Bethany Lodge #821 Celebrating 125 Years of Freemasonry

Jun 2, 2022 | Masonic History

MASONIC HISTORY

BETHANY LODGE #821

Celebrating 125 Years of Freemasonry in Watertown, NY

Congratulations to Bethany Lodge #821

Craftsmen Online salute Bethany Lodge #821 on their 125th anniversary this year

Bethany Lodge #821 was organized under Dispensation on December 11, 1896. The Grand Lodge of the State of N.Y. issued the charter on June 2, 1897. Over the years, the Brethren of Bethany Lodge have been a significant pillar in the community of Watertown, with members serving in both World Wars, supporting the widows and children with Holiday fundraisers, hosting hunter safety courses for new hunters, sponsoring basketball teams for youth, putting on Father and Son dinners, using the Lodge building for Cub Scout meetings, Fire Department and auxiliary dinners, and keeping 2 miles of Route 3 free of waste and debris through the N.Y.S. Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway Program.

We salute Bethany Lodge by presenting Five Things You Need To Know About The History of Bethany Lodge #821.

Service to country

Many of the Lodge members served in the Armed Forces in both World Wars I and II. Soldiers from Pine Camp (later Camp Drum, and then Fort Drum) joined the Lodge in size able numbers during and after WWII. In 1946, the years after the war ended, 22 new Masons were raised in Bethany Lodge. There was degree work at almost every meeting.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Bethany Lodge has traded visits with Canadian Lodges across the St. Lawrence River. In 1957, 187 Masons were present when we put on a 3rd Degree for two new brothers. Twenty-nine Americans and Canadian Lodges were represented.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

On June 7th, 1997, Bethany Lodge Celebrated its Centennial Celebration with a warm letter of congratulations from M∴W∴ Earle J. Hino Jr. the then current Grand Master. The R∴W∴ Carl J. Smith (1997), Senior Grand Warden was present and conducted the Ceremony. Over 200 Masons, family members and supporters were present for the reception dinner following the event.

100 YEAR OLD LODGE BUILDING

From the beginning until 1921, the Lodge had several committees investigating property and buildings to find a suitable home. The Lodge purchased our present building in September 1913 for $500. (Yes, you read that correctly!) Prior to our purchase, the building was the Northside Elementary School. Much rebuilding and alteration was done to the building over the next eight years to adapt it for Lodge use, and in June 1921, our furniture and equipment was moved into our new Masonic Temple, and the Lodge began to hold its meetings and other activities there.

DUES WERE TWO DOLLARS

In 1899, annual Lodge dues were $2.00. The By-laws were changed in 1900 to raise the annual dues to $3.00. This was apparently unacceptable considering the economy at that time, as the By-Laws were again amended in 1901 to reduce the annual dues back to $2.00. At that time, a lambskin apron cost $.50!

Compiled by the staff of Craftsmen Online. Special thanks to R.W. Terry A. Byard and the Master of Bethany Lodge #821, W. Mike Bova for providing the history of Bethany Lodge for this article.

Traveling Man – Metropolitan Opera House

Apr 10, 2022 | Masonic Travel

BROTHERHOOD

Traveling Man – Metropolitan Opera House, New York City

the world’s oldest fraternity

Hello, again, my brothers and friends. Anthony Prizzia here, trying my best to educate and let others better understand why I love being a part of the largest, oldest, and most exclusive fraternity in the world. In my opinion, being a part of Freemasonry is like having family members worldwide. Some you see every day, some only once every other year, and some you know of but have never met yet. But for me, it is even more than that. The best way I can describe it is from my stories of traveling and meeting brothers far and wide.

So, this story starts with my first trip to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. My Aunt and Uncle were members and got my father, two sisters, and me excellent seats and reservations to the members’ lounge, which is the only way to spend intermission at the opera. As we are going to our seats, I see an older couple sitting next to us that we were in their 80s, by my guess. Being an Upstate New Yorker and new to opera, I am taking it all in.

Virtually everyone was decked out in their best dress, fur was flying, and the jewelry was sparkling even in the pitch black of the opera house. And as a Freemason, I am always on the lookout for a hint of who might be a Mason in my vicinity. Does the guy next to me have a pin, a ring, a set of cufflinks, or some other almost hidden speck of Masonic light on them? And as if two Cheerios in milk, sure as anything, the gentlemen next to me has a very classy but reserved masonic ring on his hand. I do not say anything to him and notice that as they were getting up to enjoy their intermission, I see his wife struggle a little as she navigates the walk to her side of the aisle.

