ONE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF MASONRY

WITH ILLINOIS LODGE 263

The year 1858 was a year that brought fame to two great men. That year several debates were held in Illinois between Abraham Lincoln, a Springfield lawyer, and former Representative in Congress, who was running for the U.S. Senate, and Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who in 1840 was appointed Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of mason in Illinois. Also, in 1858 the wars with the Indians were still being fought, and about that time the first stagecoach route was opened from St. Louis, through the Apache Territory, to San Francisco.

On January 20, 1859 (1858?), nineteen brother Masons deposited their demits in order that they might petition for a dispensation to work and build their membership to charter a Lodge.

On January 25, 1858, the first officers of Illinois Lodge submitted a petition to work “Under Dispensation”, and was vouched for by Peoria Lodge No. 15. The exact date dispensation was granted is unknown.

In June 1858, the first meeting of Illinois Lodge, U.D., was held in the 100 block of N. Adams, and Samual P. Hazzard and William A. Willard received the First Degree. They received the Second Degree in July and the Third Degree in August, 1858.

On October 6, 1858, Illinois Lodge #263 was granted a charter at the 18^th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, Bro. Harrison Deill, the Most Worshipful Grand master officiating. The new Lodge was given in charge of Bro. Stephen H. Burnett, our first Worshipful Master, and naming Bro. Alfred Freeman as Senior Warden and Brother David M. Cummings as Junior Warden. The following were also Charter members: Joseph W. Brooks, uriah H. Kellog, A. T. Stewart, Henry L. Gaines, Wm. Augustus Thrush, W. Howard Robinson, Thomas Bryant, D. S. Thompson, Ben. P. VanCourt, Thomas A. A. Smythe, Octave Chanute, Henry M. VanBuskirk, David I. N. Sanderson, Jonathan Hancock, Joseph W. Parish, and Henry Nolte.

On October 3, 1863, Bro. Wm. Augustus Thrush, a charter member was the first member of Illinois Lodge to be killed in a battle of the Civil War, while serving as a Colonel of the 47^th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers at Corinth, Miss.

In December, 1872, the lodge dues were raised from $1.75 per year to $2.75 per year, and in 1878 the membership of the Lodge had grown to 66 members.

In 1880 the Masonic Association was incorporated and in the Fall of 1881 a lot was secured at the corner of Adams and liberty Streets and the foundation of a Temple started at that site. The cornerstone was laid on June 1, 1882.

Oon September 20, 1883, the new Temple was dedicated by A. T. Darrah, Grand master of the Grand lodge of Illinois. The four-story building and furnishings cost $100,000.00 and had a banquet room seating 1,000 persons. The first two floors were rented out to merchants. 

In 1888 the membership of Illinois Lodge reached 75 members and in 1889, A. Schradski purchased the Masonic Temple with the stipulation that the four Blue lodges, Peoria #15, Temple #46, Illinois #263, and Schiller #335, could continue meeting in the building.

In 1898 the Masonic Temple Association purchased the Bradley memorial Universalist Church at 723 Main Street (later designated 727 Main Street). However, since the Shrine, Scottish Rite and York Rite were major stockholders and there was not room for all the Masonic Bodies, the Blue Lodges searched for other quarters. At that time David Meyer was starting a new office building at the corner of Adams and Hamilton Streets, and he agreed to construct the fourth floor especially for the Lodges. The four Lodges in the association moved into temporary quarters in DeWein hall on North Adams Street until the Meyer Building could be completed, and on June 30, 1900, Illinois Lodge held the first meeting in the temporary quarters.

On July 23, 1900, the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Brother Charles F. Hitchcock dedicated the new Lodge Hall in the Meyer Building in August the four Blue Lodges moved in. In 1907, due to inadequate income, Schiller Lodge could not afford to remain in the Meyer Building and they moved to new quarters.

On October 6, 1908, Illinois Lodge 263 celebrated it’s 50^th Anniversary by conferring the Fellowcraft Degree. The membership by then stood at 378 members.

In 1911, the Main Street Masonic Temple, which was partly owned by the Blue Lodges, was remodeled. The steeples were removed and a four story addition was added to the front, and a cornerstone laid.

In 1912, Illinois Lodge, like many other lodges, found it necessary to raise the initiation fee. It went to $50.00.

On June 14, 1917, at the stated meeting, a special dispensation was received from the Grand Master granting Illinois Lodge the right to hold a special election to replace our decades Treasurer, Bro. Pursley. On June 26, 1917, Wor. Bro. Andrew J. Zimmerman was elected to fill the vacancy, a capacity he held and fulfilled in a very capable manner for 38 years, until in 1955, when he declined re-election.

