USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > Reading > History of Chandler Lodge No. 227 : Free & Accepted Masons of Reading, Pennsylvania from 1848 to 1948 > Part 3
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185I was an active year in Chandler's annals. It began with a disagreement with our sister Lodge No. 62 over the number of meetings, and the proportionate rental, which resulted in our meet- ing in Odd Fellows Hall from February, 1851, to June, 1852, at an annual rental of Forty Dollars, Gas and Fuel being furnished at our expense. In July, 1852 we accepted the invitation of No. 62 to return, as "being in the interest of Masonry generally."
Our first contribution to the "Washington National Monument Society" in the amount of $10.00 was made in January, 1851. At the stated meeting of February 4, 1851, "the Worshipful Master sug- gested, at some length, the propriety of some action being taken in reference to a reduction of the Grand Lodge dues, which he believed to be generally considered onerous and subversive of the true in- terests of the Grand Lodge. A committee of three was appointed to communicate with all the other Lodges in good standing in the State, to take into consideration the propriety of asking a reduction of Grand Lodge dues."
In April the invitation to be present at the dedication of a new Lodge in Pottstown, Stichter No. 254, was accepted for April 22nd and Brother Millholland engaged an extra car on the P. & R. to accommodate all at a rate of 50 cents each.
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Past Grand Master William Barger, with others from the Grand Lodge, visited Chandler on June 3rd, when Maybury A. Bertolette was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason, and an appro- priate address on "The Principles of Masonry" was delivered by Brother Barger.
Under "Hot Weather Hints" might be noted a minute of the meeting of August 5th. "An appropriation of $1.50 is made for refreshments for those whom a sense of duty induced to remain until the completion of the business of the evening." (The Lodge closed at II.15 P. M.)
The year closed with a membership of III and 23 meetings held. Those elected to office for the ensuing Masonic year were: Daniel H. Feger, W. M .; Samuel McDonnell, S. W .; William H. Strick- land, J. W .; William McFarlan, Treasurer; Henry Crowther, Sec- retary, and J. Millholland, J. H. Cole and William Cressford, Trustees.
At the February meeting in 1852, Past Grand Master J. R. Chandler, in whose honor Lodge No. 227 had been named, asked to be relieved as proxy for the Lodge in Grand Lodge, because of his distance from Grand Lodge. The Lodge agreed and decided to have Past Masters serve as Representatives to Grand Lodge. However, in April, we find Brother Chandler again named as proxy by the Lodge. Brother Ancona stated at the same meeting that a petition signed by W. I. Clous had been mislaid, and moved that the same be received and a committee appointed, as though it had been read to the Lodge, which was agreed to. The D. D. G. M. stated that such proceeding was out of order, which the W. M. confirmed, so the motion was ruled out of order. The missing petition was procured before the Lodge closed, and sent through the proper procedure. That incident may occasion a smile to some of our more recent masters, who wittingly or unwittingly proceed on a course of action, only to be told by our efficient secretary, "You can't do that." The first death among Chandler members, that of Francis A. Vache, was announced and appropriate resolutions passed.
At the stated meeting of August 3, the Committee on Printing By-Laws made a verbal report thus: "Your Committee would re- port that they have been unable to attend to the business of their
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appointment, from the refusal of the Secretary to furnish them with a transcript from his minutes. Such refusal has been couched in language unbecoming a Mason or a gentleman, he having said "he would be d-d, if he would make one, etc .... " Your Committee would therefore beg that the Lodge take such action as will secure the Committee from future insult, and that the dignity of the Lodge be sustained. A Committee of Grievance was appointed and the matter investigated. In the meantime, it was reported that the Sec- retary gave a transcript in illegible and incorrect manner. The Griev- ance Committee demanded an apology from the Secretary in open Lodge, which was made, and all was forgiven.
At a special meeting in November, Chandler Lodge was visited by Professor C. E. Blumenthal, who had been commissioned by Grand Lodge to give a "Grand Lecture" to different Lodges in the State. This practice was later discontinued by Grand Lodge. Officers elected at the Annual Meeting included : S. McDonnell, W. M .; W. H. Strickland, S. W .; H. D. Lowe, J. W .; W. McFarlan, Treasurer ; D. A. Griffith, Secretary, and J. Millholland, J. Cole and D. Stout, Trustees.
