A Historical Review

 

Nine Members and thirteen visitors attended the first meeting of Ivy Lodge No. 397 after Constitution. According to the 1867 By-laws, the fee for Initiation and Membership was fixed at $50.00. And it was further provided that every Member admitted upon certificate should pay $10.00 if a Master Mason, $20.00 if a Fellowcraft Mason, and $35.00 if an Entered Apprentice. A By-laws Committee was set up, and two Petitions received. After St. John's Day, 1867, Ivy Lodge No. 397 had one Past Master (Good­lander) and a Membership of thirteen.

 

Special Meetings to Confer Degrees became the rule in 1868, during which year Ivy Lodge No. 397 had thirty-two such meetings. Also, the two Lodges removed to shared quarters in the Ayers and Lundy Building above the new Post Office. This move ended a period of controversy in which an Ivy Lodge faction had tried to get Lodge No. 106 to vacate.

Up to this time the two Lodges shared their paraphernalia. But after conflict arose concerning location of the meeting hall, Ivy Lodge obtained its own Jewels, furniture, and fixtures. By-laws were finally adopted later in the year, and Membership increased to twenty-seven.

 

In 1869, it was decided that Ivy Lodge would meet at 7:00 P.M. Oct. 1 to May 1, and 7:30 P.M. during the summer. Membership climbed to forty-three.

 

A curious item appears in the minutes of 1870. A Second Degree was being administered, and when the Master asked if there were any objections, a visiting Member from Lodge No. 106 arose and made objection. The Master referred the problem to the District Deputy, who ruled that the objection was not obligatory upon Ivy Lodge.

 

The Initiation fee was now amended to $40.00 and a sinking fund created against indebtedness, a portion of all Dues and fees to be placed therein. There having been trouble with the Treasurer's books this year, that Officer was placed under bond. Membership gained seventeen.

 

Finances continued to give trouble in 1871. A special committee reported that the Secretary had paid all funds received by him over to the Treasurer, who muddled his accounts. By resolution, the Treasurer was required to pay over to the Trustees all money exceeding $100.00. During this year a switch was made from written to printed monthly notices, except that the names of Petitioners were still required to be handwritten therein. Net membership at year's end was sixty-four.

1872 was the first "off year." There was a net loss in Membership, due to several expulsions and one resignation. Mention is made in the minutes of a proposed Masonic Home in Pittsburgh.

 

In 1873, due to poor attendance upon meetings in hot weather, the practice began of suspending meetings for the summer months, upon majority vote of the Members present at any Stated Meeting. Membership reached sixty-six; two admitted, three Initiated, one expelled, and one Demitted.

 

Ivy Lodge became debt-ridden, though a considerable sum of money stood in the Trustees' hands. Heretofore, the Lodge tried to cover its debts without using invested funds, but this year a resolution was adopted requiring the Trustees to pay the Treasurer enough to meet all obligations. Net Membership shrank to sixty-five. The biggest social event of the year was a Grand Lodge Visitation on October 6, 1874, by R.W. Grand Master Alfred R. Potter. Members of ten Lodges attended the program.

1875 saw ten Special Meetings. Five Members were Raised, produc­ing total net Membership to sixty-six. Clandestine Masonry was the big issue this year. Grand Lodge had suspended several Lodges for admitting such Masons. A proposal was made to combine with Lodge No. 106 in setting up a Masonic Library and Reading Room, but we are told that this was abandoned because of the expense.

 

The years 1876 and 1877 were uneventful, though John B. Metzger, later President Judge of Lycoming County Courts, and Hiram H. Ulman, later President of Select Council in Wllliamsport, were made Members of the Lodge those years. In 1878, Brother Addis McVeagh, P.M., died, and net Membership at year's end was seventy. Joint celebration of St. John's Day had now begun.

 

In 1879, various Grand Lodge Decisions affecting Lodge records and procedures were clarified. In 1880, Ivy Lodge received more Petitions and Raised more Applicants than in any previous year, but suffered many losses, and net Membership slipped to fifty-eight.

