Masonic Lodge, Started in 1906, Looking to Future With New Temple

Harmony Masonic Lodge No. 24 of Lusk was instituted on February 27, 1906, upon the application of ten master Masons, who had applied to the Grand Lodge of Wyoming for permission to form a new Masonic Lodge at the new town of Lusk. After a number of disappointing delays permission was finally granted by Grand Master M.R. Johnson of Wheatland and the Lodge immediately set to work under dispensation.

The first officers of the Lodge were: Scott A. Ballengee, W.M.; William Reynolds, S.W.; Fred A Root, J.W. Other officers at this time were Robert C. Ord, treasurer; B.W. Sergeant, secretary; Jesse L. Hall, S.D.; David a Wucher, J.D.; George H. Voorhees, S.S.; Thomas Bell, J.S.; Russell Thorp, tyler.

Lusk being in territory over which Ashlar Lodge No. 10 of Douglas exercised jurisdiction, permission was granted by that Lodge for the forming of the new Lodge at Lusk.

John W. Agnew was the candidate when work was exemplified to prove to a representative of the Grand Lodge that the proposed new Lodge officers were proficient in their work. Under a special dispensation from the Grand Master, Agnew received all three degrees the same night. He received his degrees on April 24, 1906.

While still under dispensation the Lodge conferred degrees upon five candidates, namely: Jeff M. Dougherty, Harry C. Snyder, Wesley T. Wolfe, and Harry B. Hargraves. Brothers Agnew, Dougherty and Snyder completed their three degrees prior to the report to the Grand Lodge on June 30, 1906, and thus were included in the list of charter members. Brother Wolfe and Hargraves completed their work while the Lodge existed under dispensation, but were not raised to the degree of Master Masons until after June 30 of that year.

CHARTER ISSUED IN SEPTEMBER 1906

On Tuesday, September 7, 1906, a charter was issued by Grand Master M.R. Hohnson, and Harmony Lodge No. 24 was duly instituted by Senior Grand Warder E.J. Wells, who acted for the Grand Master. He was assisted by Brother Sam Slaymaker. Both installing officers were member so Ashlar Lodge No. 10 of Douglas. Charles Messenger of Douglas was also present as a visitor. The original officers who served under dispensation were installed as the first officer of the newly chartered lodge.

The charter members of Harmony Lodge No. 24 are as follows:

Scott A. Balangee, William Reynolds, Fred A. Root, Robert C. Ord, B.W. Sergeant, Jesse L. Hall, David W. Wucher, George H. Voorhees, Russell Thorp, Tom Bell, John W. Agnew, Jeff Mr. Dougherty and Harry C. Snyder.

TEMPLE BUILT IN 1911, DESTROYED BY FIRE 1919

Early in the spring of 1911 Harmony Lodge was incorporated for the purpose of creating its own building, to be called Harmony Temple, and under the supervision of a board composed of Harry C. Snyder, George C. Forsythe, Russell Thorp, Robert C. Ord and A.L. Miller, two lots were purchased for the site and a modern brick building was erected, with tow storerooms on the ground floor and the Lodge room and office quarters on the second floor. The cornerstone of the Temple was laid September 12, 1911, the Grand Master Harold Banner of Casper officiating. On March 12, 1912, the newly completed building was dedicated to Masonry by Grand Master M.R. Johnson, Grand Senior Warden W.H. Dickinson and Grand Lecturer Harry C. Snyder of Lusk.

In the fall of 1919, the disastrous fire which destroyed the Temple, together with all the Lodge records and paraphernalia, occurred. The loss was a severe blow to the Lodge and was keenly felt for many years to come. The fire started in the basement of the Lusk Furniture store, owned and operated by S.W. Boyd, at an early hour on Wednesday, November 26, 1919. The Odd Fellows building, which housed the Strand Theatre on the south, was also destroyed when the fire spread unchecked.

The buildings could not be saved due to inadequate water pressure. Niobrara County had only recently been organized and all the county offices were located in the Temple. Some of the county records were saved, but most of them were destroyed.

The Masonic Temple was built at a cost of about $40,000, but was valued at a much higher figure. Very little insurance was carried on the building and Lodge equipment and the burden of retiring the outstanding bonds and buying new equipment was a burden for many years.

Although the physical loss by the fire was severe, the work of the order seemed to go forward with renewed vigor. After the fire on Wednesday, the Lodge met the following Sunday in the upper floor of the Snyder store building (now Midwest Hardware building) with a dry goods box for an altar and other improvised furniture. At this meeting N.E. Hartwell (now Wyoming State Examiner), Curt Buddress, and E. Paul Batcheller received their Master Mason degrees and O.M. Rasmussen received his fellowship degree.