There are but two items of interest in the Minutes of 1853, the first being a Joint celebration with Lodge No. 62, of the Centennial Anniversary of the Initiation of George Washington into Masonry. A "band of music" was hired for the occasion and an address was given by Past Grand Master Chandler. A total of $30.00 was paid by the Lodge toward building a "monumental Masonic Temple" in Fred- ericksburg, Virginia. The second event of the year took place in November when Chandler was honored by a Grand Lodge Visita- tion, Anthony Y. Bournonville, R. W. G. M. Following that visit, the Grand Secretary reports: "I find the Lodge well instructed and strictly conforming to the requirements of the Ahiman Rezon, and the Rules and Regulations of Grand Lodge." He objects to the use of the term "Adjourned Stated Meeting" as being a non-Masonic term, but congratulates the Lodge on its general prosperity and its good attendance. "The amount of relief given to needy applicants has been liberal, and reflects credit upon the Officers and Members of the Lodge. William H. Adams, Grand Secretary."
The year closed with the election of William H. Strickland, W. M .; J. Millholland, S. W .; A. J. Swartz, J. W .; William McFarlan,
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Treasurer; W. A. Wells, Secretary; and J. Cole, D. Stout, and S. McDonnell, Trustees. There were then 124 members.
An interesting item in 1854, records the approval of a loan of $15.00 to a travelling brother from Pittston Lodge, No. 233, "the said brother depositing, on his own offer, a gold watch as collateral security which is in the hands of the Treasurer."
At the February Meeting, 1854, a petition signed by seven mem- bers of Chandler Lodge was read to the Lodge and the petition granted. This petition asked Chandler Lodge grant the sanction of its warrant to open "an Encampment of Knights Templar." The signatories were: A. Jordan Swartz, John H. Keim, S. E. Ancona, David E. Stout, S. McDonnell, James Millholland and William H. Strickland.
The year closed with the Annual Meeting and Election, when these Officers were chosen for the ensuing Masonic year : A. Jordan Swartz, W. M .; H. D. Lowe, S. W .; James Millholland, J. W .; William McFarlan, Treasurer ; W. A. Wells, Secretary, and J. Cole, D. Stout and W. Strickland, Trustees.
The year 1855 opened in January with the presentation by Past Master Herman Baugh of Concordia Lodge, No. 67, to Chandler Lodge of a cane for the use of the Worshipful Master. "This cane is made of ash from one of the girders of the main floor, and the mahogany inlaying from the hand rail of the main stair case of the old Masonic Hall on Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. The Ferrule is a portion of the old gas pipe first used in the introduction of gas in the same city." It does not appear from the record, when or how often the Worshipful Master found use for the cane. Later in the year, on September 26, Chandler was represented by a delegation at the Dedication of the new Masonic Hall, Chestnut Street, be- tween Seventh and Eighth Streets, in Philadelphia, the brethren travelling to Philadelphia on "half-price tickets, $1.75, good for three days only." The invitation ordered as follows: "Each brother will be required to attend in a full suit of black, dress coat, with white gloves, plain blue sash and plain white apron."
For the ensuing year the following Officers were elected on December 4, 1855: H. D. Lowe, W. M .; J. Millholland, S. W .; William W. Diehl, J. W .; William McFarlan, Treasurer ; A. Jordan
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Swartz, Secretary, and D. E. Stout, Lewis Kirk and William Strick- land, Trustees. There was then, a total membership of 140, and total assets of $1901.701/2. The report reads: "that the Committee take occasion to say that the year had been one of great prosperity and of exceedingly great delight, and the great contention and strife which existed in former years has been taken from our midst and in place we are enjoying a blessing of peace and fraternal love. The finances of the lodge are in a most prosperous condition and what is most gratifying to the committee is the large amount which has been expended during the year for charity. The widow and orphan have not been forgotten in the days of our prosperity."
In 1856, Brother Edward Strickland of Philadelphia was ap- pointed proxy for Chandler, being near the Grand Lodge, and a Committee of one, Brother D. D. G. M. David Stout, was appointed to confer with Lodge No. 62, Chapter No. 152, and Encampment No. 7 (now No. 9), Knights Templar, in regard to obtaining a new Masonic Hall for all the local Masonic bodies.
The election of December 2, 1856, resulted in the choice of these officers: James Millholland, W. M .; W. W. Diehl, S. W .; J. A. McLean, J. W .; and D. E. Stout, William H. Strickland and L. Kirk, Trustees.
