Information Sheet

 

 

R         Freemasons.  Star of the West Lodge No. 133 (Ironton, Mo.).

446                  Records, 1849‑1962.

                                    Thirty-four folders and thirteen volumes.

 

MICROFILM

 

 

 

These are records of the Masonic Lodge at Ironton in Iron County, Missouri.  The records in­clude minute books, membership records, personnel files, and miscellaneous lodge papers, 1849‑1962.  The collection also includes the record books of the Iron Mountain Lodge, 1864-1894, which consolidated with the Star of the West Lodge in 1894.

 

The Star of the West Lodge No. 133, A.F. & A.M., was organized at Iron Mountain, Mis­souri, in 1849.  The lodge moved to Arcadia in 1851, where it met through November 1861, after which it was moved to Ironton.  The lodge counted as members many of the prominent busi­ness and profes­sional men of the area, such as Eli and J. T. Ake, Robert Bryant, William Dilts, Wil­liam Edgar, John F. T. Edwards, Jacob Grandhomme, James A. Greason, C. R. Peck, and B. Shepherd.  The Star of the West Lodge in its early period was closely associated with the Ironton lodge of the Inde­pendent Order of Odd Fellows.  Many individuals were members of both organi­zations, the lodges jointly owned the Masonic and Odd Fellows Cemetery in Iron­ton, and met in the same hall.  The lodge building was constructed in 1873 by the Odd Fellows, who subse­quently sold the second floor to the Star of the West Lodge.  The Masons bought the entire prop­erty in 1920, then, in turn, leased a floor to the Odd Fellows.  After the demise of the Odd Fel­lows Lodge in Ironton, the Ma­sons leased the lower floor of the building to the U.S. Post Office Department for use as the Iron­ton Post Office, 1928‑1947.  The lodge contin­ues to meet in the same building to the present (1991).

 

The records of the Star of the West Lodge consist of lodge papers, 1849‑1961, individual membership files, 1849‑1962, and record books, 1861‑1961.  There are no rituals or secret mate­ri­als contained in the collection.  The business papers of the lodge, arranged topically, in­clude corre­spondence with other local lodges and the Grand Lodge of Missouri, records per­taining to lodge property including the lease agree­ment with the Post Office Department and papers on the Masonic and Odd Fellows Cemetery, reports of the secretary and treasurer, budget propos­als and receipts, and materials concerning the Masonic Home of Missouri and the centennial of the Iron­ton Lodge.  A register of items precedes each folder.

 

The files of individual members have been arranged alphabetically by surname.  The files in­clude materials such as applications for membership and reports by investigating commit­tees, pa­pers concerning “raisings” or advancements through the various degrees of Masonry, “dimits” or releases for transfer to other lodges, papers regarding placement of members in the Masonic Home, and memorial resolutions adopted upon the deaths of members.  The person­nel files, espe­cially the membership applications and memorial resolutions, contain useful historical and bio­graphical data such as the residences of members, occupations, ages and birth/death dates.  An in­dex to the personnel files has been filmed in front of the series.

 

The record books include two groups of volumes, those of the Star of the West Lodge, 1861‑1961, and those of Iron Mountain Lodge No. 430, 1864‑1894.  Both groups of records con­tain minute books of regular and special meetings and membership records.  The minutes of the Star of the West Lodge begin on 23 February 1861 and continue through to March 1961.  Min­utes of a few of the meetings in the 1850s may be found in the lodge papers.  There are no min­utes of meetings from 9 June 1938 to 10 Septem­ber 1954.  The minutes of the Iron Moun­tain Lodge begin with the organi­zational meeting on 16 November 1871 and continue through 15 September 1894, when the Iron Mountain Lodge voted unanimously to consolidate with the Star of the West Lodge under the latter’s charter.  The record books of the Iron Mountain Lodge, which include a member­ship register, were placed with those of the Star of the West Lodge upon consolidation.

 

The minute books of the lodges offer an overview of the fraternal and benevolent activi­ties of the Masons.  While most of the meetings were devoted to admitting or rejecting pro­spective mem­bers and completing work on the various degrees of masonry, the members also approved expen­ditures on behalf of Arcadia College, needy Masons and their families, the Mason­ic Home of Mis­souri, and the Boy Scouts.  Ceremonial functions undertaken by the Masons included lodge rituals at funerals of members, attendance at ceremonies of other lodges, and the placement of corner­stones at various public buildings and churches in the Ironton area.  Some of the volumes also in­clude lists of officers and past masters of the lodge.

 

There are two volumes of membership records, one for the Star of the West Lodge and an­other for the Iron Mountain Lodge.  Additional records of membership, including lists of suspen­sions for non‑payment of dues, may be found in the general correspondence in folders 1‑3, and in the Secre­tary’s reports in folder 12.

 

 

Shelf List for this collection
Folder Shelf List for this collection
Index cards for this collection
Questions? Use our Researcher Registration Form
Return to WHMC-Rolla's home page.