In 1928, Bro. Austin H. Scrogin, Grand master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, issued an edict that all Masonic Lodges in the State, from that time forth, would use only the English language in their Halls and in their meetings. The membership of Illinois Lodge reached 605 members that year.

On May 28, 1920, Illinois Lodge made a bold step forward when it purchased 60 shares in the Masonic Temple Association, 45 from Peoria Consistory and 15 from Mohammed Shrine. 

In June, 1920, Peoria, Illinois, and Temple Lodges climaxed their search for a permanent home by moving into the Masonic Temple at 727 Main Street, where they remained for 51 years.

After 1920, the Temple was jointly owned and used by the three Blue Lodges and Peoria Chapter No. 7, R.A.M. and Peoria Commandery No. 3. Mohammed Shrine had moved into their new Temple at 207 N. E. Monroe in 1910, and the Scottish Rite moved into their new Cathedral at Perry and Jackson Streets in 1924.

From 1918 through 1928, Illinois Lodge enjoyed one of the largest gains in membership in it’s history. The membership leaped from 605 in 1918 to 1159 in 1928. In 1928, in commemoration of it’s 70^th birthday, Illinois Lodge held an Open House at Mohammed Shrine Temple for members, their families and friends. 800 enjoyed the dinner and entertainment.

On November 19, 1929, the Past Masters of Illinois Lodge conferred the Master Mason Degree on Bro. Hugh Gordon Marshall, which brought the membership to 1200. By 1938, due to the Depression, the membership decreased for the first time to 1149 members.

On December 7, 1941, it became quite evident that for the third time, during the Civil War, World War I, and now World War II, it would be necessary for members of Illinois Lodge 263 to lay down their tools and fight for our Country and the freedom of our Democracy. Many members of Illinois Lodge served in the various theaters of action and some gave their lives that we who survived might continue to live and worship our God as free men. Illinois Lodge helped the war effort in every way it could, but especially by being to the very limit in War Bonds.

By 1942, Illinois Lodge had become one of the ten largest Masonic Lodges in the state, a distinction it has held almost continuously to this date. During 1943, and for many years thereafter, a record volume of petitions for degrees made it necessary for Illinois Lodge to meet twice weekly for degree work.

On September 28, 1943, the Master and Wardens of our Lodge met with the representatives of other Masonic bodies for the purpose of arranging a series of dances and entertainment for members of the Armed Forces, to be held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.

By April 25, 1944, Illinois Lodge and it’s members had contributed a total of $2,842.00 to the Masonic Service Fund. The year 1944 was also a banner year in membership gain, as a total of 101 were Initiated, Passed and Raised to Master Masons.

On December 25, 1945, Wor. Bro. Pau A. Lung expressed his desire to retire from active service as Illinois Lodge’s representative on the Masonic Temple Association Board, after serving in that capacity for more than 25 years. His wishes were honored and Wor. Bro. Wylie Stableton was unanimously elected his successor. 1945 was another banner year in membership gain with 110 receiving the degrees. World War II posed many problems for the members our Lodge serving in the Armed Forces, and for the Lodge as well. It was difficult to remain in contact with them, with the result that many became delinquent in the payment of dues.

On April 23, 1946, it was voted at the Stated Meeting that all members who were then serving, as well as all members who served in the Armed Forces in World War II, would be exempt of all back dues and would become current paid up members upon payment of their 1946 dues. The year was a record one in growth of Illinois Lodge as 119 candidates received the Degrees that year.

On October 25, 1949, a resolution was presented at the Stated Meeting to amend Section 1, Article 2 of the By-Laws which read: The Stated Communication shall be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:00PM from April 1^st to October 1^st, and 7:30PM the remainder of the year”, to read “The Stated Communication shall be on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30PM”, thus eliminating the confusion that arose from the seasonal change of the meeting time.

In 1951, the Illinois Lodge 263 membership roll reached 1808, the second largest in the State after Temple Lodge, whose membership reached 2373 that year, which is the largest annual membership of any Masonic Lodge in Illinois to this date. At the July, 1952 Stated Meeting it was voted and passed to raise the annual dues from $5.00 to $8.00.

In 1954 the Worshipful master appointed a committee to revise and bring up-to-date the By-Laws of Illinois Lodge No. 263. By 1955 the job was completed and after approval of the Grand Master of Illinois, the revision was accepted by a vote of the Lodge.