The following members of Chandler Lodge No. 227 petitioned the R. W. Grand Master for a Warrant for a new Lodge to be located at Womelsdorf, Penna .: John M. Schonour, William Moore, John Stephen, Charles Phillips, Thomas Searle, E. Penn Smith, William A. Moyer, John Sell and John H. Oberly.
At the stated meeting of January 6, 1857, the following resolu- tion was adopted: "Resolved, That the petition be recommended to the favorable consideration of the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge and that in case such Warrant be granted, such fixtures as are not in use by this Lodge be loaned to the Brethren above-named, until they can procure others."
Brother John M. Stephen became the first Worshipful Master of Williamson Lodge No. 307, and was followed by Brother John H. Oberly.
The year 1857 was marked by a Joint Convention of Lodges 62 and 227 on March 31, when Officers of the Grand Lodge, headed
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by the Right Worshipful Grand Master, Peter Williamson, visited the Reading Lodges. A steel engraving, the likeness of Grand Mas- ter Williamson, was presented to the Lodge in October and ordered hung in the Lodge Room. A Committee of Brothers, W. H. Strick- land, F. Till, and Joseph McLean, was appointed to work in con- junction with a similar Committee from Lodge 62, to arrange for acquisition of a burial lot in Charles Evans Cemetery.
Elected in December were: William W. Diehl, W. M .; J. A. McLean, S. W .; George W. Durell, J. W .; William McFarlan, Treasurer ; H. A. Lantz, Secretary, and J. Millholland, D. E. Stout and J. E. Arthur, Trustees. The annual report in January 1858 shows total expenses of $740.94, with $270.00 for rent, $114.25 for charity, $86.25 for regalia, and only $16.00 for refreshments. There were 149 members enrolled.
This first ten years of life of Chandler Lodge shows a vigorous organization having a substantial financial standing. It had met all its obligations, it had been charitable to those in need, it had assisted in the establishment of other Lodges and Masonic bodies and it had single handedly been the nucleus of the encampment of Knights Templar. True, it had its share of disagreements caused by the fric- tion between men of strong character, but it ended its first decade in peace and Masonic harmony.
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FIRST MEETING PLACE (1848-1852)
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State House
The first meeting place of the Lodge was in the "State House Building" on the northeast corner of Fifth and Penn Streets. It had been the meeting place of Lodge No. 62 from 1806 to 1847, and we are indebted to Lodge No. 62 for the reproduction and the fol- lowing description :
"The building was erected in 1793 by the County Commissioners of Berks County and was destroyed by fire in January, 1872. The outer door to the Lodge room was at the landing of the stairway. Two adjoining rooms were situated south of the Lodge room, with communicating doors thereto and from one room to the other. The room next to Fifth Street was the waiting room occupied by the Tyler, and the other was the preparing room. The station of the Worshipful Master was in the North, of the Senior Warden in the South, and the Junior Warden in the East. Though these stations were thus arranged, the officers were, nevertheless, considered as in the East, West and South, according to the Lodge requirements. The
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altar was in the centre with three movable candlesticks, arranged to the West and East in the form of a right-angle triangle. Sperm candles were used. The floor was carpeted, and plain settees were arranged along the eastern and western walls on platforms slightly elevated. The Worshipful Master's station was on a platform with three steps, and his chair was of an old-fashioned pattern, with a high back of hickory sticks and a heavy head-board upon which there was a Rising Sun, carved and gilded. The chair had low arm-rests, and the seat was covered with a cushion. Over the pedestal, there was a canopy, supported by two columns. The other stations were after the same plan, but not so elaborate. The canopies were hand- somely festooned, and all the windows, in 1840, were draped with curtains of purple worsted.
"The dimensions of the room were 28 by 40 feet, and the ceiling was 12 feet high. The room was lighted by an ornamental chande- lier, with six oil lamps, suspended over the altar. It presented a brilliant appearance, and made a most favorable impression upon candidates for initiation, and also upon the visiting brethren. The walls were decorated with a number of pictures of prominent Masons in handsome frames, including such as Brother George Washington, Brother Lafayette, and certain Grand Officers of Pennsylvania."
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SECOND MEETING PLACE (1849-1850) (1852-1858)
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KEYSTONE HOUSE
IKEYSTONE HOUSE!
Keystone House
The second meeting place was in the Keystone House, a hotel situated on the northwest corner of Sixth and Penn Streets. It was the meeting place of Lodge No. 62 and at the stated meeting of March 5, 1849, the Lodge resolved to accept the offer of the mother Lodge and remove there from the "State House."