My family exited from the opposite side because we went to the members’ lounge to enjoy some great wine and snacks. Not soon after, I had to use the men’s room and somehow got lost backstage and found myself in the changing room… a story for another time. After I regroup from that little excursion, it is time to get back into our seats, and again I see the wife of my Fraternal brother struggle a bit to get into her seat. The show is now over, and we all must file in a sea of people down these very dark and small stairs to leave the building. So, I wait a min and extend my arm to the woman and say may I have the pleasure of helping you down these awful stairs? I am sure her husband was not aware that we were brothers but said thank you so much to me. But the hilarious part happens at the bottom of the stairs outside the building. Her son, whom I had no idea was with them because he was in the row behind us, says to his mom, “Mom are you picking up men at the Opera again.” To this, I smile, flash my ring to him and his father and say I just wanted to make sure she was taken care of, and I hope you all have a great night.

Now I did not do this for any thanks or recognition, but to act in a way that I hope a fellow person or brother would work for my family if I were unable. Is this a rule in our fraternity? No. Is this done for personal, political, or financial gain no? It is just a tenant of our obligation to look out for our extended family. I know many brothers worldwide have similar stories on both sides of this story, and I would love to hear yours if you have one. In closing, my brothers and friends, please get out there and travel. I would love to read your great traveling story and share it on Craftsmen Online to inspire others to do the same. Email me, here. Safe travels!

RW Anthony Prizzia Past Master of Adonai Lodge #718, Highland, New York Bro. Prizzia is also a proud member of: Cyprus Shrine, Oriental Shrine, and Ulster County Shrine Club Valley of Albany A.A.S.R Poughkeepsie Chapter 172 Poughkeepsie Commandery 43 Royal Order of Scotland

Fez Friday, Ararat Shrine

Mar 25, 2022 | Shriners

FUN & FELLOWSHIP

Fez Friday, Ararat Shrine

All Shriners are Masons

Greetings my Brothers!

This is Eric Morabito, “The Walking Man,” checking back in on Fez Friday.

Ararat Shrine

Ararat Shrine was chartered in 1888 by the Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, later to be renamed Shriners International. Ararat was the 38th Shrine Temple to be granted a charter. Since being chartered, the Ararat Shriners have called the Kansas City area their home.

Many distinguished names are numbered among the members of the Ararat Shrine. Officers and members have always been among the community’s civic, religious, and fraternal leaders. President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, was a member of the Ararat Shrine and served on the Divan. He later relinquished his position on the Divan when he assumed becoming a United States Senator. Ararat enjoys a unique position in “Shrinedom” in that it has more Imperial Officers than any other Shrine Center. The first member of Ararat Shriners to become Imperial Potentate (1898-99) was also Ararat’s first Potentate, Mr. Ethelbert F. Allen. The second Past Potentate of Ararat Shrine to become Imperial Potentate (1924-25) was James E. Chandler. Frank S. Land, who founded the Order of DeMolay, was the third past Potentate of Ararat Shrine to assume the title of Imperial Potentate (1954-55). W.W. (Woody) Bennett was the fourth-past Potentate to hold the position of Imperial Potentate (1975-76). Dedicated to even further service to the Shrine, Woody was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the corporation that supervises and operates the Shriners Hospitals for Children. George M. Saunders, who served as Recorder of Ararat Shrine from 1935 to 1948, was elected to the position of Imperial Recorder in 1948 and served in that position until his retirement in 1980.

The first meetings of Ararat Shrine were held in the offices of Mr. Ethelbert F. Allen. Various meeting places have been used since that time. One was the Elks Hall at Seventh and Main in Kansas City. In 1890, the meetings were moved to the Armory at 15th and Grand. From there, we moved to Strope’s Hall at 15th and Central. The name Strope’s Hall was changed to “Shrine Hall” members met there for almost eleven years. In 1901 the Temple was moved to a new building which later became the Kansas City Power and Light Company home. That same year Ararat Shrine was the host for the Imperial Shrine Council Session and the meetings were held in the Standard Theatre, later known as the Missouri Theatre and now known as the Folly Theatre.

Ararat Shriners — Kansas City

In December 1911, Ararat Temple moved into a building of its own at 12th and Prospect. In November of 1925, a new building was erected on the northeast corner of 11th and Central and was occupied until 1940. This building was formerly occupied by KMBC-TV9, and currently, the Lyric Theatre calls it home. Next, the entire fourth floor of the Hotel Continental in downtown Kansas City was leased as a Temple, and these facilities were used until 1945, when the old American Hereford Building was purchased. In 1971, Ararat purchased 11.6 acres of land at I-435 and Eastwood Trafficway and began construction on the new building, and occupied its present facility in January 1975. The addition of Bennett Auditorium was completed in 1979. Shriners International requires that all Shrine Temples adopt names of an Arabic nature. There is no official record of why the founders of Ararat chose this particular name. Mount Ararat, where tradition and the Bible say, Noah’s Ark landed.

