The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-02-11
QUADRI-CENTENNIAL.
Of antiquity Lodge No. 81,
"A. F. & "A. N.

Mll1HNMN a ann,ss'sily ~ II A .Ie
tiquity Lodge, No.!81, A. F. & A. NJ,
occurred at the Masonic hall. Only
members of the order we're present,
the guests Of the evening including
Hon. B. F. Webber, Judge of the dis
trict court, George w. Somerville Of
Sleepy Eye, Geo. Simons of St. Paul,
and number of local members Of the
fraternity who have not yet been di-
mitted from their foreign lodges.
While the lodge was at work W. E..
Dickinson had the secretary read a
carefully prepared history of the
lodge from it's foundation. This docu
ment dwelt at length on the early his
tory of the lodge, when the members,
some seven or eight in number, met
at a residence in Watson's addition,
and there conferred degrees and tran
sacted business. Later the order had
for meeting place the room over the
present residence of L. F. Robinson
on Mill street, where it convened for a
number of years, conferred degrees
and transacted business. Then it re-
moved to the frame building, owned
by Messrs. Behnke, James Mcmillan,
G. A. Francois, standing on the corner
of Second and Washington streets,
where it was:destroyed by fire about
two years ago. The new portion of
Hotel Francois is now standing on the
site.
The first Mason made by the new
lodge, the venerable and well-known
A. M. Northup, was the first member
to pass away and over his remains
we're held the first Masonic funeral in
Redwood Falls.
With the important fire of 1886, a
fire that swept out all of the frame
buildings on the north side of Second
street, from Mill to Dunnington's
grocery, now occupied by F. b. Ring
& Co., feeling that larger and more
commodious quarters we're needed,
came upon the members. At that
time Col. E. A. Chandler, then an i'm
portant member, proposed to erect
building on the corner of Second and
Mill streets, provided that the lodge
would build and equip the second
story. The proposition was accepted.
Col. Chandler had just started the
grading when, of sudden, like light
ming from a clear sky, Col. Chandler
was swept away by the grim reaper
Death. This necessitated new plans,
and after warm contests, the propo-
sition of G. E. Mckay for the build
ing on the present site, was accepted.
The lodge probably has the finest
lodge rooms of any country lodge in
the State.
| Ml. DlChlu5OlI, III OPCoh'uS VI eAO
members that had passed into the
great beyond, noted as lamentable
and remarkable fact that the last three
members to pass away died as a re-
suit of accidents-one of them, John
McDougall, killed while driving down
the Mill street hill, a second, Ener
Birum, killed by Minneapolis & St.
Louis passenger train in the yards at
Minneapolis, and the third, Otto
Schmahl, killed while operating a
soda water fountain o. Sept. 25th, last
After the paper had been read by
the secretary the lodge was closed and
the members were invited into the
banquet room where spread had
been prepared under the personal
supervision of Mine Host and Lady
Kahler of Hotel Francois spread
that justified their respective abilities
for running hotel. The menu card,
a neatly printed affair in. two colors,
was as follows:
I New York Counts