The Lodge Room occupied the fourth floor front, and extended across the entire width of the building. The room was 24 feet wide and 60 feet long. It is indicated by the seven windows on the front of the building and the four windows on the side, of the accompany- ing illustration.
The room was reached by a winding stairway from the Sixth Street entrance. At the head of the stairway, there was a landing from which a door opened into the waiting room, and from this wait- ing room the entrance was made directly into the Lodge room. The
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doorway was nearly opposite the altar. The preparing room was situated at the rear of the waiting room, and a doorway also led into the Lodge room. Both rooms were about 12 by 16 feet in dimensions.
The interior of the Lodge room had a pleasing appearance. Black hair cloth sofas were arranged along the southern side (Penn Square) and common chairs along the northern side ; and there were green blinds at all the windows.
The station of the Worshipful Master was in the East, or Sixth Street side, under a canopy, supported by two columns, on a platform elevated three steps. The chair was cushioned with black hair cloth, had a high back with arm rests, and was plain looking.
The room was lighted by gas. Two chandeliers were suspended from the ceiling at equal distances to the East and West of the altar. The walls had no decorations of any kind, excepting a picture of Washington, which hung on the wall above the chair of the Worship- ful Master.
(History Lodge No. 62)
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THIRD MEETING PLACE (1851-1852)
Odd Fellows Hall
The third meeting place was the "Odd Fellows Hall" on the southwest corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets, the present site of the Reading Public Library. The building was constructed in 1847, and was sold to the Reading Library Company in 1868. It was thereafter known as Library Hall. Chandler Lodge occupied the fourth floor in 1851 and 1852, and again in 1862, when fire destroyed the Lodge Room in the American House.
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GRAND MASTER
DEPUTY GRAND MASTER.
SENIOR GRAND WAIDEN. JUNIOR GRAND WARDEN.
To all whom it may Concern.
The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction thereunto belonging, TN AMPLE FORM ASSEMBLED AT BLAD TE OF PENNSYLVANIA
.
Borge, under the bands
first and the Seal of war "Grand Lidy, is owamed eight Landeed and
Day of
and if ellerny ?
wand eight hundred and
Attest
GRAND TABASURES
GRAND SEO
Original Warrant of Chandler Lodge, 1848
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JOHN O. D. LILLY
John O. D. Lilly, first master of Chandler Lodge, was born in Yates County, New York, September 17, 1822. He was educated in the public schools and in a private academy of that state, then went to Carbon County, Pa., where he learned the trade of ma- chinist. He showed special skill in mechanical work, and was made foreman of a machine shop before he attained his legal age. He came to Reading and be- came a foreman in the P. and R. Shops. In 1849, he moved to Madison, Indiana. There he was appointed master mechanic of the Madison and Indiana R. R., the first railroad constructed in that state.
About 1855, he accepted a position as Master Mechanic and Superintendent of the Lafayette and Indianapolis R. R. with head- quarters in Indianapolis. He served in that capacity until after the Civil War, when he founded the Lilly Varnish Manufacturing Com- pany which he continued to operate until his death in 1888. This factory is still flourishing under the same name.
When the Civil War broke out in 1860, he was delegated by Governor Morton of Indiana to organize a regiment of railroad men, which became a part of the 68th. Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Brother Lilly was appointed master mechanic with the United States Military Railroad Service, was given the rank of Colonel, and was stationed at Philadelphia for the duration of the war.
He was made a Mason in Lodge No. 62 on August 4, 1847. He aided in the organization of Chandler Lodge No. 227, and was ap- pointed first Worshipful Master. In 1848, he was elected to serve
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a second term. In Indianapolis, he held membership in both Scottish and York Rites.
Brother Lilly was killed by a passenger train at Mauch Chunk on March 19, 1888, while visiting his brother, General William Lilly, also a member of Chandler Lodge. His remains rest in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana.
DAVID E. STOUT
David Engle Stout, second Worshipful Master of Chandler Lodge (1850), was born in Muhlenberg Township, near Stoudt's Ferry, on February 10, 1820. After being edu- cated in the local schools, he took a clerical position in a hardware store, and at the age of 24 entered the employ of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company. Promotions were rapid, and in 1847 he was appointed pay- master, in which capacity he served for 40 years, until his retirement.
He was interested in local civic affairs and aided in the organi- zation of the Union Bank, the Reading Trust Company, and the Reading Gas Company. Besides being a director in those organiza- tions, he served as a school controller and was a very active mem- ber of Christ Episcopal Church.