Bro. Eric Morabito
“The Walking Man“
Junior Deacon, Adonai Lodge #718 in Highland, New York
Noble, Cyprus Shrine in Glenmont, New York

Fez Friday, Isis Shrine

Mar 18, 2022 | Shriners

FUN & FELLOWSHIP

Fez Friday, Isis Shrine

All Shriners are Masons

Greetings my Brothers!

This is Eric Morabito, “The Walking Man,” checking back in on Fez Friday.

Isis Shrine

On March 15, 1887, Edward C. Culp, the first Isis Shrine Potentate (1887-1890 & 1898-1902), traveled to Cleveland, OH, was initiated in the Shrine, and received authority from the Imperial Potentate to travel back to Kansas and organize a temple. On March 19, 1887, 14 elected officers sent a petition to the Imperial Counsel for a dispensation for a Temple to be known as Isis Shrine , and it was granted on March 29, 1887. June 17, 1887, the membership of the Isis Shrine Temple was 73 members, 52 having been initiated, and 21 were listed as charter members.

Fez gifted by James Lyle of the Midian Shrine, Wichita, KS

In June 1887, Illustrious Sir Culp and ten members of the Isis Shrine Temple attended the Imperial Counsel in Indianapolis, IN, to present the claims of Isis Temple for a charter. It was granted on June 20, 1887, and was to have jurisdiction over 67 counties in Kansas. This made Isis Shrine Temple the third temple, Abdallah Temple (Shawnee Mission, KS) and Islam Temple (San Francisco, CA), west of St. Louis. To help other Temples become part of this beautiful fraternity throughout the central United States, the Isis Shrine Temple Divan and Nobility were asked to help with this undertaking. Under a special dispensation from Imperial, the Isis Shrine Temple made a pilgrimage to Denver, CO, on September 23, 1887. At this time, they created 40 Nobles who became the founders of El Jebel Temple. On January 24, 1888, Isis Temple assisted Abdallah Temple in forming Ararat Temple, Kansas City, MO. On December 15, 1908, 75 Nobles presented a petition for a new Temple in Wichita during an annual meeting. After a supportive recommendation to the Imperial Council, a dispensation was granted on June 9, 1909, and Midian Temple was opened on October 15, 1909. This same day, Mirza Temple was also instituted. The creations of these temples reduced the Isis Shrine jurisdiction from 67 counties to 43 counties. The state of Kansas now has five active Shrine Temples, Abdallah (located in Shawnee Mission, chartered 1887), Isis (located in Salina, chartered 1887), Midian (located in Wichita, chartered 1909), Mirza (located in Pittsburg, chartered 1909), and Arab (located in Topeka chartered 1932).

Isis Temple held its first meetings rent-free at Salina’s first established Masonic Temple, 122 South Santa Fe Ave, Salina, KS. They were allowed to meet rent-free until 1890, when they had to start paying $20 a month. March 2, 1895, brought devastation to all Masonic brothers when a fire destroyed the building. It was replaced with a three-story building, which met the same fate on January 30, 1922. The building is now known as the Masonic Center, located at 336 South Santa Fe Ave, Salina, KS. In 2014, the nobility made a decision that the Isis Shrine Temple needed its own location to carry out their rituals and dedication to helping children and purchased the old Ponderosa Steak House, located at 200 E. Diamond Dr, Salina, KS.

Vintage Isis Fez and Ceremonial 1923 Case.

Today, the jurisdiction for the Isis Shrine Temple encompasses 43 counties. Throughout these counties are Shriners who belong to different Units and/or Clubs. The Uniformed Units and local Shrine Clubs help keep our temple running as well as it does. Over time, there have been many different units within the Uniformed Units and many different clubs throughout our jurisdiction. Today we have 9 Units in the Uniformed Units and 19 Shrine Clubs throughout our jurisdiction. -History submitted by Casey Flinn, Isis Recorder

Bro. Eric Morabito
“The Walking Man“
Junior Deacon, Adonai Lodge #718 in Highland, New York
Noble, Cyprus Shrine in Glenmont, New York

Fez Friday, Abdallah Shrine

Mar 11, 2022 | Shriners

FUN & FELLOWSHIP

Fez Friday, Abdallah Shrine

All Shriners are Masons

Greetings my Brothers!

This is Eric Morabito, “The Walking Man,” checking back in on Fez Friday.

