USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > The history of the Masonic fund society for the county of Allegheny from the year 1847 to 1923; with biographical sketches of deceased members of the Board of trustees By Hiram Schock. > Part 15
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66
513 510
Alexander Shank
Germania
509
Theodore Hartung
Dallas
¥
508
Job Ablett
Pollock
502
Alexander C. Boyd
Pittsburgh
484
Thomas R. Boss
Zeradatha
448
Alexander Martin
Stuckrath
430. Thomas B. Alcorn
McCandless
390
John D. Littell
Davage
374
James Baker
Hailman
321
Presley N. Guthrie
Mckinley
66
318
Edwin S. Craig
Jefferson
288.
Andrew J. Kirschner
Milnor
287
George F. MacDonald
Monongahela
269
William T. English
Washington
253
Samuel A. Steele
Solomon
231
John Eckhardt
Franklin
221
Alfred S. Bishop
St. John's
219
Henry H. Arnold
Lodge 45
45
Harry D. W. English.
W. M.
William Kiefer
Braddock Field
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HISTORY OF THE MASONIC FUND SOCIETY
Continuing his report of the ceremonies, Brother Pol- lock says:
It is estimated that no less than 2,000 brethren were in line. The very fine vocal music rendered by the male members of the Mozart Club, under the direction of their leader, Professor William H. Slack, added greatly to the success of the ceremonies. The articles deposited in the Corner Stone were as follows: The Holy Bible, The Ahimen Rezon, The Plate which was taken from the Corner Stone of the Masonic Building of 1850, which building was destroyed by the fire August 12, 1887, having stamped upon it as follows.
Brother Pollock then gives the inscription on the Plate that was on it when it was placed in the corner stone of the Hall built in 1851. When the plate was placed in the stone September 11, 1888, it bore this additional inscription on the reverse side:
This Plate was taken from the Corner Stone of the Masonic Building Destroyed by Fire August 12th, 1887, A. L. 5887.
A. D. 1888 A. L. 5888
The Corner Stone of this Free Masons Hall Erected by the Masonic Fund Society, was laid on the 11th day of September, in the 112th year of American Independence, by Joseph Eich- baum, Grand Master of Masons for the State of Pennsylvania. Board of Trustees:
Geo. Glass, President
James Hailman, Treasurer
A. M. Pollock, M. D., Secretary
Wm. G. McCandless
Geter C. Shidle George T. Oliver
Charles C. Baer.
Sheply, Rutan & Coolidge, Boston, Mass., Architects.
Charles A. Balf, Builder.
Brother Pollock then makes note in his report that the following articles removed from the old 1850 Corner Stone were placed in that of 1888: One silver dollar, one half dol- lar, one quarter dollar, one five cent piece, one dime and four copper pennies. To these were added the following coins of the issue of the year 1888: One silver dollar, one ten cent piece, one copper cent, one nickel five cent piece. In addition to, articles thus far mentioned, there were deposited in the Corner Stone the following: A badge of the Masonic Veter- ans Association of Pennsylvania, and medals or emblems from all the Masonic bodies meeting in Allegheny county ;
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a copy of the ceremonies of the laying of the corner stone in 1888, and various publications.
Thus amidst the rejoicing of the brethren and with due and solemn ceremonies the Corner Stone was set in place for another Masonic structure in Pittsburgh. The event was appreciatively noted by the R. W. Grand Master Joseph Eichbaum in an address at the annual Grand Communica- tion of the Grand Lodge held December 27, 1888, when he said :
On September 11 I laid the corner stone of Freemasons Hall, on Fifth avenue, Pittsburgh, assisted by the elective Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge and the appointed Grand Officers from the western portion of the jurisdiction. The occasion was one to be remembered. More than two thousand brethren were in the procession, nearly all from Allegheny county, and it is safe to say that nothing has occur- red in Pittsburgh that has elicited such general approval as that ceremonial. The building is now up to the sixth and last story, and has undoubtedly the most handsome frontage of any building in the city.
