While the year 2009 was the 100th anniversary of Parian Lodge No. 662, it was really the 139th year of Freemasonry in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.  On September 20, 1870, the Officers of the Grand Lodge, acting under the directions of Brother Robert A. Lamberton, R. W. Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, met in special session at Beaver Falls and constituted Beaver Valley Lodge No. 478.  So great was the growth of Freemasonry thereafter that by the year 1909, an additional Masonic Lodge could be created in Beaver Falls.

    Early in the year 1909, a group of 33 Master Masons residing in Beaver Falls, resigned from their respective lodges and being Masons without a lodge of affiliation, petitioned the Grand Lodge, F.&A.M. of Pennsylvania for a warrant.  One of these brethren, Charles F. Swift, a former member of Lodge No. 19 in Michigan, was commissioned to travel to Philadelphia to be interviewed by the officers of the Grand Lodge.

    Brother Swift traveled to Philadelphia taking with him the suggestion that he propose Lincoln Lodge as a name fitting and proper for this new lodge.  Legend, more than record, preserves the story of the frustration of Brother Swift when the officers of Grand Lodge declined the proposal as there was no evidence that President Lincoln had ever been made a Mason.  The story goes on to tell how Brother Swift returned to his hotel discouraged and dejected and that after hours of concentration, suddenly the name Parian became a revelation to him.  Parian being the name of a type of marble quarried on the Greek island of Paros in the Aegean Sea.  Sculptors had used white Parian marble from the island since 500 B.C.  The following morning when Brother Swift proposed the name Parian to Grand Lodge it met with instant approval.  The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge, F.&A.M. of Pennsylvania issued the warrant and chartered Parian Lodge No. 662 at its quarterly communication on June 2, 1909.

    At a special communication of Grand Lodge held at Masonic Hall in the Reeves building at noon, June 25, 1909, this new lodge was constituted as Parian Lodge No. 662.  There were nine District Deputy Grand Masters present to assume the role of Acting Grand Lodge officers with Brother Frank C. O’Rourke, D.D.G.M. (Union Lodge No. 259) acting Right Worshipful Grand Master.  Lodge minutes record that there were 121 brethren present.  The ceremony of consecration having been concluded, all but Past Masters retired, when Brother Charles F. Swift was duly installed Worshipful Master, in ancient form.  The first officers of Parian Lodge No. 662 were as follows:
    Charles F. Swift    Worshipful Master
    William A. Hoffman    Senior Warden
    Carl S. Donaldson    Junior Warden
    Walter W. Potts    Treasurer
    George B. Johnston    Secretary
    William H. Benson, John A. Butler, Peter A. McHattie,     Trustees
    William C. Weaver    Chaplain
    John H. Hoop    Senior Deacon
    James G. Owrey    Junior Deacon
    William A. Byrns    Senior Master of Ceremonies
    Mont V. VanFleet    Junior Master of Ceremonies
    James G. Corbet    Pursuivant
    Henry W. Weaver    Tyler
    Clarence C. Criswell, William A. Jamison    Stewards

    Having been constituted, officers elected and installed and with a determination to succeed, Parian Lodge No. 662 began its career.  What a challenge for this new lodge and its membership. The lines of an old hymn come to mind. "Brother clasps the hand of Brother, stepping fearless through the night."

    The first stated meeting of Parian Lodge was held July 2, 1909 when there were 36 petitions for initiation and membership.  The first initiation in Parian Lodge took place on September 3, 1909 when with 24 members and 14 visitors present there were conferred three Enter Apprentice Mason degrees. Membership stood at 65 at the end of the year 1909.  Ten years later on the same date in 1919 membership was 168.

    Parian Lodge and Beaver Valley Lodge continued to meet on the third floor of the Reeves building. In 1921, a committee was appointed to meet with similar committees from other Masonic bodies meeting at Beaver Falls to discuss the feasibility of securing a site for a Masonic Temple.  In 1923, the entire third floor of the Reeves building was rented for commercial purposes and the lodges were required to seek other quarters.  On April 1, 1924, the entire third floor of the Hanauer building, located at the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street, was leased at an annual rental of $400.