 

From 1881 through 1883, the minutes contain nothing of interest, except that in the last named year, for the first time, a Candidate was stopped after receiving the Fellowcraft Degree. In 1884, attention was directed to the establishment of a School for Instruction, jointly for the two Lodges. Also, mention is made of presentation to the Lodge of a Gavel made of wood from an oak tree on the George Washington estate at Mt. Vernon, Va.  The two Lodges moved to new meeting halls in the Hays Building in 1885. In November, a By-law was adopted setting up the first Tuesday of each month as the Stated Meeting night. It has always remained so.

 

From 1886 through 1889 there is repeated mention in the minutes concerning organizing efforts by competing branches of Masonry. Declared Clandestine by Grand Lodge in 1887 and 1888 were the Cerneau Masons, and in 1890 the so-called Egyptian Rite sought foothold in the State. The Grand Master attacked this group also as Clandestine.

 

1892, the year of our Twenty-fifth Anniversary, was prosperous. Also, iS93. The seasons 1894 through 1896 are characterized in the minutes as"prosperous," "ordinary," and "some recovery." Poor economic condi­tions had clouded Masonry's financial picture, and it became difficult to collect dues money. In 1897, Ivy Lodge received twenty-six Petitions and Raised twenty-three.

In 1897, the Cornerstone of the present Masonic Temple was laid. In 1898, twenty-one were Raised, and Ivy Lodge moved to the new building on May 3rd. On July 17, the Lodges assisted at the Cornerstone Laying for the "Home for the Friendless."

Membership gained once again in 1899, and depression set in the following year. In 1901, Brother Frederick J. Keller, P.M., Treasurer for twenty-eight years, died. In 1902, thirty-six Petitions were received and eighteen were Raised. In 1903, twenty-five were Raised.

 

Death visited among the veterans again in 1904, when Brother Herman Hinckley, P.M., Secretary for twenty-five years, died. Twenty-eight Peti­tions were received that year and sixteen were Raised. Brother Adolph Niemeyer, P.M., who had served as Secretary and Trustee for four and twenty-four years respectively, died November 30, 1905. This year thirty-four Petitions came in, and twenty-six were Raised.

 

1906 saw the death of Brother Dr. Newall Johnson, P.M. There were twenty-six Petitions and twenty-two were Raised. In 1907, we had twenty-seven Petitioners, sixteen of whom were Raised. In 1908, Brother John G. Hess became District Deputy Grand Master. Among the deaths were Brothers Edward W. Till, Valentine Luppert, and P.M. John F. Tomlinson. There were twenty-nine Petitions and seventeen Raised.

 

Two more P.M.'s died in 1909, Brothers William M. DuFour and William T. Corson. The minutes show that twenty-seven Master's Degrees were Conferred that year.

 

Brother Monroe D. Hotchkiss, Trustee for thirty years, died in 1910. There were thirty-eight Petitions and twenty-nine Third Degrees. Nothing much is noted for 1911, during which year twenty-seven Petitions came in, and twenty-five were Raised. Mention is made in the minutes that Brother James B. Krause, P.M., became Right Worshipful Grand Warden this year.

1912 produced nothing notable except a Grand Lodge Visitation. Only nineteen Petitions were filed, and ten Master Masons created. In 1913, when WilliamsportHigh School was built, the various Lodges in the city partici­pated. Brother William H. Kiess, P.M., died. There were eighteen Petitions and twelve were Raised.

 

Brother John G. Hess, District Deputy Grand Master, died in 1914. Only fourteen were Raised, but thirty-five Petitions came in. 1915 was one of the most active years in Lodge history, when forty-one Petitions were filed and thirty-five were Raised.

In 1916, there were thirty-six Petitions and thirty-two Raised. World War I was raging, and Lodge activity persisted, as in 1917, when twenty-six were Raised. In 1918, Brother James B. Krause became Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. He visited frequently. Ivy Lodge contributed generously to the Grand Lodge War Fund. Forty-two Petitions were filed, and twenty-seven Master Masons created.

