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A history of the Lodge will be placed here once it is assembled. Early History of Freemasonry In Lebanon County Freemasonry in Lebanon County began with the organization of Charity Lodge No. 101, in Palmstown, Pennsylvania, as the following record will show. It was Constituted June 7, 1804, by virtue of a Warrant from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
At a Grand Special Communication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, held Thursday, 7th of June, A.D. 1804, the R.W. Grand Master, Bro. James Milnor, "informed the Brethren that they were convened in consequence of an Application from diverse Brethren praying for a Warrant for holding a Lodge in Dauphin County. The said Petition was thereupon read. It is from Six Brethren, late members of Lodge No. 21 held at Harrisburg, praying for a Warrant for holding a Lodge at Palmstown, Londonderry Township, Dauphin County (being on the road from Reading to Harrisburg, about 38 Miles from the former, and about 18 miles from the latter), and that Bro. Joseph Dayarmon Senior Warden, and Bro. Frederick Wolfersberger junior Warden of the same, and that the same be held at the House of the said Bro. Joseph Dayarmon. Which Petition being duly recommended, according to the Regulations of this Grand Lodge, On Motion. "Resolved, That the prayer of the Petitioners be granted, and that Bro. Grand Secretary make out a Warrant accordingly, and that the same be Numbered 101". Charity Lodge, No. 101, of Palmstown (now Palmyra, Lebanon County), was duly Constituted on the 29th of June, 5804, by Bro. James Ph. Puglia, Worshipful Master of No. 21, with the following officers: William Patton, Worshipful
Master Joseph Dayarmon, Senior Warden At this Constituting, besides Past Master Brother James Ph. Puglia, there were present, Past Masters Brothers James Rutherford, Andrew Lee, John Luther and William Connolly, all of No. 21. The next meeting of Charity Lodge was held on the 27th of July following "at the East of Palmstown." The number of admissions and novitiates were fifty-six - but the remarkable number of persons who were either reported on unfavorably or allowed to withdraw their Petitions would put to blush a recent period in the history of Lodge No. 21, when from the course of some of its Members the prosperity of the Lodge and the bounden duty of the Masonic Brethren demanded different action. Then followed withdrawals and Lodge No. 101 was left in no better condition when it last met on the 27th of March, 5812 - dying of pure inanition. Its financial affairs even were in a doleful condition - but what else could it be when transactions like the following occurred: "August 6th, 1805. Bro. John Moore received ten Dolls. out of the treasury which he is to refund in a short time." "August 7th, 1805. Bro. William Patton received out of the treasury five Dolls. which he is to return shortly." Under date of "East of Palmstown, May 30th, 1806," among other business it "was further agreed in open Lodge that we meet at our Lodge Room at 10 o'clock A.M. on the Next Saint John's Day, & it was further agreed that we would apply to Bro. Snodgrass to preach us a Sermon on said Day, and Bro. McDonall to procure silk for seven sashes for the use of our Lodge." On the 27th of July, 1810, Terah Jones, William Fonse, William Hiller and John Alfred, asked "to withdraw intentionally to establish a Lodge at Elizabethtown." Under date of "East of Palmyra, Nov. 29th 1811, "we find this minute: "An address was handed to the Chair requesting the worshipful master to summon the members of Lodge No. 101 to attend at Elizabethtown on the 27th of December at 5:29 o'clock at the room of Amecetia Lodge No. 116." The Warrent of Charity Lodge No. 101, was Vacated April 4, 1814, and its Warrent, books, papers, Jewels, etc. were taken into possession of Bro. George M. Wagner, M.C., the Master of Hiram Tyrian Lodge, No. 141, of Halifax, in pursuance of a "power" given by the R.W. Grand Secretary. April 14, 1814, the Warrant was returned to the R.W. Grand Master through District Deputy Grand Master Gorgas. OFFICERS During its eight years of existence Lodge No. 101 made no changes in its Master and Senior Warden. At the first election the Junior Warden was elected Secretary, when Andrew Smith was chosen Junior Warden, serving until 1807, when John Sawyer was elected in his stead, the latter serving until the Lodge became dormant. The following membership is herewith given: MEMBERS
The second lodge in Lebanon County was Mount Lebanon Lodge No. 172. It was recommended by Lodge No. 21, held at Harrisburg, and Lodge No. 43 held at Lancaster. The Charter Members numbering 18 are as follows:
