The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-02-26


This is the eighth of a series of his
tories of Marion county Masonic blue
lodges which is appearing weekly in The
Times. Next Monday the story of Broad
Ripple lodge will appear.
TALVIN w. BUSCH, first master
~ and actual father" Of Veritas
lodge No. COB, Free and Accepted
Masons, was responsible for meet
ing on Nov. 13, 1895, of sixteen
master Masons in the old Bright
wood Y M. C. A. building, located
at that time on the property of the
Big Four Railway Company, which
was called for the purpose of estab-
fishing a Masonic lodge in the COM
munity. .
At the meeting, of which Mr..
Busch acted as chairman, plans
were discussed for organizing the
group. B. A. Brown was elected
secretary, and j. j. Valdenaire and
Mr.. Busch were appointed to sup
ply list of furniture and equip
ment necessary to the undertaking.
At a second meeting, held thir-
teen days later, Veritas, latin for
truth, on a motion of John G. Dehn,
was selected as the name of the
prospective lodge, and first Off
GERS were chosen as follows:
| Mr.. Busch, worshipful master;
James Holmes, senior warden and
Mr.. Valdenaire, junior warden. AS
closing business of the meeting an
application for a diSpensation was
| passed and signed by all present.
At meeting held Jan. 7, 1896,
Mr.. Busch was delegated to go to
Cincinnati to procure jewels for the
| lodge, and Mr.. Brown and Mr.. VAL
denaire were appointed as COM
mittee to purchase furniture.
Jacob Smith, who had been APP
pointed by the grand lodge of In
diana to ascertain Veritas' fitness
to function as a full-fledged blue
lodge. reported favorably, and on
Feb. Is Veritas held its first regular
meeting under dispensation.
At this meeting Mr.. Busch, Mr..
Holmes and Mr.. Valdenaire we're
continued in the three principal
offices and the following were APP
pointed for the period Of dispense
ton:
Mr.. Dehn. senior deacon; Edward
Griffith, junior deacon; James Rap
son, treasurer; DR.. B. A. Brown,
senior steward; D. c. Huffman.
Junior steward, and J. M. Arm
strong, tyler. On the same evening
Veritas received its first petitions
for initiation, D. w. Freshman, j..
H. Winenow and w. P. MeSsersmith
seeking membership.
VTERITAS progressed so salts
| v factorily that on May 26, 1896,
the grand lodge, "satified as to the
stability" of the new organization,
granted it a charter, and on July Z
Jacob Smith instituted the group
with L. E. Morrison of Mystic Tie
lodge acting as grand marshal. The
officers under the dispensatiOn con-
tinued to serve during the first six
months under the charter.
Charter members of Veritas were
Mr.. Busch. Mr.. Holmes, DR.. Brown,
John Bradshaw, Mr. Griffith, B. A.
Clark. George w. Clark, James
Chopper and Silas P. Engle, all OF
Centre lodge. indianapolis; John
Armstrong, Wilmington lodge, Will
mington; Charles Happier, Fidelity
lodge, Gallon, O.; j. j. Traub, Orien-
tai lodge, indianapolis; John C
Dehn, Marion lodge, Indianapolis
James Rapson. Social lodge, Terre
Haute; j. j. Valdenaire, Lake
Shore lodge. Benton Harbor, Mich.
and Mrs. freshman, Mr.. Winenow
and Mr.. MeSSersmith. all of whom
had been raised while VeritaS was
under diSpenSation.
Favorable action on petitions of
]. A. Eusey, Charles L. Clark, w. j
Smith and o. H. Attridge with the
eighteen charter members brought
the total membership at the end
of 1896 to twenty-five. from which
Veritas has advanced steadily until
today the roster liStsNSeveral hun
dred active members.
Lodge members met on June q
1928. in Clark's hall with Frank E
Gavin acting as grand master. and
proceeded to the corner of Adams
and Roosevelt streets. where now
stands VeritaS Masonic Temple
and where. that day, the new build
ing was dedicated and an address
was delivered by the now senior
United States senator from In
diana, Arthur R. Robinson.
The cornerstone had been laic
six months earlier in a ceremony il
which Mr.. Busch had acted as grand
master and other grand lodge po-
Sitions had been filed by variou:
Veritas members. including Franz
P. Stanley, Fred Bromer. Mr.. Mes
sersmith, Edgar A. Leftwich, Will
liam D. Brooks. Orville NJ. Denny
Charles L. Clark. John c. Dehn