The Brothers who signed the petition for the charter and the Lodge from wence they came are:
Soloman Lodge No. 1; Carl A. Maass, Fred H. Maass and John W. Swicegood.
Washington Lodge No. 5; F.A. Dunning and N.A. Hunt.
Friendship Lodge No. 9; Edward L. Braid, W.T. Hampton, Aaron Mirow and Soloman Mermon.
Orange Lodge No. 14; H.M. Bachelor and Edward C. Cauthen.
Pythagarine Lodge No. 21; Eugene A. Demming, F.B. Krepps and Dr. Edmund W. Simons.
Harmony Lodge No. 22; William M. Sanders.
Shibboleth Lodge No. 28; Edward M. Mixon.
Clinton Lodge No. 60; Monroe Flowers.
Charity Lodge No. 62; George H. Weber.
Walhalla Lodge No. 66; Henry O. Bloomer and William F. Jordan.
Strict Observance Lodge No. 73; Joseph S. Mixon.
Batesburg Lodge No. 138; A. Elliott Rickenbacker.
Olar Lodge No. 268; Robert M. Russell.
There are four Brothers who should have been on the petition; they are Moses Beck, William Tolman Henry, Harry L. Long and Just D. Limehouse. The membership of those Brothers being in jurisdiction of other states who's Masonic Laws do not coincide the South Carolina Laws could not sign the petition, however as soon as the charter was received, Brother Moses Beck, Tolman and Brother Limehouse demitted and came into our young Lodge.
At the tenth regular communication on February 4, 1916, Right Worshipful Brother William W. Wanamaker, Deputy Grand Master, as the proxy for Most Worshipful Brother Robert A. Cooper, Grand Master, constituted the Lodge and assisted by Right Worshipful Brother William G. Mazyck, District Deputy Grand Master as Grand Marshal installed the new officers. Those Brothers were; Brothers George H. Weber, Worshipful Master; W. Fredrick Jordan, Senior Warden; Edward Lindsay, Junior Warden; They being the members of the craft who as warrant officers had signed the petition for the charter. The Lodge then elected Brother's Robert M. Russell as Treasurer and Edmund W. Simons as Secretary. They being installed, Brother's Carl A. Maass was appointed Senior Deacon, William T. Hampton as Junior Deacon, F.B Krepps and J.W. Swicegood as Stewards and Fred H. Maass as Tiler.
The Lodge was now duly chartered and a member of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of South Carolina, Ancient Free Masons. The volume of correspondence necessary for the Lodge to pass from a dream to a reality was over and the labor of Dr. Edmund W. Simons should be kept alive in the memory of this Lodge as long it exists. The coming years brought their hardships and joys, yet through it all, the Lodge has brought changes in the lives of many men. The teaching of Free Masonry have been so deeply impressed in the minds of those who have joined it's ranks that only a few have fallen by the wayside.
From the reference to all the years, it will be seen that there have been both good and bad years. During the years of 1915 through 1925, a good deal of money had been accumulated, the membership had grown and the members thought the time had arrived to purchase it's own building. Under the leadership of Worshipful Master, Brother D.J. McAhany and a competent committee, the building located three doors down from Second Street on the east side of Central Avenue was purchased. The venture was Ill fated from the start, after the building was renovated, the Lodge moved from the third floor of town hall to it's new building on June 26, 1926. Shortly there after the building next door door burned and damaged the Masonic Building to such an extent, that it became necessary to borrow more money to make repairs. The downstairs was rented out, the tenants as a whole were unsatisfactory, but the Lodge continued to make it's annual payments until the depression came in the early 1930's. Business began to slump, men were laid off from their jobs, and the Lodge lost membership.
A bit of our proud history, Page 3
