Prepared
by Brother Otto T. Meier on Nov. 8, 1975
Morning Star Lodge No. 30 was issued a charter on October 6,
1845. The amount paid for the charter was $3.00. The lodge met
on Tuesday evenings on or preceding the full moon. The first officers
of the lodge are as follows:
Worshipful Master... Isiah Stillman
Senior Warden... David M. Smith
Junior Warden... Harvey Smith
Treasure... Daniel H. Dewey
Secretary... Nathenial B. Childs
Senior Deacon... G.H. Hickman
Junior Deacon... Samuel Christy
Steward & Tyler... Henry Clark
Brother Stillman was a major and in command of the battalion
of Volunteer Infantry in the Black Hawk War. They were over run
by a horde of indians in the Dixon, Illinois area and were defeated.
Two of his men were killed and quite a number were wounded.
Morning Star operated as No. 30 until July 1875 when dissension
caused its dissolution by having its charter arrested and revoked.
The Grand Lodge sent emissary to investigate and he reported back
to the Grand Lodge that the situation was hopeless, so the lodge
was dissolved.
At the same meeting of the Grand Lodge on July 1875, a petition
for a new lodge was presented and given consideration. A dispensation
was issued without fee to operate under the name of Canton Lodge
Under Dispensation. The principal officers being:
Worshipful Master... C.N. Hinkle
Senior Warden... W.A. Childs
Junoir Warden... A.B. Leman
The committee on lodges under dispensation reported that Canton
Lodge U.D. should be issued a charter as Morning Star Lodge No.
734. This charter was issued October 5, 1875 and it has operated
and prospered ever since.
The first meetings of Morning Star Lodge No. 30 A.F. & A.M.
were held on the third floor of what was known as the Maple Building
at the southeast corner of the square. This was the building that
Fredman Bros. Furniture occupied until it was destroyed by the
tornado on July 23rd. The lodge remained there until 1868 when
it moved to the J.W. Ingersoll Building later known as the Ellis
Building. This is the building occupied by McLuckies on the west
side of the square.
After the revoking of the charter and the issuance of a new charter,
Morning Star Lodge No. 734 moved in 1878 to the third floor of
the Plattenburg Building on the west side of the square. Some
of you may remember that the Houston grocery store occupied the
first floor of the building. While in that location it was necessary
for the members to carry coal up three stories to heat the building
and carry down the ashes. That, my brethren, is dedication!
The lodge remained in this location until a new temple was finished
on the third floor of the Opera House on the east side of the
square. This temple was dedicated in February 1893 only to be
destroyed by fire the following September. I have heard that the
fire was caused by a live coal popping out of the fireplace. Undaunted
by the disaster, the temple was immediately restored and refurbished
with draperies that had been exhibited in the French section of
the Worlds Fair held in Chicago that year. The furniture was purchased
from the Masonic Lodge which operated at the Worlds Fair. This
furniture is a prize possession of our present lodge.
Morning Star Lodge has had an eventful history.
Many memories of the past may be recalled. It may be mentioned
that a member of Morning Star Lodge owed his escape from Andersonville
prison during the Civil War to the fact that he was a Master Mason.
We are now situated on North Main Street in new quarters, beautifully
appointed. This building was dedicated by Most Worshipful Past
Grand Master, William Mason on July 7, 1968 when he was Most
Worshipful Grand Master.
From the official program of Canton's centennial celebration
held on August 27, 28, 29, 1925 we find that a Union Hall was
dedicated November 18, 1867. It was the Union Block on the east
side of the square. The dedication of this hall, according to
papers was "The crowning event of the season". At
the opening Rev. Marx Moses, of Peoria, gave a lecture on the
"Ideals of Masonry".
At on time this lodge had six living Grand Lectures. They were
as follows: Brethren Joseph Stickler, Jasper Anderson, Donald
Mason, Otto Meier, Clark Emery and Jack Brodsky. It saddens
me to think that all except myself have been called to the Grand
Lodge above.
The historical portion of this presentation regarding the issuance
of the charters, etc., were taken from the Grand Lodge proceedings,
other parts from an August 1925 edition of the Canton Daily
Ledger, and still other parts from the memory of the writer.
November 8, 1975
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