.
[17] See Figure 16 for partial view of the building. The north portion of what is a two two-part commercial block
building. The 1911 Sanborn map shows it as two two-part building. This is most likely correct because Masonic minutes discuss what to do with the building located on the northern lot.
[18] Sanborn Map, 1911.
[19] “Masonic Temple Will Be Built Later.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 5 May 1920.
[20] Nearly a year of minutes discuss the debate about the 1923-1924 building. See “The Debate About What to Do
with the Burned Down Building and Property” below for more detail.
[21] “Plans for the New Masonic Temple.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 1919. The “Masonic Temple Will Be Built
Later.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 5 May 1920 article has similar information.
[22] Fred Newman Contract. 15 February 1923. Marceline Masonic Temple Association archives. This information is
verified in “Down Comes the Old Masonic Hall.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 23 February 1923 and “Tearing Down Masonic Building.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 2 March 1923.
[23] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 13 March
1923, Marceline, MO.
[24] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Assoc., 19 Mar. 1923.
[25] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 29 March
1923, Marceline, MO.
[26] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 26 April 1923,
Marceline, MO.
[27] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 15 May 1923,
Marceline, MO.
[28] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 5 June 1923,
Marceline, MO.
[29] “Brickwork Started on Masonic Temple.” The Marceline News. 3 August 1923. See Photos 25-27 and 36 show
the original bricks used in the construction of the lodge.
[30] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, August 14
1923, Marceline, MO.
[31] These windows, as noted in Section 7, were replaced October 2011 through March 2012.
[32] These decisions and actions took place between the Masons’ 5 June 1923 and 17 August 1923 meetings.
[33] “Corner Stone of New Masonic Temple.” The Marceline Journal-Mirror. 17 August 1923.
[34] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Assoc., 7 Sep. 1923.
[35] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 28 September
1923, Marceline, MO. These posts can be found in Figure 9. In that blueprint, there are two additional round posts shown; those posts are the current historic metal supports shown in Photo 27. When this change occurred is unknown. Further research may turn up information. See Section 7 for descriptions of the support beams.
[36] McIntyre, Joseph S., Letter to W.E. Parks. 24 January 1924. Marceline Masonic Temple #481Archives.
[37] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 24 February
1924, Marceline, MO.
[38] “Minutes of the Marceline Masonic Temple Association.” Marceline Masonic Temple Association, 11 February
1923, Marceline, MO.
[39] “Masonic Temple Pride of City.” The Marceline Herald. 22 February 1924, XI.28.
[40] “Hospitality Personified.” The Marceline Herald. 29 February 1924, XI.29.