One of whom, John Harrison, did not sign the Petition for the Warrant. Among the memoranda preserved in the archives of Perseverance Lodge No. 21 is the following account of a Masonic procession at Lebanon June 25th, 1821, in which the former participated. It is part of the history of that Masonic era and is taken from the Harrisburg "Pennsylvania Intelligencer" (Vol. 1, No. 47) Tuesday, June 29, 1821: "On Monday last (Sunday being the 24th) the anniversary of St. John was commemorated by the members of Mt. Lebanon Lodge No. 172, in which a number of brethren from neighboring Lodges attended. The procession was formed at the Lodge Room, in the house of Dr. Reidenaur, on Main St., Lebanon, whence it marched in the usual order, preceded by the Lebanon Band of music, to Market Street - thence to Chestnut - thence to the Lutheran Church, where at high twelve, a very appropriate and interesting discourses, was delivered by the Rev. Mr. Elliott, of Lancaster, from Isaiah xxvii. 16 & 17 v. After singing a hymn, composed for the occasion, the service was concluded, by the Rev. Mr. Sharon, who, as well as the Rev. Mr. Elliott, had been specially invited by the Lodge to attend. The procession then returned by inverted order, by Walnut St. to Mulberry - by Mulberry to Market - by Market to Main. St., and by Main St. to the Lodge Room, where their jewels and clothing were deposited. The brethren, then, accompanied by the Rev. Clergy, proceeded in double file to the inn of Bro. Shindel, where they partook of an excellent dinner prepared for the occasion. The members in a short time were dispersed to their several homes: and it is hoped that their exemplary conduct, through the whole proceeding, and the very liberal views taken of the order generally, in the presence of a crowded auditory, by Mr. Elliott, will have a tendency to remove the strong prejudices of the neighborhood, which we are told have heretofore existed against Masonry." The first Masonic burial in Lebanon was that accorded John Daniel Koehler, a member of Lodge No. 172, who died August 11, 1820. He was buried with Masonic honors in the Moravian Church Cemetery at Hebron. Unfortunately for Mt. Lebanon Lodge No. 172, its career was terminated by one of the most remarkable outbursts in the history of the United States, the Anti-Masonic Movement, which originated in Batavia, New York, following the reported abduction in 1826 of William Morgan for his revealing the supposed secrets of Free Masonry. The Anti-Masonic Party had many adherents in Lancaster and adjoining counties. The politicians of the Minority during the period of the popular and irrepressible Jackson leadership were desperately in need of an issue. Under the skilled leadership of Thurlow Weed in New York and later Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania the Anti-Masonic party composed of incongruous elements of opposition and of many sincere opponents of secret societies, including conscientious objectors to the taking of oaths, organized the Anti-Masonic Party. As early as 1827 an Anti-Masonic weekly, Der Libanon Demokrat, published by John and Joseph Miller was one of the ways the feelings were spread. Later it was taken over by John P. Sanderson, who was admitted to the bar in 1839 and later elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1844 on the Anti-Masonic ticket. One of the important contributions to this movement in this section was the publication of the Union Telegraph and Anti-Masonic Herald in Lancaster County. In 1829 Ritner was an elected Governor on the Anti-Masonic ticket against Wolfe, a Democrat, he carried the counties of Lebanon, Lancaster and Dauphin, and polled a heavy vote in Berks County. The efforts of the Anti-Masons brought results in the dissolution of Lodges of which Mt. Lebanon, No. 172, is an example. Reference has been made to two Anti-Masonic newspapers, one in Lebanon, one in Lancaster. It is said that there were one hundred and forty in the United States, fifty-one of which were in Pennsylvania. This sentiment is expressed in the reprint of the minutes of the Grand Lodge, Pa. 1828 & 1839 from which the following quotation is taken: "The wave of anti-Masonry had poured over the whole country. During these 12 years warrants were issued for only three. Those that were in existence ceased meeting and the membership of many of these became so small that they were suspended for non-payment of dues and for failure to make returns. In 1839 only 45 lodges existed in good standing under the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pa." In the year 1837 the Warrant of this Lodge was vacated for non-payment of Grand Lodge dues. At the same time in the state of Vermont - every lodge surrendered its charter. In Pennsylvania a contributing cause was the large membership of the plain sects who are opposed to taking oaths and to the use of regalia. In Lancaster county all this was capitalized by Thaddeus Stevens. But - the movement had its humorous side. It is said that in Harrisburg an Anti-Masonic orator tried to captivate te audience by quoting part of the oath of secrecy, whereupon a man arose and asked whether the speaker had taken that oath. He admitted that he had, whereupon his questioner said, "I have one more question: were you lying then or are you lying now?"