 

In 1919, the total Membership of Ivy Lodge No. 397 reached five hundred and fifty-three. This was the busiest year in history for the Brethren, there being fifty-two Petitions and forty-three Third Degrees. Prosperity continued in 1920, when the Lodge received a bequest of $25,000.00 from the estate of Brother Alfred F. Young, P.M., who had been Representative to Grand Lodge for nineteen years. As for new Petitions, all previous records were broken, as our minutes reveal seventy-five Petitions, and forty-three Master Masons created.

 

Brother Frederick H. Sweet, P.M. and Trustee, died January 5, 1921. Brother Albert F. Zimmerman, P.M., was elected to the vacancy. Total Membership now achieved six hundred and forty-four, and our minutes say that forty-eight Petitions came in, and fifty were Raised. In 1922, Member­ship was six hundred and seventy-four, and in 1924 it reached six hundred and ninety. The Manson historical notes reveal nothing else of interest for these years, except the number of Raisings: forty-three in 1922, nineteen in 1923, and twenty-six in 1924.

 

As the Twenties wore on, interest in Masonry appeared to decline, no doubt from the "multiplied diversity of attraction of social and other pleas­ures," as Brother Manson so aptly puts it. For instance, only thirteen Master Masons were created in 1926, seventeen in 1927, and eighteen in 1928, at the close of which year Membership was seven hundred and thirteen.

For the next three years, nothing is recorded except Petitions and Rais­ings. Total Membership hovered around seven hundred and eighteen, but by 1930 the Great Depression had taken hold, so that only fourteen Petitions were received. In 1931, just four Petitions were filed, and four Raised. Membership plummeted. In 1932, there was even less activity, there being only two Petitions, and but three Raised. This proved to be the low point. In 1933, together with the famous Bank Holiday, financial conditions reached their nadir. All Lodge funds were frozen, and securities had to be sold to get money for Lodge charities. Many Members became delinquent, and monthly attendance fell badly. In October, the Trustees had to sell $500.00 in investments, just to meet current bills. Many resignations were received. Total enrollment shrank to six hundred and fifty-nine at year's end. A Budget Committee was appointed to curtail expenditures.

 

The decline continued through 1934, when resignations reduced Mem­bership still further. In 1935, the Lodge received final payment of the Charles H. Eldon bequest, which came to $2,398.45. Property in the hands of the Trustees increased to $16,198.10, and net Membership went to six hundred and thirty-two. Unpaid dues climbed to $2,620.25.

 

From 1936 through 1939 these financial crises continued. In general, these seasons were uneventful, characterized by poor attendance. Some­times, say the minutes, we had more visitors present than our own Members. In 1939, due to an upsurge in expulsions and suspensions, only five hundred and eighty-six Members were in Good Standing. Brother J. Fred Katzmaier became Representative to Grand Lodge. At last, in 1940, finances recovered to the point where expenses were about $750.00 less than income.

 

With the entry of America into World War II in December, 1941, Ivy Lodge No. 397 took action as to procedures for closing Lodge, in the event of an air raid alert. We celebrated our Seventy-fifth Anniversary Year, it being the administration of Brother Ralph C. Gingrich, P.M.

 

Business was brisk in 1942 and 1943, there being fifty-nine Petitions. Because of the increased work load, Ivy Lodge No. 397 discontinued the practice of summer recesses this year. According to the Committee on Masonic Military and Naval Service, there were thirty Brothers actively serving in the Armed Forces, and also forty-two sons or daughters of Mem­bers. A Committee composed of Brothers J. Fred Katzmaier, P.M., Russell M. Smith, P.M., and Emerson L. Woolever, Secretary, made fifty-four personal contacts and wrote six hundred and fifty-seven letters to Armed Forces personnel.

 

In 1944, Brother Arthur L. Pepperman became District Deputy Grand Master. There were fifty Petitions during that year. Brother Frank Borger, Junior Warden, was called into the service, and during his absence Brother Howard R. Baldwin was appointed Acting Junior Warden. Annual Visita­tions with Ivy Lodge No. 397, Elmira, New York, were resumed this season.