WORK ON NEW TEMPLE STARTS IN FALL OF 1960

Early in 1959 considerable sentiment developed among the members for Harmony Lodge to replace its Temple destroyed in the disastrous fir in 1919. While the Lodge had a favorable rental arrangement with the owners of the Gibson Building, many felt the Lodge should own its own building. Sentiment rapidly crystallized when Mr. and Mrs. Barney McBirney offered to give the Lodge a deed to four lots at the corner of Third and Diamond streets. At the meeting of June 9, 1959, the Lodge voted to accept the offer. Brothers Reg. Bafford, an abstractor, and William Alfred Taylor, attorney, agreed to attend to the legal phase of the lot transfer without cost, which they did. A building committee was appointed, with the result that work on the new building was started in the fall of 1960 and it is hoped the new Harmony Temple will be ready for dedication and occupation in the fall of 1961.

This new building will be used by the Eastern Stars, Job’s Daughter and for all other Masonic activities.

MANVILLE LODGE NO. 39 JOINS HARMONY LODGE

The consolidation of Roosevelt Lodge No. 24 of Lusk was officially consummated on July 24, 1934, and Grand Master Charles C. Mitchell, under date of July 26, 1934, officially approved the act the consolidation.

O.A. Moss was Master of the Manville Lodge and Garth D. Percival was Master of Harmony Lodge at the time of consolidation. On July 24, 1934, at a regular meeting the following officers were elected and appointed to serve the consolidated Lodges until the next regular election was held in the following December: George Earl Peet, W.M.; Lynn G. McGinnis, S.W.; James D. Hoblit, J.W.; Hans Gautschi, treasurer; Peter Paul Brown, secretary; A.J. Stenner, S.D.; Glen I. Willson, J.D.; T.J. O’Mara, S.S.; E. Floyd Deuel, J.S.; John Lorenzen, tyler.

The merging of the two Lodges has proven beneficial to Masonry in Eastern Wyoming and there has never been reason to regret the steps taken,

SALE OF LOTS PUTS LODGE “IN THE BLACK’

Since the destruction of the Temple by fire in 1919, which resulted in the loss of all paraphernalia in addition to the building, with very little insurance, the Lodge had been faced with the financial problem of how best to meet payments on outstanding bonds. Many members who had purchased bonds turned them in and still others had given generous discounts, but there were still sufficient bonds to be redeemed as to pose a real financial problem.

The problem of finances was solved in the fall of 1936, when Frank A. Barrett of Lusk and Wm. E. Hogan of lance Creek made the Lodge an offer of $6,500 for the lots on which the Temple stood. By a vote of 15 to 11, the trustees were ordered to enter into a deal with Barrett and Hogan, which they did. These two gentlemen erected a fine business building on the lots which was occupied by the J.C. Penney store for many years, but is now occupied by the Ben Franklin store.

TWO MEMBERS ARE GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

Two members of Harmony Lodge have become officers of the Grand Lodge of Wyoming. Harry C. Snyder, who served as Master of Harmony Lodge in 1911, had reached the exalted station of Senior Grand Warden when he died in 1916. Brother O. H. G. Jacobsen, who served Harmony Lodge as Master in 1941, became Grand Master in 1955. Brother Jacobsen died while representing Platte County in the Legislature.

P.M. CONFERS DEGREE ON GRANDSON

While numerous Pastmasters of Harmony Lodge have been accorded the honor of conferring degrees on their sons, Brother Hans Gautschi is the only Pastmaster, so far as the records show, that has been privileged to confer a degree on a grandson. Pastmaster Gautschi conferred the Entered Apprentice degree on Charles Gautschi, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.L. Gautschi, at the regular communication on June 13, 1961.

ONE MEMBER LOSES LIFE IN World War II

While fourteen members of Harmony Lodge participated in World War II, only one, Virgil Olds, paid the supreme sacrifice.

Virgil Olds began his military training as a member of the Lusk unit of the National Guard. He held the rank of first lieutenant when the Guard, as Company C, 116th Quartermaster Regiment, was mobilized for war service in September, 1940. He shortly went into training to qualify for service as a pilot in the Air Force in 1942, and afterward served as an instructor. While a member of a crew of B-29 incendiary aircraft raiders, based in Saipan, he was pilot of a lead plane, and it is thought his plane was hit while over Tokyo on May 24, 1945. His companions reported his plane went down in flames and no trace of him has ever been found. He was promoted to major, effective June 11, 1945. The War Department officially listed him as “killed in action,” the first of June 1946. A bronze plaque adorns the wall of the new Lodge Hall in his memory.

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