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Masonic Temple recovers 1909 relics of its roots
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Mason l to r Russ Gillam Jr., Elberta Sctt, William Bell, Robert Rodkey and David Beaver look at items from the recently opened 19109corner stone box as they get set to celebrater the 100 year of the Youngstown location. Photo/Mark Stahl
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Small bottles of oil and corn were among the items stored 100 years in the lodge’s cornerstone.
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
Youngstown Masonic Temple members celebrated the opening of a cornerstone that was placed inside the wall of the building 100 years ago.
Lodge Trustee William Weems said about 500 Masons marched from the square in downtown Youngstown to the temple on Wick Avenue, where more than 2,000 people gathered to watch the placing of the cornerstone in 1909.
Weems said the cornerstone was meant to celebrate the opening of the new Masonic Temple at 223 Wick Ave. The first meeting at the new building was Dec. 1, 1910.
When the box was removed in July, the trustees said they were pleased and surprised at the preservation of its contents, which included newspapers from five local publications, a historical sketch of the Masonic temple, wine, silver trowel and two masonry aprons.
Timothy Johnson, trustee, of Girard, said opening the cornerstone was like glimpsing into the Masons of 100 years ago.
“It gives us a link with our history and our Masonic ancestors,” he said. “Opening it up was just absolutely amazing. It wasn’t formal, and we laid it out on the kitchen table. “What a look at the past it was.”
Johnson said the trustees plan to make a new cornerstone that they hope a new group will open in another 100 years.
“Our intent is to put that crypt back in with things that are significant to us,” he said. “It should have the same continuity for another generation.”
Johnson said the artifacts will be displayed inside the temple.
The cornerstone reveal wasn’t the end of the celebration, however. It continues Sept. 11, when the roughly 2,000 members meet to commemorate the centennial anniversary.
“It’s spectacular that an organization like this can last that long,” said Rich Rosine, trustee, of Youngstown. “I certainly hope it lasts another 100 years.”
The Masonic Temple, built in the colonial revival style of architecture, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 6 million, including approximately 150,000 in Scotland and Ireland, over a quarter of a million under the Jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England and just under 2 million in the United States.