 

1945 brought in fifty-five Petitions, and according to Brother Kenneth Weaver, P.M., seventy-one were Raised, this being the all-time record. Brother John A. Shoemaker, Treasurer, marked his fiftieth year as a P.M. In a memorable ceremony, Brother Shoemaker, who had Raised Brother Charles A. Shemp on February 4, 1896, presented "Bucky" Shemp with his 50-year Masonic Service Emblem.

 

Activity slowed somewhat over the following four years. In 1947, there were thirty-nine Petitions, and only twenty-six in 1949, then forty-nine in 1950. The year, 1948, saw Brother Ralph C. Gingrich appointed District Deputy Grand Master and in 1950, Brother John A. Shoemaker resigned as Treasurer, after having served in that office for nearly fifty years.

 

Mention should be made of the part that Members of Ivy Lodge No. 397 had in the Constitution of Dietrick Lamade Lodge No. 755, which took place in Williamsport on October 11, 1947. Participating on the Organizing Committee for Lodge No. 755 were four Brothers of Ivy Lodge. These were Brothers B. Frank Borger, W.M.; L. Eugene Graham, S.W.; Emerson Woolever, Sec.; and Ralph C. Gingrich, P.M.

 

And the following Members of Ivy Lodge No. 397 separated there from to become Warrant Members of Dietrick Lamade Lodge No. 755: Brothers William H. Schrum (first Junior Deacon); Dietrick Lamade JJ (first Junior Master of Ceremonies); George R. Lamade; Ralph M. Lamade; George R. Fleming; George R. Nelson; Howard J. Lamade, Jr. (member of the Instruction Committee); George M. Dieffenbach; John Budd Lamade; Charles A. Dawson; Kenneth D. Rhone (member of Instruction Committee); Joseph C. Showers; Charles D. Lamade; Howard J. Lamade, Sr. (Trustee); George L. Stearns II (Trustee); and David D. Geesey) Chairman of Instruc­tion Committee).

 

The years 1951-55 produced little of arresting interest. Of course, we have the onward rush of Petitions: thirty-nine in 1951, twenty-eight in 1952, thirty in 1953, twenty-six in 1954, and twenty-one in 1955. At the Stated Meeting for January 3, 1956, it was resolved to set aside $1.00 per year per full Dues-paying Member to build up a 100th Anniversary Fund. In March 1957, the Lodge suffered another regrettable loss, when Brother Emerson L. Woolever, P.M. and Secretary, died. There were twenty-eight Petitions in 1956 and nineteen in 1957.

 

Twenty-six Petitions were filed in 1958, fourteen in 1959 and 1960, eighteen in 1961, twenty-two in 1962, fourteen in 1963, fifteen in 1964, twenty-five in 1965, and thirty-one in 1966.

 

May 25, 1967 was another important date in our grand history. Our Lodge had its 100th Anniversary, and we were pleased to have Brother Hiram P. Ball, RWGM, as our honored guest.

 

From the years of 1968 through 1972, we continued to have banner years for Petitions. 1968 produced twenty-five, in 1969 we had eight, 1970 we had sixteen, 1971 we had fourteen, and in 1972 we had twenty-seven.

 

On February 2, 1972, all of the Williamsport Lodges passed a motion to put air-conditioning in the Lodge Room. Over the years this has proved to have been a valuable asset in providing comfort to our Members during the hot days of spring and fall.

From 1973 to 1986 we continued to be a leader in Petitions, having received a total of one hundred forty-six.

 

On November 3, 1984, Ivy Lodge was again honored with a visit from Brother William A. Carpenter, RWGM. At this Visitation, the families of the Members were present and all had a glorious time.

 

From 1985 to the present we have had continued growth, with an addition of sixty-five new Members.

 

Ivy Lodge was instrumental in organizing the first District-wide St. John's Day celebration. Ivy Lodge, with the assistance of the other District Lodges, assisted LaBelle Valle Lodge No. 232, in making the first annual Bloodmobile, sponsored by the Masons, a great success.

 

Our Lodge is continues serving the community both Masonically and civilly, by volunteering time and making donations to the cause of various charitable organizations.  We look forward to the future and serving with pride in the years to come.