With the corner stone thus duly put in place, the trus- tees gave all the time they could spare from other neces- sary labors and duties to hastening the completion of the new edifice. In fact, the records of their meetings through- out the remainder of the year 1888 contain little else than references to the numerous and exacting details consequent upon the construction of the Hall. On December 27 the stockholders met as usual to elect trustees for the next year, and not having in those days any regular place in which to get together, they convened this time in the of- fice of the City Fire Marshal then at No. 100 Fourth ave- nue. They reelected the entire Board and the Board again chose Brother Glass for President, Herdman for Treasurer and Pollock for Secretary. By January, 1889, it was seen that the building would be completed within the required time, and it was, in consequence, decided not to extend the lease of the rooms in the Renshaw building. The Trustees then took up the question of rentals for their new structure, and at a meeting held February 5 the following rents were agreed upon for the occupancy of lodge rooms in the Hall by Masonic Bodies: The rent to be paid by Blue Lodges was, each, $300 per year, with special meetings at $15;
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Chapters, each, $300, special meetings $20; Council $200; Commanderies, $600; Consistory, $1,800.
Very few references are made in the minutes at this period of the disposal of bonds. But that was a matter causing no concern to the Trustees. They sold them as they needed the money, as is indicated by the brief mention in the minutes of a meeting on February 5, to the effect that "the bonds in the hands of the secretary be sold to the Dollar Savings Bank, at par, from time to time, as required to meet the indebtedness of the Society." By the middle of April, 1889, the fine structure was practically completed and the subject of dedication began to be considered. At a meet- ing on May 7 the date of June 24, 1889, was selected as the day upon which the new Hall should be formally dedicated, and the secretary of the Board of Trustees was instructed to invite the R. W. Grand Master, Brother Clifford P. MacCalla, to officiate.
In the meantime, that venerable Masonic Body, Lodge 45 of Pittsburgh, mindful of what was due to its dignity as the most ancient Blue Lodge in Western Pennsylvania, sent to the Trustees a request that their Lodge be granted "the high honor and privilege of holding the first meeting in the Masonic Hall, Fifth avenue, now nearing completion." The Board took up the request at a meeting held March 5, grant- ed the prayer of the Lodge, and named Brothers Glass, Shidle, Oliver and Baer as a special committee to attend to the matter. They sent through Secretary Pollock, a com- munication to Lodge 45, informing them that their request would be granted, but the discouraging information was added that "it is not expected that the Hall will be in con- dition to occupy in April." But Lodge 45 desired to hold their regular April meeting in the new edifice. It was then decided that at least one room, the smallest, should be pre- pared by that date, and it was suggested by the special com- mittee that "as it was fit and proper that 'Old 45' should be the first to occupy the new building," the matter could be arranged if the brethren of Lodge 45 would be satisfied to hold a special meeting for work in the small room on April 3, and thus they would be given "the great honor of hold- ing the first meeting in the new building after its com-
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pletion and dedication June 24th, 1889." Lodge 45 accepted this arrangement, and got up quite a programme for the occasion, their meeting being held in the small room April 3, 1889. There were 93 members present and 191 visitors. They had speeches and songs, and the three degrees were conferred on candidates by Brother Geter C. Shidle, D. D. Grand Master; by Bro. Joseph P. Andrews, P. M. of Lodge 45, and by Brother A. B. Rutledge, W. M. of the same lodge. The Trustees of the Masonic Fund Society were all present and among the other visitors were Brothers Samuel Harper and Lee S. Smith.
In the meantime preparations were being completed for the dedication ceremonies in June. But the pleasant antici- pations of the event were overclouded by the death, prior to the dedication, of two illustrious Pittsburgh Masons, Brother Geter Crosby Shidle, one of the Trustees, and Brother Samuel Harper. The latter died on May 15, 1889, and by his death the community lost a noble citizen and the Masonic fraternity an accomplished, influential and devoted brother. Two weeks later, on June 11, and just two weeks prior to the dedication of the new Hall, came the sad announcement of the demise of that illustrious and beloved pillar of the Craft, Brother Shidle. He had breathed his last at Atlantic City, where he had gone for the benefit of his fast failing health. The demise of this noted Mason was pro- foundly mourned. He had become a member of the Board of Trustees of the Masonic Fund Society after the death of his father, James Shidle, and his advice and work in that body had been of inestimable value. He was D. D. G. M. at the time of his death and had long been prominent in the various Masonic bodies. At a meeting of the Trustees June 15 Brothers Oliver and Pollock were named as a committee to draw up memorial resolutions.
The last session of the trustees prior to the day of the dedication was held June 15, but neither in the minutes of that meeting nor in those of any subsequent meeting is to be found one word in reference to the interesting and im- pressive ceremonies which marked the transfer of the elegant structure from the hands of the builders to the control of the Fraternity. Brother Pollock, as secretary of
FREEMASON'S HALL. Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. Corner Stone Placed September 11, 1888.