One Hundred-Fifty
Years
of Masonry In 1847 eight Members of the former Mt. Lebanon Lodge No. 172 Petitioned the Grand Lodge for a new Warrant. The Warrant of Mount Lebanon Lodge No. 226, Free and Accepted Masons, was issued by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania under the date of December 27, 1847, to Henry Dehuff, as Worshipful Master; George Lineaweaver, as Senior Warden, and Jacob Weidle, as Junior Warden, by Peter Fritz, Right Worshipful Grand Master of Pennsylvania. The Lodge was Constituted on January 31, 1848, at three o'clock in the afternoon. Right Worshipful District Deputy Grand Master Benjamin Parke, installed Brothers Dehuff, Lineaweaver and Weidle in their respective offices. The By-Laws of the Lodge were adopted May 1, 1848 and approved June 5, 1848. Among the provisions contained in the several articles constituting the original By-Laws are the following:
To these By-Laws, transcribed at the time of their adoption and contained in the original book, each of the 2536 members, initiated or admitted to membership in the Lodge, has subscribed in his own handwriting. Meetings were held in what was then Reidners Building opposite the old courthouse at 8th and Cumberland Streets. In 1850, the new Lodge Hall called the United Hall was occupied. It was located at 31 North Ninth Street. The spot is now occupied by a gasoline service station at the alley. It is directly across from the Lutheran Church. The Washington Monument in our Nation's Capitol contains a natural marble stone of Mt. Lebanon No. 226, Lebanon, Pa. The stone which is dated 1851, is on the eleventh level at 130 ft. April 25, 1900, the Lodge Meetings were moved on the third floor of the building located on the Southeast Corner of Ninth and Willow Streets, known as the Shirk Building. Outstanding events in the history of Mount Lebanon Lodge No. 226 appear in the following records of the Lodge.
The Lodge at a meeting, held January 17, 1900, in United Hall, fourth floor, on North Ninth Street, near Willow, adopted the following resolution:
Its adoption was by unanimous vote and the final meeting of the Lodge in the United Hall quarters was held April 11, 1900. The first meeting (an Extra Meeting) in the new quarters was held on April 25, 1900. The suggestion that the Lodge purchases the the Ely building on the northwest corner of North Eighth Street and Spring Alley, for $22,000, and erect a Masonic Temple on the site was brought to the attention of the Brethren at a Stated Meeting of the Lodge held January 17, 1891. A committee, consisting of Brothers Lucien E. Weiner, Grant Weidman, Joseph L. Lemberger, John D. Brown and Joseph Krause, was appointed to report on the advisability of making the purchase and erecting a Temple. The plan was subsequently abandoned. On May 20, 1920, by resolution unanimously adopted, Mount Lebanon Lodge recommended to the favorable consideration of the Right Worshipful Grand Master the Petition for a Warrant for a new lodge (Mt. Olivet Lodge No. 704) to be held in Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, and it was decided, on motion made by Brothers Henry T. Richards and Cyrus F. Strickler, that the Lodge appropriate the sum of two hundred dollars, ($200.) in payment for the Warrant for the new Lodge to be Constituted in Lebanon. As an additional contribution to the plan of constituting a new Lodge in Lebanon, Mount Lebanon Lodge at the same meeting accepted the resignations of the following Members: Murray William Eaton, Harry Jacob Shenk, Henry DeLos Shenk, Paul Bomberger Shenk, William S. Kalbach, John Dohner Boger, B. Franklin Witmer, Elias Rudy Mader, Irvin S. Bomberger, Ralph R. Hutchinson and George L. Holstein. The Masonic Temple Association of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was formed January 10, 1921, with the several local Masonic Bodies, Mount Lebanon Lodge, No. 226, F. & A.M., Mount Olivet Lodge, No. 704, F. & A.M., Weidle Chapter, No. 197, Royal Arch Masons, Lebanon Council, No. 27, Royal and Select Masters and Hermit Commandery No. 24, Knights Templar, participating. These officers were elected: President David J. Leopold; Vice Presidents John F. Reed and Alfred K. Mills; Secretary William W. Walter; Treasurer H. Rank Bickel. The association was incorporated March 2, 1925, and an option was taken by the directors of the association on the Knights of Malta building, 127 North Eighth Street Lebanon, Pa., for the sum of $115,000.00. The resolution authorizing the purchase of the building was adopted by Mt. Olivet Lodge, Weidle Royal Arch Chapter, Lebanon Council of Royal and Select Masons and Hermit Commandery by separate action but was rejected on May 21, 1925, by Mount Lebanon Lodge. The option taken by the Lodge on the present Masonic Hall, 127 North Eighth Street. Lebanon, Pa., on December 3, 1928, was exercised on January 31, 1929, and title was taken February 18, 1929. The purchase price was $25,000 subject to a mortgage of $50,000. The first Stated Meeting of the Lodge in the newly acquired hall was held on September 26, 1929. The building was originally heated by city steam, but when the city steam plant ceased operations, a gas furnace was installed and is in use today. In 1974 the hardwood floor was installed in the dining room. Today the Masonic Temple at 127 North Eight Street accommodates:
Early in the ninth decade of the twentieth century, ceiling fans were installed in the first floor dining hall as well as in the Lodge Room on the third floor. Near the end of the same decade (1989) many discussions were held at numerous Lodge meetings concerning the viability of installing an elevator in the building. The advocates for the elevator felt that since the average age of our membership was advancing, an elevator would enable the membership to attend meetings far longer. Raising the funds was the major concern for the project. The membership voted to proceed and in August, 1990, the elevator was dedicated. Mount Lebanon Lodge No. 226, like most organizations, is facing a noticeable decline in membership as we near the twenty-first century.
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This site was last updated 04/12/03
