In the spring of 1910, the four city Lodges (Terre Haute Lodge No. 19, Social Lodge No. 86, Humboldt Lodge No. 42, and the now defunct Euclid Lodge No. 573) and the three bodies of the Terre Haute York Rite formed committees to investigate the possibility of establishing a single home. Each body selected one representative to serve on a joint committee to discuss the plan. While most of the membership was amicable to the committee and its ideas, it did meet with opposition. Several members of Terre Haute Lodge No. 19 called for their own Temple, and gained enough support to investigate the purchase of their own property. On May 28, Lodge No. 19 purchased lot number 44 in Rose’s Addition at the southwest corner of 9th Street and Ohio Boulevard from A. M. Higgins for $20,625.00. Opinions changed and the Lodge would eventually transfer this property to the Temple Association as a portion of its main investment and subscription.
The joint committee met and moved forward with their efforts, eventually drafting by-laws. The Terre Haute Masonic Temple Association was formally organized on August 29, 1911 and was incorporated on October 11, 1911 with the following members: John G. Heinl, Conrad J. Herber, Walter C. Clark, William Retz, John S. Jordan, J. N. Hickman, and W. H. Hamilton. John Heinl was elected as the first President, John Jordan the first Vice-President, and Walter C. Clark the first Secretary. These men began the process of contacting and visiting several other Masonic Temples in the Midwest for guidance, information, and ideas.
The new Temple Association began considering real estate as early as February 1912 with various downtown lots presented for consideration. On August 13, 1912, the Association’s offer to purchase two lots in the 200 block of North 8th Street was accepted. These lots, #115 (once the site of the home of Sen. Daniel Voorhees) and #116 were owned by William W. Parsons and Joseph G. Elder, respectively, and were purchased jointly for $19,500.00.
With new property in hand, the Association began planning a Program of Competition for architectural designs. Although fairly open, the program did contain several stipulations. Initially limiting the competing architects to members of the Masonic Fraternity, the Program called for a building with no commercial space, three stories, a basement, a third floor expressly designed for the York Rite bodies, and a cost limited to approximately $90,000.00. Further, the Association required that the new Temple be strictly fire proof. The City had previously suffered several devastating fires (notably the Havens and Geddes Department Store on December 19, 1898, the Naylor Opera House on July 21, 1896, and Indiana Normal on April 8, 1888). In addition to the Opera House fire that had destroyed the records and paraphernalia of Social Lodge No. 86, the other bodies had narrowly escaped loss in two fires at the McKeen building at Seventh Street and Wabash Ave. The membership was understandably nervous.
The competition remained open until August 25, 1913, when the first designs were received and reviewed. All were rejected and the program was extended. Several architects altered their original designs and resubmitted plans. Proposals from nine firms were reviewed in November 1913, and the Temple Association began the selection process. The field was narrowed, and on January 8, 1914, the plans of architect and Brother Archie Henry Hubbard of Champaign, Illinois, were selected on the second ballot. His design called for a fire-proof, four-story building in the Neo-Classical Revival style. The approved design called for no structural wood, but rather that the building should have concrete foundations, reinforced concrete floors and roof, clay tile and hollow brick partitions, and steel columns and girders. All electrical wiring would run through steel conduit. The building would be faced in gray matte brick and Bedford stone. Clear stained red oak was to comprise interior trim and doors, and white oak floors would accent the public floor. All moldings would be either plaster or papier-mâché.
The Association worked with Brother Hubbard through June of 1914, suggesting alterations and finalizing the design. Work progressed slowly for the next year while the membership raised funds, which was done through a capital campaign that assessed each member of the several Masonic bodies a subscription of $25.00. This would add to the funds contributed by the share-holding bodies’ purchase of stock and proceeds from the sale of the property at 9th and Ohio.
Any remaining deficit would be made up by loans held by the Association. In September 1915, the Terre Haute Masonic Temple Association announced that it would receive bids for the building’s general contractor. On October 27, 1915, they hired Almond Winfield Scott “A.W.” Stoolman, a Mason also of Champaign, Ill., from a field of six bidders. Contracts and plans were finalized on November 4, and Fred J. Maurer of Terre Haute was brought on as the architect’s representative and building superintendent. Ground-breaking ceremonies were held at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 27, 1915, with George Ewing Farrington turning the first sod.
Construction began in earnest in early 1916. The cornerstone was laid by the Grand Lodge of Indiana on Thursday, May 25, 1916 at 3:00 p.m., under the direction of Elba F. Branigin (then Deputy Grand Master). Letters refer to it being a very “hot day,” for on what should have been a happy occasion, attention turned away from the festivities when the nearby Centenary M. E. Church was engulfed in fire.
