Explore the History of
Masonic Hall
The Salt River Lodge #180, Free and Accepted Masons, was chartered on August 29, 1849 and the building you see here was erected in 1853. The Reverend George L. Rogers was it’s first Master.
The upper floor was used for meetings, plays and political speeches. The lower level was multi-use, including oyster dinner fundraisers, which were popular. One neat feature was a winding staircase at the rear of the building. Eventually the space was leased for Long’s Grocery and several other retail stores later on. This Lodge served the Masons until 1974 when a newer more modern building was erected
A Night Out at Masonic Hall
This is a playbill from 1894. Many events happened at Masonic Hall until Maccabee Hall came along in 1906. Maccabee soon became the new hot spot for events afterwards.
Mother Lewis’ Hotel was a popular place to stay for those attending events from out of town.
Another Look at
Masonic Hall
Above is a photo of the lot to the left of Masonic Hall circa 1915-1920. The standard oil tanker came through town regularly. Behind is a small doctor’s
office
.
Pictured above are Marianna "Aunt Pete" Harris and her father Maurice A. Harris, who owned the old Settle Hotel at the time. Masonic Hall sits in the background