The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-08
CITY MASONRY BORN IN 1923
Fourteen Settlers Founded Centre Lodge No. %

FOU1"t0471 !
This is the first Of series of histories
Of Indiana polls blue lodges which will
appear weekly on The Times lodge page
Next week, Marion lodges story will be
printed.
Centre Lodge No %, Free and
Accepted Masons, an organization
which today boasts over 2.400 mem
bers in a city Of more than $4,000,
came into being almost Iii years
ago through the efforts of fourteen
stalwart citizens Of a little town
which had been laid out less than
one year before
On March 81, 1922, upon the
recommendation of Union Lodge
No. 2. Madison, and through the
proper grand lodge dispensation,
Centre came into recognized exist
ence as the first Masonic body in
the new city of Indianapolis. It
was not, however, until Oct. 7, 1923,
at grand lodge convention at
Madison, that the new group re-
ceived charter.
The first officers, all chosen from
the fourteen founders, were Harvey
Gregg, Worshipful master; Milo R.
Davis, senior warden; John T. Os-
borne, junior warden, and Samuel
Henderson, secretary. The other
original members, as their names
are recorded on the ancient records
Of the lodge, were Obed Foote, Uriah
Hubs, James Blake, j. w. Kimble,
Henry Willard, Allen Mead, Moses
Cook, William Vandergriff, Samuel
McGeorge and Allen D. Caulking.
Where the new lodge first held its
meetings is not known, but an old
receipt discovered in the archives of
the organization teStifies that in the
winter of 1023-24 Centre was pay
ing rent for rooms over the Blake
81 Henderson store, which stood on
the present site Of the new j. C
Penney establishment on Washing
ton street.
The grand lodge records Of this
date indicate that the lodge had in
creased to nineteen members, among
whom were several of the most
prominent citizens of the city.
HARVEY GREGG, the first mas
l. L ter, was a prominent attorney
and one of the owners and editors
Of the second newspaper ever to be
published in this city, the Western
Citizen and Emigrant's Guide.
Milo Davis was a son of one Of
the first territorial judges of Indi-
ana.
John T. Osborne was an early
local merchant and an original
member of the board of county COM
missioners of Marion county.
Obed Foote, another lawyer, was
the first justice of the peace in
Center township.
James NJ Ray, who succeeded
Samuel Henderson as secretary of
Centre shortly after its founding,
occupied many public Offices in the
of Marion county.
In October, 1924, Centre reported
a membership of twenty-five Ma
sons. The master at this time was
William w Wick, the first judge
who ever held court in Indianapolis,
and one Of the most prominent men
in the state. At various times he
was clerk of the Indiana house of
representatives, circuit judge, prose-
cutting attorney, secretary of state,
brigadier- general of militia, post
master, and member of congress.
THE first carriage, a two-horse
Il barouche, ever to appear on
the streets of this city was brought
over the famed Cumberland pike
from Baltimore by Colonel James
Blake, who was an early treasurer
Of Centre. He was accompanied
on the trip by his recent bride, and
the exploit also was their honey
moon.
Colonel Blake was as closely as
ISOLATED with the early history of
Indianapolis as any man of his
time He helped build the first
steam mill, helped to organize and
teach the first Sunday school, ar
ranged the first local Fourth of
July celebration and was president
of the first state board of agri-
culture.
Among other distinguished Centre
members of the time were Bethuel
Morris, judge of the circuit court;
Livingston Dunlap, one of the ear
Hest local physicians, secretary of
the first indianapolis Medical So
ciety, and postmaster under Presi-
dent Polk; and James B. Hall, the
city'S first carpenter.
TWO of Centres most eXtraor-
binary early members were the
Conner brothers, William and
John, after the latter of whom
ConnerSville is named. For ten
years of their boyhood both had
been prisoners of the Indians. After
their release, they retained con-
siderable influence with the nearby
tribes 1t is reported that this in
fluence was partially due to their