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the Board of Trustees, left, as we have seen, an admirable and ample description of the ceremonies attendant upon the laying of the Corner Stone of the year before, but of the final dedication he wrote down never a word. Happily the local newspapers were not so reticent, and we can have recourse to their columns for the necessary information. Brother Clifford P. MacCalla had succeeded Brother Joseph Eichbaum as R. W. Grand Master, and he and a large num- ber of Grand Lodge officers came to Pittsburgh to take part in the ceremonies. Hundreds of the fraternity from other places came also. The new Hall, a really splendid structure, attracted great attention, and after the dedication was over thousands of people passed through it, loud in their praises of the imposing exterior and the elegance of the interior of the building. The ceremonies took place at high noon on Monday, June 24, 1889, which was St. John's Day. In its description of the proceedings the Pittsburgh "Post" of date of June 25, 1889, says:
Masonic Temple of Pittsburgh dedicated yesterday typifies the Order. Its structure is all that could be desired by the public, as well as by the Craft. The exterior of the edifice is a thing of beauty. The interior is elaborate in its architectural proportions, its adornments and its adequate adaptations. The dedicatory ceremonies were conducted strictly according to the exalted ritual by Clifford P. MacCalla, Grand Master of Pennsylvania Masons. Strewing the corn, sprinkling the wine and pouring oil over the Hall, he thus de- voted the structure, respectively, first, to Freemasonry; second, to Vir- tue and Science, and third, to Universal Benevolence. The Grand Lodge officers assisting him were, Hon. Richard Vaux, R. W. P. Grand Master; J. Simpson Africa, R. W. D. Grand Master; Michael Nesbit, Grand Secretary; Thomas R. Patton, Grand Treasurer; William A. Sinn, Grand Tyler; Edwin S. Stewart, Grand Marshal; Charles C. Baer, S. G. W .; M. H. Henderson, J. G. W .; Charles W. Batchelor, S. G. D .; James W. Brown, J. G. D .; John D. Kramer, Grand Sword Bearer; W. J. Carson, and Henry H. Arnold, Grand Stewards.
Hon. Richard Vaux, ex-mayor of Philadelphia, R. W. P. G. M., delivered the dedicatory address.
The exterior of this new Hall, with its commanding brown stone front, presents a fine appearance. The interior, which includes com- modious store rooms on the first floor, has six stories. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth stories are exclusively devoted to Masonic purposes. On the third floor, reached by an elevator, is a large re- ception room, with all the adornments the heart of a Mason could desire-the richest brussels carpet, harmonizing in color with the
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antique oak furniture. Passing from this chamber to an ante-room, the main lodge room is entered. This is 40x70 feet, and is resplendent with the finest mouquette carpets, draperies, walnut furniture and glittering chandeliers, and it is surrounded by other adequate ante- rooms. The fourth floor will be furnished with mahogany furniture and other accessories to correspond. On the fifth floor is the banquet hall with a comfortable seating capacity of 350 persons. The sixth floor will be devoted to the Scottish Rite Bodies, the main floor of this sixth story being 40x70 feet, and is also surrounded by galleries. A $5,000 pipe organ will be located here, and it will be of the most per- fect type.
After the dedication ceremonies were over and the crowds of people who thronged the edifice had retired, a pro- ceeding which used up all that was left of the daytime, there was a notable reception held in the evening in the new Hall to the Grand Master and the Grand Officers. The Grand Officers were received with honors, a Grand Lodge was con- stituted, and a notable programme of addresses and music followed. Speaking at this gathering, on behalf of the Trus- tees of the Masonic Fund Society, Brother George T. Oliver, one of the Trustees, called attention to the diligent and effective work of the trustees in erecting the new Hall, and at the conclusion of his address he said:
And now, Worshipful Master, to you and to the brethren here assembled, and to all Masonic Bodies who in time to come may choose it for their place of meeting, I present this house, which has this day been dedicated to the service of our Fraternity.
A brilliant address was delivered by Brother George W. Guthrie, in the course of which he said:
The Masonic brethren residing in the city of Pittsburgh have requested me to congratulate the Masonic Fund Society on the com- pletion of their work, and to extend to them our hearty thanks for the beautiful home which they have provided for us. The deep foundation, massive walls and graceful lines stand before the world as a fit emblem of the permanence, strength and beauty of our Craft. It is with pleasure that the Craft accepts the building so wisely planned and so skilfully executed.
