Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1919-09-04
A CENTURY OF HISTORY
(BY M. C. HART)

/
One Hundred Years when measur-
ed by eternity is no more than a mo-
ment; when compared with the great
reaches of time, is as nothing; but
when summed up in the experience
of generations or of individuals it
looms large.
One Hundred Years-and we turn
back the hands on the dial Of time to
| that zero hour when by the zeal OF
hearts long since stilled by death,
but which today are given DEATH
less memory, there was brought into
ibdfng a lodge of masons at this place.
Nineteen years after the organiza-
ton of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky
an event that dignified the opening
Of century, organized masonry had
its inception in this city. That lodge
in the young metropolis of Bath, had
the happy distinction of being among
The >urst to establish the principles
ana plant the banner of masonry
west of the Alleghanies. To quote
the historian:- "Eevery emigrant,
whose slow moving wagons sur
mounted those barriers, brought
some knowledge of masonry from
east to west, some family tradition,
someAtale of wonder, some incident
of charitable character to relate to
their children when they should ar
rive at their wildwood home; ana
this was the germ that was to expand
into a great stock-what wonder that
the faintest suggestion of the estab-
lishment of lodge was hailed with
ardor or signature and influence and
open purse were offered tnreserved-
| ly to perfect the idea. Such elonga-
tiohs of the cable-tow were rarely
ever witnessed before as those dis.
played by the Immigrant masons in
'the dark and bloody ground thirst.
ing for The "social joy" of the great
design
Thomas Smith Webb was recog-
nized Is world authority in mason
ie ~ t. He was one Ot the great
lasofte eS7 his 'naso-c PGrs5nIf1tty
upon hp western world and when HI,
untimely death was announced in
1919, the intelligence met with uni.
versal sorrow. The Grand Lodge of
Kentucky, 4. its regular August
eOts - 'ip7, paid filing. trikGse
to his memory and conferred his
name upon the first lodge chartered
thereafter Thus Webb Lodge No.
80 came into being. A page of our
Centennial booklet records the list of
charter members. There is every in
dication of a vitality in the ac'
Invites Of Webb Lodge during the Pc
Rod of its labors. Men of character
and ability were added to its roster
and Success seemed to mark it for
her own. Then, as a stroke from
out the blue, Adversely came. The
Morgan episode of 1926 came on
apace and the historian of that pc
Rod observes: "The whole Temple OF
Masonry was shaken to its base by
ne commotion that followed. Two
/ and lodges went down under It
Several others stood for time OF
the verge of dissolution and seriousl.,
! contemplated masonic suicide. TIT
Y true work and progress of the Graf
| in all parts of the Union were ar
rested and for several years no ad'
vantage was gained in the cause o.
Social Ethics in the United States
Anti-masonic sentiment abounded Il
the full. Webb Lodge caught in tn
maelstrom of this sentiment wen
down but left a record of which he
successors are proud. In the yea
1884 the charter was forfeited an'
for ten years masonry slept
The frenzy of opposition IN tn
nation reached its crest when it en-
tered the arena Of politics but tn
fever soon subsidized leaving the Graf
in excellent condition for construc
tive work.
In 1874 the brethren of kentuck.
began to look beyond themselves an
with true masonic charity sought tn
education of the orphaned issue o
their deceased In this period o
Renaissance the masons Of OwlngS
vile and its environs determined {
reorganize and reestablish the fra
, ternity in their community. Strong
4 sturdy men, the leading spirits o
J their day and the progenitors 0
many of the present organization
were granted dispensation by IN
5 Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Sept. on
1874. On Oct. 18th 1S45 Maur
Lodge No. l41 had its birth.
Matthew Maury, the pattern q
this reorganized body, was born
! the Valley OF Virginia. Transplante
TO the soil Of Bath county, he was
moving spirit in the mysteries
! masonry. He died Sept. 4th, lSf
!. and his body sleeps among those I
/, loved in our Silent City. While ne'