Abdallah Shrine

On March 28, 1887, the Abdallah Shrine was founded and chartered on June 20 in Leavenworth, Kansas. The first question is why Leavenworth would be the home of the first Shrine in Kansas. This can be traced back to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which reported that the site would be a great fort to support western expansion after camping on the east bank of the Missouri River. In 1827 Colonel Henry Leavenworth established the fort that bears his name, and a city sprang up immediately south of the fort. Masonic lodges mainly chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri began operation within a few years.

Fez gifted by James Lyle of the Midian Shrine, Wichita, KS

On March 17, 1856, the Grand Lodge of Kansas was established from three lodges operating in the eastern Kansas territory, one of which would be Leavenworth Number 2. By 1887 there were four lodges operating in Leavenworth, Leavenworth number 2, King Solomon number 10, Calvary number 50, and Hiram number 68. There were three other lodges operating within ten miles. These were 9 Mile Lodge operating in Lansing, a town 9 miles south of the front gate of Fort Leavenworth, Easton Lodge number 45 about the same distance west, and Winfield Scott Hancock Lodge number 311 operating on Fort Leavenworth. There were very active York Rite bodies in Leavenworth, Council number 1, Chapter number 2, and Commandery number 1 of Kansas, plus a Scottish Rite forming on Fort Leavenworth. In October 1886, the Templar Masons decided it was time to form a temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

On November 11, 1886, they petitioned the Imperial Grand Council for a dispensation to open a Temple with Richard A. Ketner as Potentate. On March 28, 1887, the Imperial Chief Rabban met with twenty-four Sir Knights at the Leavenworth Masonic temple, and he conferred the degree of the Order. On April 29, they met as a temple conducted elections. Noble Richard A. Ketner called the meeting to order and appointed Noble Lamartine Cretors as Secretary. The first officers of Abdallah Temple were: Richard A. Ketner, Grand Potentate; Dwight Byington, Chief Rabban; Colonel Carle A. Woodruff, Assistant Rabban; Tullius C. Tupper, High Priest and Prophet; Edward W. Osgood, Oriental Guide; John M. Laing, Treasurer; Lamartine Cretors, Recorder; William B. Fletcher, First Ceremonial master; Edward Jacobson, Second Ceremonial Master; Frank S. Hastings, Marshall; Thomas E. Conklin, Captain of the Guard; Rudolph Jost, Outer Guard. Abdallah was responsible for the entire state.

Postcard depicting the Abdallah Temple in Leavenworth, Kansas, credit: Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD

On May 13, the chartering class of nobility brought another eight nobles into the Shrine. These thirty-two became the charter members of Abdallah Shriners. The first class was led by Colonel Arthur McArthur, the commander of the Infantry Regiment stations on Fort Leavenworth, joining Colonel Woodruff, who commanded the Artillery Regiment and was the founding master of Hancock Lodge. Abdallah would initiate over 8,600 nobles in its first fifty years.

Woodruff and McArthur were both active masons as well as career soldiers. They made Abdallah unique in that its founding members included two men who had been awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest award for bravery. The Woodruff family has an unbroken line of two hundred years of West Point officers, and McArthur was the father of General of the Armies Douglas McArthur. Another prominent local mason, John Atwood, would join the Shrine within a few years. Noble Atwood was a leading lawyer known regionally and nationally for his political work as a top spokesman for William Jennings Byrans’ presidential campaign in 1896 and three appearances before the Supreme Court. Atwood is also unique in Shrinedom, having served twenty years as Abdallah’s Potentate while also going up the Imperial Line to do as Imperial Potentate in 1900.

In 1909, the Foot Patrol was the first unit in Abdallah, followed by a hundred-member marching band, chanters, and a wide variety of other units. The Shriners moved out of the Leavenworth Lodge about the same time into a neoclassical style temple located on Shawnee Street. They also established a large public park south of Leavenworth. As it was initially known, the Shriners Park included a small lake, picnic areas, a baseball field, and eventually a golf course. Some parts of this exist today along Shrine Park Road in Leavenworth. Over time the population center for the Greater Kansas City, Kansas area moved south from Leavenworth and resulted in a vote in 1954 to relocate to Kansas City, Kansas. The trend continued, and in 1977 it was decided to move again to the south into Overland Park, Kansas. From 1977 until 1980, Abdallah met in rented facilities. The current temple was completed and dedicated on June 28, 1981. Abdallah now meets at 5300 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park.

History submitted by Noble Herb Merrick of the Abdallah Shrine

Bro. Eric Morabito
“The Walking Man“
Junior Deacon, Adonai Lodge #718 in Highland, New York
Noble, Cyprus Shrine in Glenmont, New York