Words of eulogy were also uttered later by the R. W. Grand Master Clifford P. MacCalla at the Grand Communi- cation held December 27, 1889, when he said:
On Saturday, June 22, accompanied by the Grand Officers, I visited Pittsburgh, and on the following Monday, being St. John the Baptist's Day, June 24, at High Twelve, I dedicated the new Free- masons Hall, Pittsburgh, which takes the place of the one destroyed
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by fire August 12, 1887. The ceremonies were deeply impressive, and an able and eloquent oration was delivered by Past Grand Master Richard Vaux. The corner stone of this Hall was laid on September 12, 1888, by Grand Master Eichbaum. It is an ornate edifice, its Ma- sonic appointments are complete and it is a credit to the energy and artistic taste of the Pittsburgh brethren.
Was it by design, or was it only a coincidence, that the Board of Trustees selected Monday, St. John's Day, June 24, 1889, as the date for the dedication of their splendid new Hall ?
If it was only a coincidence, and apparently it was such, it was an extremely interesting and significant one. For on that same day of the week and the same month and on St. John's Day, seventy-eight years before, in the year 1811, the little band of brethren then nobly sustaining the pillars of Masonry in the scattered small town between the Alle- gheny and the Monongahela rivers, dedicated with earnest deportment and solemn ceremonies to high Masonic uses the first property owned by the Masons in Allegheny county. In Pittsburgh on Wood street, exactly fifty feet from Fifth avenue, where now stands an imposing bank structure and where immense throngs of people swirl past each hour of the day, those pioneer brethren of Lodge 45 and of that ancient, but no longer living Ohio Lodge, No. 113, gathered on Monday, June 24, 1811, St. John's Day, and devoted their small building erected on the lot they had purchased, to the uses of the Masonic Craft. And for twenty years that tiny place was known as Masonic Hall.
As expeditiously as possible the various Masonic Bodies within the limits of the city began to hold their meetings in the new edifice. The first users of the Hall were Lodge 45, St. John's Lodge No. 219; Franklin Lodge, No. 221; Solomon Lodge, No. 231; McCandless Lodge, No. 390; Pittsburgh Lodge, No. 484; Dallas Lodge, No. 508; Oakland Lodge, No. 535; Zerubabbel Chapter, No. 162; Duquesne Chapter, No. 193; Shiloh Chapter, No. 257. Mt. Moriah Council; Pitts- burgh Commandery, No. 1; Tancred Commandery, No. 48; Ascalon Commandery, No. 59; the Scottish Rite Bodies and the School of Instruction. The first reunion of the Scottish Rite in the new edifice was held November 19, 20 and 21,
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1889. In the programme of that reunion is the following in- teresting announcement :
From June 16, 1852, to April 1, 1873, the meetings of the Scot- tish Bodies were held in Masonic Hall, Fifth avenue; but the facilities there were so inadequate that in September, 1872, rooms were secured and fitted up in Library Hall building, Penn avenue, where the meet- ings were held from April 1, 1873, to October 1, 1889.
The last meeting in Masonic Hall, Fifth avenue, at which the degrees were conferred was held on November 29, 1872; and now, after a period of seventeen years, we will again meet to confer the degrees in Masonic Hall, (now called Freemasons Hall), Fifth ave- nue, where the Bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Rite were organ- ized and held their first meeting.
This reunion and the place we will assemble will awaken in the minds of the older members, memories which they alone can under- stand and appreciate.
At this time Brother James I. Buchanan, 33º, was Ill. Com. in Chief Penn'a Sov. Gr. Consistory, S. P. R. S .; Brother George W. Guthrie, 33º, was W. M. and P. M. Pitts- burgh Gr. Chapter Rose Croix; Brother Charles C. Baer, 33°, was M. E. Sov. P. G. M. Penn'a Gr. Council Princes of Jeru- salem; and Brother James Kerr, 33º, T. P. G. M. Gourgas Grand Lodge of Perfection.
The first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Ma- sonic Fund Society in the new Freemasons Hall was held August 7, 1889, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and the trus- tees present were Herdman, McCandless, Oliver, Pollock and Baer. If there were any remarks "special to the occasion," no record of them was made in the minutes. Bills were ordered to be paid and details concerning work on the build- ing were attended to. The stockholders held their initial session in the Hall December 2 of the same year, and at this meeting a resolution was adopted to the effect that "the trustees be recommended to fix the rent for special meet- ings of the various Bodies occupying the Hall at $10 per night." This recommendation was accepted by the trustees at a session held the next day. At the annual election for trustees to serve during 1890 Brothers Herdman, Pollock, Baer, McCandless and Oliver were again chosen, and two new trustees came into the Board, Brothers William B. Lupton and James W. Brown, these filling the places of Brother Geter C. Shidle, who had died, and Brother George
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Glass, who was not a candidate for reelection. Brother Brown was a well known and highly esteemed Mason and a member of the firm of Howe, Brown & Co., steel manufac- turers, and had been recently appointed D. D. Grand Master to succeed the late Brother Shidle. He had received the Scottish Rite degrees in 1889, and later became the R. W. Grand Master of Pennsylvania Masons. Brother Lupton was a popular Mason and citizen and prominent in manufactur- ing and business circles as the head of the firm of W. B. Lupton & Co., dealers in cement and roofing materials. He was a member of Milnor Lodge No. 287.