    In the spring of 1923 a committee, made up of members of several Masonic bodies, met for the purpose of forming a Masonic Temple Association.  After many meetings and much legal work, a Charter was approved by the Court, Frank E. Reeder, Judge.  The Charter, approved and recorded July 10, 1924, said that the purpose and design for the incorporation of the Masonic Temple Association of Beaver Falls was for the acquiring by purchase, or otherwise, of real estate and personal property in the Borough of Beaver Falls and the erection thereon of a Masonic Temple building or buildings to be used and occupied in whole or in part for meetings or purposes of Lodges or bodies of Free and Accepted Masons, Masonic Offices and for the use, accommodation and convenience of such Lodges and bodies, or other secret ritualistic Orders, and for the members thereof, whereby the mutual improvement of its members, and the tenets and the educational, benevolent and charitable work, and purposes of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons and all bodies related thereto, may be promoted and advanced, and also for all other lawful purposes.

    The above direct quote from the Charter was followed by the names of 21 subscribers with eight of these being listed as the eight Board of Directors chosen for the first year.  The membership of this corporation was to be made up of Master Masons of good standing, two of whom shall be members of and represent Beaver Valley Lodge No. 478, two of whom shall be members of and represent Parian Lodge No. 662, two of whom shall be members of and represent Harmony Royal Arch Chapter No. 206, and two of whom shall be members of and represent Beaver Valley Commandery No. 84, Knights Templar.

    Incorporation being completed, entered and recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds on July 10, 1924, the Masonic Temple Association of Beaver Falls became a reality.  The southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and Twelfth Street was purchased for $5,000 as the site for the Masonic Temple.  The building was erected in 1929-1930 and occupied in the spring of 1931.  Parian Lodge held its first meeting in the new Masonic Temple on April 3, 1931.  The altar, pedestals, chairs and benches were contributed by Beaver Valley Lodge.

    The nation-wide economic depression of the 1930’s created havoc for the Masonic bodies meeting in the new building.  Rent to the Masonic Temple Association got behind or went unpaid.  Many members defaulted in payment of dues.  The beginning of the 1940’s brought an end to the nation-wide economic depression.  All debts against the Masonic Temple building had been paid.  With the early 1940’s also came World War II and many of the Brethren were called to serve our country.  The end of the war seemed to bring a renewed interest in Freemasonry and Parian Lodge prospered.

    Masonic membership in Pennsylvania seemed to hit its peak in 1963 with membership in excess of 250,000 after which membership started a steady decline.  Lodges had to compete with the hundreds of options available for members to spend their evenings. Television made us spectators rather than players.  The two Blue Lodges in Beaver Falls both suffered a decline in membership and in active participation.  The membership of Beaver Valley Lodge No. 478 was merged into the membership of Parian Lodge No. 662 on March 15, 1979.  Parian membership stood at 471 in 1978, prior to the merger, and our all time high was 734 in 1979 after the merger.  Our Parian membership as we celebrate our 100th anniversary in 2009 is 318 members while we have 117,584 members of the Masonic fraternity in Pennsylvania. 

    On the evening of June 18, 1981, a fire of undetermined origin broke out in the lodge room.  The room had been set up for a meeting of Royal and Select Masters, Beaver Valley Council No. 54 to convene at 7:30 P.M. that evening.  The fire started in the east end of the lodge room about 6:50 P.M., burned up the wall, across the ceiling and through the roof of the building.  The fire was investigated by the State Fire Marshal as arson was suspected but never proven.  Fire loss was in excess of $200,000 and was covered by insurance.  While our Masonic Temple was being restored, it was necessary for Parian Lodge to meet in Union Lodge No. 259 located on the third floor of 307 8th street in New Brighton during the fall of 1981.  We were back in our building for our stated meeting on November 6, 1981.