He helped nominate Abraham Lincoln for President in the Re- publican National Convention of 1860, and again in 1864.
He was made a Mason in Lodge No. 62 on April 7, 1841, and Secretary in 1844. He aided in the organization of Chandler Lodge, and was installed as its first Secretary. He was a charter member of DeMolay Commandery, of which he became, in 1856, the third Eminent Commander. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Grand Commandery, and served as District Deputy Grand Master of the Berks District from 1854 to 1857.
Brother Stout died at Ocean Grove, New Jersey, September 12, 1894, and was buried in Charles Evans Cemetery.
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SYDENHAM E. ANCONA
Sydenham E. Ancona was born near Lititz, Lancaster County, November 20, 1824. In early life, he taught in the rural schools of Berks and Lancaster Counties. In 1846, upon the invitation of Brother Daniel H. Feger, his brother-in-law and successor as Master of Chandler Lodge, he accepted a position as as- sistant timekeeper with the Reading Com- pany. He became chief clerk and later head bookkeeper, resigning that position in 1862. While in the employ of the Reading Company, he and Brother Feger organized a military company with a band, known as the Reading Rifles. This organization, about 200 strong, was composed largely of young machinists, engineers, etc., of the P. and R. Railroad Company, and was considered one of the crack volunteer organizations of the country. They made numerous trips to other cities, and later were actively engaged in the Civil War.
He was also elected to Congress from the Berks district in 1860, and was twice reelected. He served as president of the Reading Hose Company, and in 1867, with a few others organized and became the first President of the Hampden Fire Company. He held the latter office for many years, during which he became intensely interested in fire insurance and in the insurance business. He also served as president of the Penn Street Passenger Railway and as director of the Mount Penn Gravity Railway Company.
Brother Ancona was made a Mason in Lodge No. 62 on August 4, 1847. In 1848 he aided in the organization of Chandler Lodge and was named Junior Deacon. He became Worshipful Master of Chandler in 1851.
In 1870, with a few friends, he started a movement resulting in the organization of Reading Commandery, No. 42, Knights Templar, and was named first Eminent Commander.
He was District Deputy Grand Master for the District of Berks, Lebanon and part of Montgomery Counties in 1861-62 and 1872-77.
Brother Ancona died June 20, 1913, and was buried in Charles Evans Cemetery.
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DANIEL H. FEGER
Daniel H. Feger was born in 1824 in Alsace Township at the very spot where the Stony Creek Woolen Mill now stands. An expert draftsman, he entered the employ of the Reading Company in 1844 and remained with that company until 1852, when he went to Covington, Ky., to take charge of the Cov- ington Locomotive Works, where he designed and built the first locomotives ever built, west of the Allegheny Mountains. From Coving- ton, he moved to Memphis, Tenn., where he took charge as a mechanic of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, which position he held until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he became superintendent of the military railroads in Mississippi. After the close of the war, he became Superintendent of the Little Rock and Memphis Railroad, and afterward he was stationed at New Orleans as general passenger agent of the Louisville and Nash- ville through line to New York. He did noble work in the South during the yellow fever epidemic, having had charge of hospital organization.
Brother Feger was made a Mason in Lodge No. 62 on October 7, 1846, and aided in the organization of Chandler Lodge, of which he was the first Senior Warden. He served as Worshipful Master in 1852. Brother Feger died in Sedalia, Mo., December 30, 1884.
SAMUEL McDONNELL
Samuel McDonnell was born near Springfield, Mass., in September, 1816. He was educated in the public schools of Wil- mington, Del., where he spent most of his boy- hood days. He came to Reading shortly after 1830 and learned the machinist trade at the Reading Railway Shops, where promotions were rapid. In 1854, he was sent to Potts- ville, Pa., as Master Mechanic and Superin- tendent of the Reading R. R. Palo Alto Shops. He served in that capacity until 1865, when he
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entered the wholesale lumber business at Pottsville. He retained that business until his death.
Brother McDonnell was made a Mason in Chandler Lodge on July 7, 1849. He served as Worshipful Master in 1853. He was also a member of DeMolay Commandery No. 9, and served as Eminent Commander in 1862. Brother McDonnell died October I, 1873, as the result of an accident sustained during the exercises dedicating the new Masonic Temple at Broad and Filbert Streets, Philadelphia. He was buried in Mt. Laurel Cemetery, Pottsville.
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