On October 29, 1955, a tradition of exchange of work between Illinois Lodge and Roosevelt Lodge of Davenport, Iowa, was begun when Roosevelt Lodge brought a busload of their members to Illinois Lodge. After they had been treated to a dinner by Illinois Lodge, they conferred the Third Degree on their candidate by one of the finest Degree Teams in the state of Iowa.

On November 19, 1955, Illinois Lodge completed the exchange visit to Roosevelt Lodge by taking a busload to Davenport. After a nice dinner, Illinois Lodge presented a Rod Drill Team Exhibition, which has continued to be a regular part of the exchange. Then the Third Degree was conferred on our candidate, Bro. Frank Duff, who was Jr. Steward when the 100^th Anniversary was celebrated, and was Worshipful Master in 1963. This exchange of work with Roosevelt Lodge has continued each fifth year with the exception of 1970.

On October 6, 1958, under the stewardship of Bro. Kenneth A. Stokes, Worshipful Master and Wor. Bro. Wylie Stableton, General Chairman, Illinois Lodge No. 263 celebrated it’s 100^th Anniversary. The Centennial Program was begun by having a dinner at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, at which the address was given by R. Wor. Bro. Andrew Caraker, Past Grand orator. The dinner was followed by conferral of the Master Mason Degree. The first section was conferred by the Officers of Illinois Lodge and the second section by the Past Masters. There were in attendance 331 Masons from 44 lodges.

On October 11, 1958, Illinois Lodge climaxed it’s Centennial by having a banquet at the Shrine Mosque. The Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, Paul R. Stephens and his wife were present. The Most Worshipful Grand Master was unable to attend due to the Grand Lodge being in session. The 560 Masons, ladies and friends were entertained by the Shrine Kiltie Band, directed by Bro. Paul Robertson of Illinois Lodge, by the Shrine Changers and by professional entertainers from Chicago.

On September 30, 1971, the five joint-owners moved out of the Main St. Temple. The death knell of the Temple was sounded when Central Ill. Light Co. announced it was discontinuing steam heat service to the downtown buildings, and the high cost of converting the Temple to a gas furnace became apparent. All found temporary quarters until a permanent location could be found. Peoria No. 15 wen to Joe Robbins Lodge, Temple No. 46 to Hilton Lodge, Illinois No. 263 to Juergens Temple and Peoria Chapter No. 7, R.A.M. and Peoria Commandery No. 3 went to the Scottish Rite. It was the first time in 86 years the three lodges were not in the same Temple.

In January, 1972, the Main Street Temple was torn down. This beautiful building was the oldest church building in Peoria. It had been built in 1868 by the Church of the Messiah, then became the Bradley Memoriall Universalist Church, and finally was for 73 years a Masonic Temple. Before it was torn down a few relics were removed and some are now on display in our present Temple. Among them are old gas lights and the ceramic street number “727”.

On June 25, 1972, groundbreaking for the new building to be known as the “Peoria Illinois Temple” at 2900 W. Lake Ave., Peoria, took place with Temple Lodge officiating.

On September 30, 1973, the Cornerstone for our new Temple was laid by Bro. George R. Murphy, Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, under the auspices of Peoria Lodge No. 15.

On June 1^st, 1974, Peoria, Temple, and Illinois Lodges took up residence in the new Temple. On June 4, 1974, Illinois Lodge conferred the first degree work to be conferred in the new building.

On August 3, 1975, the Grand Master, Bro. Earl Potter and his Corps of Officers, with the assistance of the members of the three Lodges, dedicated the new temple. Illinois Lodge hosted the ceremonies and the history of the three Lodges was read by Wor. Bro. Jerry R. Hayes, Master. Refresh were served int he dining room to 350.

And now on October 1^st, 1983, Illinois Lodge No. 263 will celebrate it’s 125^th Anniversary. After the Lodge opens on the Third Degree at 1:00PM, the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Bro. Raymond Bachman, will be received, followed with the conferral of the Third Degree on Bro. Clyde Phillips. At 5:30 PM there will be a reception for the Grand Master at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, followed by a 125^th Anniversary and Past Masters and Awards Dinner.A prime rib dinner will be served and after the meal there will be an address by the Grand Master, followed by introduction of the Past Masters and presentation of the Service Awards. Bro. Morris Lev will receive a 50 year Pin and the evening will conclude with entertainment.

Thus far Illinois Lodge No. 263 has been a great Lodge and with the help of God and the efforts and zeal of it’s members it will endure to greater heights for many future generations.