According to the Grand Secretary’s annual report of 1871 there was a special dispensation, dated July 22, 1871, granted by The Most Worshipful Grand Master of Kansas allowing members in Edgerton, Johnson County, Kansas to act as Palestine lodge U.D.
The Grand Lodge of Kansas issued an official Charter to Palestine Lodge No. 127 dated October 17, 1872 and in the year of Masonry Five Thousand Eight hundred and Seventy Two. After receiving an official Charter there was then held an installation which resulted in the choice of the following officers: W. Makeany – Worshipful Master, J. Starr – Senior Warden, Robert Wolfley – Junior Warden, N. Tilton – Treasurer, and J. Watkins – Secretary
Palestine Lodge held meetings in several different locations since their formation. The First lodge location for Palestine Lodge is known to have been a small two story wood building located just south across the street from the latest location. This structure has since been removed from the site. The second location is said to have been one half mile west of Edgerton and just north of 50 Highway. That was also a two story building which prior to the lodges use had served as a tavern which catered to the old Sante Fe Trail in the early days. There was only one point noted in the minutes of 1875 that Palestine lodge was moved to Wellsville under much protest from surrounding lodges. The meetings continued here until December 1880 when the lodge did make a move back to Edgerton to a location described as one block west of the latest site, to a building that was serving as Scott’s Hall. According to records, the final lodge building was originally occupied in 1905.
More to come…