Progress on the Temple continued with plans for its completion by January 1, 1917. A strike at one of the brick and tile plants supplying materials threatened to delay the project for as much as six weeks. To avoid that delay, the plans were altered to substitute gypsum tile for clay, and the construction continued. Carpets were ordered from Kleeman’s Dry Goods and draperies from The Root Store, both of Terre Haute. Additional furniture was purchased from the Henderson Ames Co. of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Light fixtures were ordered from Caldwell Company of Champaign, Illinois, and the interior wall and ceiling fresco decoration was completed by Williams Brothers Co., also of Champaign. Ultimately, the building was completed for a cost of approximately $140,000 divided thus: $20k for property and taxes; $100k for construction; and $20k for decorating and furnishing. ($140K is approx. $3 million in 2017.)
Minor delays did extend the project, and the Terre Haute Masonic Temple Association finally received the completed building from the contractor on June 15, 1917. While the finishing touches were added, they held their very first meeting in the building on June 26 and scheduled the dedication ceremonies for July 9, 1917.
The festivities were scheduled to last for an entire week, beginning with the formal dedication by the Grand Lodge of Indiana on Monday, July 9. On that day, the officers of the Grand Lodge convened at 1:30 p.m. at the Hotel Deming. From there, the members of the Craft from the Terre Haute Masonic bodies, neighboring lodges, and the public assembled at the Vigo County Courthouse, formed in procession, and marched down Wabash Avenue. Accounts vary, but several newspapers reported a crowd of nearly 2,200 participating in the procession, “which set a new record in Masonic circles.” At 3:30 pm, Grand Master Elba Branigin and the Grand Lodge formally dedicated the building according the customs of the Fraternity, followed by an oration by Charles N. Mikels, PGM, entitled “The Accomplishment of a Great Purpose.” A reception was held that evening, and the building was opened to members and their families for inspection. The remainder of the week saw the conferral of degrees by the various bodies, with Terre Haute Lodge No. 19 afforded the honor of being first and conferring the degree of Master Mason on Tuesday evening.
After the dedication ceremonies on July 9, 1917, the Masonic bodies of the city of Terre Haute finally and permanently moved into a home of their own. Since its completion, a total of 16 Masonic and appendant organizations have called this building home:
Terre Haute Lodge No. 19, F. & A.M.
Humboldt Lodge No. 42, F. & A.M.
Social Lodge No. 86, F. & A.M.
† Euclid Lodge No. 573, F. & A.M.
Terre Haute Chapter No. 11, R.A.M.
Terre Haute Council No. 8, R.& S.M.
Terre Haute Commandery No. 16, K.T.
Banks of the Wabash College No. 72, York Rite Sovereign College of North America
Edward C. Etchison Council No. 326, Allied Masonic Degrees
Terre Haute Preceptory No. VI, Yeomen of York
Terre Haute Chapter No. 43, Order of the Eastern Star
† Galilee Shrine No. 7, White Shrine of Jerusalem
Terre Haute Court No. 25, Order of Amaranth
Terre Haute Bethel No. 2, International Order of Job’s Daughters
† Wm. H. Baugh Chapter, Order of DeMolay (Originally Geo. E. Farrington Chapter)
† Terre Haute High Twelve Club No. 107
The following affiliated organizations have also called the Temple home:
Vigo County Association of Actual Past Masters
OES District #8 Association
† Indiana Normal School Student Masons Club
† Areme Social Committee (OES)
† Electa Club (OES)
† Sarah K. Davis Circle (OES)
† Terre Haute Chapter Past Matrons and Patrons Association
† Western Indiana Royal Arch Chapter Association
† Terre Haute Past Commanders’ Association
† Ladies Auxiliary to Terre Haute Commandery #16
† Bethel No. 2 Mothers’ Club
† Wm. H. Baugh Demolay Mothers’ Club
† Masonic Relief & Service Bureau of Terre Haute
† - These bodies are now defunct.
In addition to the listed Masonic bodies and affiliated organizations, the Temple has hosted other Masonic meetings and functions. Over the years, several annual meetings of the various grand bodies have been held in the building. Until the completion of their building in 1926, Zorah Shrine often rented the basement Banquet Hall. The Kerman Grotto was also a frequent renter in their early days. When a new lodge was being formed in the northern Terre Haute neighborhood of Twelve Points, the first organizational meeting was held in the Temple in 1926. Even after that lodge was chartered as William Penn Lodge No. 727, the membership frequently rented the dining facilities until they built a suitable hall of their own.
Other organizations have been afforded temporary meeting space in this beautiful structure. From 1922 until the completion of their building on Cherry Street in 1925, the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce met in the Temple’s Ballroom. The Temple’s banquet hall was offered to the Indiana Normal School’s “Student Army Training Corps” as a mess hall during the First World War. During World War II, the Association granted permission to the Red Cross First Aid Society to hold their meetings here. In recent years, the Temple Association has been developing a proper business plan to rent the Ballroom and banquet facilities to interested groups and individuals as a fitting location to host their functions. The building has hosted meetings of the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and art exhibitions by the River City Arts Association. Since 2016, the Temple has hosted the Terre Foods Cooperative Market Annual Blueberry Festival on our spacious south lawn.