At its organization for the year 1890 the Board of Trustees chose for president Brother McCandless ; for treas- urer, Herdman; for secretary, Pollock. Brothers Lupton and Oliver were named as the Hall Committee, and Brother Thomas Graham was continued as janitor, being therefore the first to have charge of the new Hall. The minutes of the meetings of the Board during 1890 are devoted ex- clusively to matters of routine of no particular historic in- terest. In December the stockholders reelected the entire Board for 1891. In this year, in December, a dividend of four per cent. was announced. The election for trustees in December, 1891, to serve for the next twelve months re- sulted in notable changes in the membership of the Board. Only three of the old trustees were retained, Brothers Herd- man, Pollock and Baer. The new members of the Board chosen were Theodore Havekotte, who was a well known merchant tailor on Liberty avenue and a member of Mc- Candless Lodge, No. 390; Samuel A. Steele, of the firm of Steele & Hall, pavement contractors, and he belonged to Washington Lodge, No. 253; George F. McDonald, engaged in business as a confectioner, and a member of Milnor Lodge, No. 287; and George Heaps, of the firm of George Heaps & Co., grocers, and a member of Pittsburgh Lodge, No. 484. The Board on January 4, 1892 elected as presi- dent, Charles C. Baer; treasurer, James Herdman, and sec- retary, A. M. Pollock. At this meeting, January 4, the first official mention is made in the minutes of the change from the designation of "janitor" to that of "superintendent of the building." Brother Thomas C. Graham had resumed
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in the new Hall his position as janitor of the Hall and tyler of the bodies meeting therein. But with the increase of membership and the heavier duties imposed by proper at- tention to the new structure, the work of tyler and janitor could no longer be attended to by one person. Brother Graham solved the difficulty by resigning as janitor, and continuing as tyler for the Masonic bodies meeting in Free- masons Hall; and at a meeting held by the trustees Janu- ary 12, 1892, the resignation was accepted and Brother Joseph Thompson, an active young member of Dallas Lodge, No. 508, was elected not as janitor, but as "Superintendent of the Building," a position he continues to hold in the great Temple in the Schenley Park district.
In this year, 1892, the Board of Trustees lost another valued and devoted member in the death of Brother Dr. Alexander M. Pollock, who breathed his last at his resi- dence, No. 91 Wylie avenue, Pittsburgh, on June 20 of that year. He had long been in failing health and his last at- tendance at the meeting of his fellow trustees was on Sep- tember 1, 1891. He had served as a trustee of the Masonic Fund Society continuously since the first meeting of the Board in 1854, and during all that long period to the day of his death had filled the office of secretary of the Board. He was a most diligent member and there were few meet- ings he did not attend until failing health kept him away. He was esteemed and loved as a citizen, and as a physician held high rank in the city of Pittsburgh. In the resolutions adopted by the Board of Trustees in memory of his useful services it is well said:
We bear grateful witness to the judgment and courtesy with which he discharged his duties, and to the conscientious fidelity with which, for more than thirty years, he has watched over the interests committed to his care, as an officer of the Masonic Fund Society of Allegheny county.
The Board ended up this year by announcing a four per cent. dividend at a meeting held November 1, and in addition a motion was unanimously agreed to that "the of- ficers of the Board be directed to retire outstanding bonds of the Masonic Fund Society to the amount of $2,000, and a warrant for said amount is hereby ordered." When the
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stockholders met in December they elected as the successor of Dr. Pollock on the Board of Trustees his brother, A. Wenzell Pollock, a member and past master of Lodge 45. At the Board organization for 1893 this new trustee was chosen to fill the office of secretary, which Dr. Pollock had held for thirty years. Brother McCandless was made Presi- dent and Herdman retained as treasurer. The Hall Com- mittee comprised Brothers Oliver, Heaps and Brown.
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