    June 23, 1984 saw a Special Meeting of Parian Lodge No. 662 at 4:00 P.M. when The Right Worshipful Grand Master Brother William A. Carpenter and fellow Grand Lodge Officers made an informal visit to celebrate the Lodge’s 75th anniversary.  After the closing of Lodge there was an Anniversary Banquet held at Trinity Presbyterian Church directly across 8th Avenue from our Masonic Temple.  The welcome was voiced by Brother Edward A. Sahli, Sr. 33°, the invocation was delivered by the church pastor Brother Dr. George W. Carson, D.D. which was followed by a delicious roast beef dinner prepared and served by the ladies of the church.  The Worshipful Master of Parian Lodge, Charles H. Ellefson, extended greetings and introduced his Lodge Officers.  After a program presented by Miss Becky Watkins, District Deputy Grand Master of the 37th Masonic District Robert A. Pote spoke and then introduced Brother William A. Carpenter, Right Worshipful Grand Master Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, who delivered an inspiring address.

    The next quarter century passed almost as quickly as did the tenure of Brother James F. Burke, Jr. who served as Secretary of Parian Lodge from 1981 through 2007.  His 27 years of outstanding service has set an unmatched record.  A major blow to our lodge came in 2004 when the Masonic Temple Association sold the building and we were forced to find another home.  The M.T.A. had been having financial difficulty since their major tenant, S. R. Snodgrass Company, had vacated the building about 1992 after they had built a new headquarters building in Chippewa Township.

    Parian Lodge No. 662 held their last meeting in our beloved Masonic Temple on Friday evening, June 4, 2004 at which time a motion was presented and passed to accept either the offer of Union Lodge No. 259 in New Brighton or St. James Lodge No. 457 in Bridgewater to temporarily use their lodge facilities.  On Friday evening, September 3, 2004, Parian Lodge No. 662 held their stated meeting in Union Lodge No. 259.  We paid Union Lodge $300 per month for the use of the lodge room and another $125 per month for room to store all Parian materials removed from the Masonic Temple in Beaver Falls. Parian Lodge No. 662 membership stood at 344 at this time.  At our stated meeting of Friday, January 5, 2007 we approved a motion to temporarily relocate from Union Lodge to St. James Lodge No. 457 in Bridgewater.  The main reason for this action was that St. James Lodge was on the ground floor rather than on the third floor, as was Union Lodge, and St. James Lodge said they would not charge us any rent for the first two years.  We continued to rent storage space from Union Lodge for all of Parian Lodge materials stored there.  As the year 2007 drew to a close, our outstanding lodge Secretary for the past 27 years, Brother James F. Burke, Jr., said he planned to retire at the end of the year and that we would need to find a new Secretary.  We were fortunate to secure Brother Amos T. Eppihimer and at our stated meeting on Friday, December 7, 2007 he was elected and installed along with the other officers for the year 2008.  Brother Eppihimer was Worshipful Master of Parian Lodge in 2003 and has served on various Lodge Committees over the years.  On October 1st, 2010, Worshipful Master Richard F. Muth proclaimed Brother Burke "Secretary Emeritus" of Parian Lodge, on behalf of the Officers and Members thereof, in recognition of his many years of exemplary service.

   While continuing the record of 102 Worshipful Masters serving the Lodge without ever repeating, a new milestone was set at the end of 2011 when Brother Timothy C. Watson, PM, had the honor of installing his son, Brother Timothy M. Watson, as Master for the ensuing Masonic year. The Watsons are the first father and son to serve as Worshipful Masters of Parian Lodge No. 662.

    Having celebrated our 100th anniversary, we continue to look to the future with confidence.  While Freemasonry may not be in danger of becoming extinct, it very well may be in danger of becoming impotent.  We must extend our interest and involvement with our youth.  Our fraternity must become more visible and viable in our community.  Let us all take a more active part in rebuilding our craft.  We will need men of vision for as the Bible says, man without vision will perish.  Once again I hear the lines of that old hymn. "Brother clasps the hand of Brother, stepping fearless through the night."  So mote it be.