One of the properties considered by the Temple Association in 1912 was that of Mr. Anton Prox at #230 North 8th Street or Lot # 114 in Rose’s Addition. This corner lot was originally deemed too expensive and unfit for the needs of the Masonic bodies and the Association did not pursue it. Since its original offering, the property came on the market several times. In 1937, Mrs. Prox approached the Association and offered to sell the property to them for $20,000.00. Negotiations would continue until September 10, 1939, when, with the approval of the bodies, the Association purchased the lot for $10,500.00. The property included a large, two-story house and additional improvements, which the Association originally planned to lease for income. Finding the property in need of too many repairs, the buildings were demolished and the property cleared in June, 1941 (although not before the boys of the DeMolay Chapter made good use of the tennis court).
Directly south of the Temple stood #204 North 8th Street, the home of the Association’s first President, John G. Heinl, and his wife Mary (née Debs). Brother Heinl was a respected botanist, florist, and businessman in Terre Haute, owning several greenhouses and shops. After his death in 1920 and that of his wife in 1936, the home at the northwest corner of 8th and Mulberry (now Larry Bird Avenue) passed to their son. When the property was listed for sale in 1946, the Temple Association began negotiations. With the approval of the bodies, Lot #117 in Rose’s Addition was paid for in full by the Association on July 10, 1947, in the amount $15,480.73. One of Terre Haute’s most legendary characters was a resident of the Heinl property and a neighbor of the Temple. For years, a small bulldog with green eyes guarded the Heinl family from the home’s front porch. Eventually, the concrete canine, known as “Stiffy Green,” would guard the family from their mausoleum in Highland Lawn Cemetery before going on display at the Vigo Co. Historical Society.
The Terre Haute Masonic Temple has seen a few changes over the last century. After the several bodies had fully moved into the building, the Association set about establishing a set of house rules. These rules saw the most changes, as time and experience lead to amendments. Incidents involving unattended children resulted in the Association requesting that children not accompany their parents to meetings in 1919. Rules were proposed to prohibit dancing in the ballroom while other organizations were at labor upstairs. Additionally, funerals held in the Temple would take precedence over any other function on the main floor, and bodies were admonished to conduct their meetings accordingly while remains were in the building. Violations of these house rules were, at times, severe. As a result of noncompliance, the Association ordered that the Areme Social Committee, the Demolay Chapter, Job’s Daughter’s Bethel, and White Shrine find new meeting locations in January 1928.
This order was rescinded a few weeks later. The appearance and contents of the building have also changed in a few cases. Poor ventilation and years of coal dust had taken its toll on the plaster walls. In 1952, the Association voted to begin a Temple-wide redecoration program. Cracks in the plaster were repaired, and the damaged fresco finishes and stencils were painted over. By 1955, most of the interior had been redecorated. It was in that same year that the Association voted to create an exterior entrance to the basement Banquet Hall and excavate to create a storage room beneath the portico. Windows were replaced and changes were eventually made to the heating plant and ventilation system and the original boiler was replaced by a new Prox boiler in 1957.
Additional remodeling occurred in the 1960s, with new paint and furniture. The north lawn was converted into a parking lot in 1972, and the interior walls were refinished again during the mid-1980s. Exterior vents were sealed and several carpets were replaced in the intervening years. The bench seats in the Lodge rooms were replaced with theater-style seating and original light fixtures were replaced with florescent fixtures and ceiling fans.
In 1994, when many other historic buildings in the city were being razed, the Association began the process of having the Temple listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The application was submitted in May 1995, and the building was formally added to the register on June 9 of that year.
Of the original seven share-holding bodies, only six remain. Euclid Lodge No. 573 merged into Terre Haute Lodge No. 19 on November 18, 2005. Galilee White Shrine No. 7, the DeMolay chapter, and several other social groups are now defunct. Although membership in the several bodies has dwindled in the last few decades, the building still remains. Through the efforts of the Association and several dedicated members, the Temple is being lovingly repaired and renewed. Beginning in 2006, several members began a long-term building restoration project. Rooms on the third floor have been restored to use. Efforts are underway to repair and restore the plaster walls in other parts of the building. Old photographs have been located and scanned to investigate the possibility of restoring the original stencil work. New light fixtures, reminiscent of the originals, have replaced the florescent fixtures added in previous remodels. Furniture has been upgraded, and several antique pieces have been purchased to complement existing sets.
In the last 100 years, many members and their families have passed through the doors of the Temple. Today’s members work side-by-side with some who have labored here for half of the building’s existence or more. Through their efforts, the Terre Haute Masonic Temple can continue providing a permanent home to the city’s Masonic bodies for another century and beyond.
