The first meeting under the dispensation of the Grand Lodge
of Illinois was held on September 20, 1849 in the red brick home
of S. N. Eastman, which at that time was the Congregational
Church parsonage, was recently the home of Ray Olmstead, and was
located on the North West Corner of Harrison and Second Streets (now 5648 Harrison).
Pictures of 1st meeting place.
While under dispensation, S. P. Thompson and C. S. Bradley
were initiated, passed and raised. These new members, with the
appointed officers, became the charter members of the lodge.
At the meeting of October 10, 1849, the following officers
were elected and installed by brothers N. Hotchkiss, Deputy Grand
Master, Thomas Glover, acting Deputy Grand Master, Ramsey Hatch,
acting Grand Senior Deacon and Master of Rockton lodge #74, and
H. A. Davidson, acting Grand Junior Deacon:
|
 Dr. Alfred
E. Ames |
Worshipfull Master |
|
 N. Howland |
Senior Warden |
|
J. G. Prentice |
Junior Warden |
|
S. B. Bradley |
Treasurer |
|
C. W. Thompson |
Secretary |
|
Freman Fyler |
Senior Deacon |
|
Lewis Sexton |
Junior Deacon |
|
S. N. Eastman |
Senior Steward |
|
J. B. Bartholomew |
Junior Steward |
|
Orab Parker |
Tyler |
These men, by being duly elected and installed, became the first
official officers of the new lodge and were presented with the
three candlesticks (burning tapers) and the three gavels by
brother N. Hotchkiss, installing officer.
The first appointed and first elected Worshipful Master, Dr. Alfred E. Ames, was
later the first Most Worshipful Grand Master of the state of
Minnesota.
Bylaws which addressed meeting dates and times were adopted
according to the conditions of the times and read as follows:
"The lodge shall meet on Tuesdays next preceding the full moon
unless the moon is full on Tuesday then that shall be considered
the day of the meeting except in June and December, in which
months the stated meeting of the lodge shall be on the festival
days of St. John the Evangelist and St. John the Baptist. The
hours of meeting shall be 6 o'clock P.M. from the first of
October to the first of April and at 7 o'clock P.M. during the
remainder of the year."
Fees: For each degree $5.00
Admission to membership $1.00
Quarterly dues 25
cents
| Attendance : |
Any member Who shall absence him self from the lodge for six
months at the option of the lodge, be considered as having
withdrawn, unless caused by sickness or absence from his usual
place of residence. |
The 60th anniversary on December 1, 1909 was an eventful affair
with ceremonies dedicating the new Masonic Hall with Brother C.
A. Ransom as Worshipful Master. Roscoe Lodge #75 at this time had
the largest membership of any lodge in Winnebago County outside
the city of Rockford.
The 75th anniversary was held in the lodge rooms on December 10,
1924, under the direction of brother Harry Evans, Worshipful
Master.
In preperation for the event the building was re-decorated, new
furniture secured, electric signs hung, and a double heating
system installed. The lodge was in a very prosperous condition
having the largest membership of any lodge in the county outside
of Rockford.
The ceremonies were opened at 1:00 PM when the Master Mason
degree was confered on three candidates in the lodge hall, the
work being jointly confered by present and past officers of the
lodge.
The canadidates were Jacob Speilman and Henry Edwards, of Roscoe,
and Sylvester Ray, of Harlem. Lynn C. Treadwell, past master, of
E. F. W. Ellis lodge No. 633, was in the east during the raising
of the first candidaate, George Taft, a past master at Roscoe,
confered the work in the second, while Harry G. Evans, the master
at the time officiated during the exemplification on the final
candidate.
Grand Lodge Represented
The work was supervised by J. R. Balliet, Right Worshipful
District Deputy Grand Master, Belvidere, who complimented the
officers at the close of the session on the impressive manner in
which the ritual had been performed.
Lodge members representing practically every organization in the
northern part of the state were joined by their wives at the
banquet served in the evening at the Methodest church parlors.
The banquet was served by members of the Ladies' Aid Society, who
are members of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Joseph Gsell was chairman
of the banquet committee, which was highly complimented on the
capable manner in which the vast throng was served.
Banquet Gala Event.
The banquet was perhaps the most gala event of its kind ever
staged in Roscoe. Former Residents thronged the parlors of the
church. It was in the nature of a home-coming celebration, and
proved most enjoyable to every one in attendance.
Musical numbers were provided during the banquet by members of
the Harlem Consolidated school orchestra under the direction of
Irvin Pearson. This 10 piece organization formed but a few months
previously, had gained an enviable reputation and was much in
demand at social gatherings in the area at the time.
The personel included Mrs. Pearson, Miss Lisle Conklin, Miss
Frances Brown and Robert Miller as viollnists; Francis Swanson,
cornet, Irvin Pearson, clarinet and director, the Misses Elaine
and Enid Andrews, as Saxaphonists; Miss Dorothy Stegman, Pianist
and Master Ralph Hall, at the traps.
Beloit Quartet on Program.
Miss Stegman, at the piano, also proved unusually capable as
accompaniest. The Misses Andrew, appearing in the Saxophone duet,
won merited applause. The orchestra was well balanced and the
themes presented, some of them extremely difficult, were
interpreted with the skill of a veteran organization.
Master Frederick Haye, soloist at the Emmanuel Episcopal church,
Rockford, and a student at the school, accompanied the orchestra
and favored with three vocal selections. The Fairbanks-Morse
Masonic quartet, Beloit Wisconson, composed of Messrs. David
McCulloch, Lehand Foreman, LeGrande Warner and Le Grand Brannon,
was heartily applauded after its numbers.
Former Pastor Speaker.
Mrs. Ezra Greenslit, Rockford reader, exercised all her usual
charm and ability in the presentation of a group of
numbers.
The Rev. John DeLong, pastor at Barrington and a former pastor
at Roscoe, gave the principal address of the evening. He cited
masonry as one of the greatest infulences for good in the
world.
"Like the Democratic Party, it is full of mystery," said the
speaker. "And", he added, "like the Republican organization, it
is full of good."
The pastor expressed a regret that he had not affiliated with the
organization years before so that he might have benefited by the
influence that the order has in store.
Roscoe lodge, the speaker asserted, was proof in itself of the
wide influence of masonry which, he explained was not confined to
fraturnal circles alone.
As a mark of respect for the able manner in which the diamond
jubilee program had been arranged and presented, members of the
lodge have re-elected the present officers who planned the
celebration. These include:
- Ernest Wilson, Secretary.
Earnest Wilson, Secretary of the local lodge, had served the
order faithfully in that capacity for the past 21 years.
Over 200 members and their wives and families totaling more than
400 people were served at a Dinner which was served by the Junior
Warden and Stewards.
The last meeting held in the building, which was dedicated in
1909, was on November 9, 1926 when a Motion was made and carried
to increase the amount of insurance on the building.
 
At about 4:00 A.M. the following morning the building caught fire
and burned to the ground and because of a lack of fire fighting
equipment two nearby homes and a store also burned down
completely.
Mrs. Lenore Warner, wife of Worshipful Brother Elmer F. Warner
and mother of this Webmaster, remembered her sister being
informed of the fire and making the statement "When it gets to
Harry Hardy's wake me up". They lived next to Mr. Hardy, and he,
just down the street one house from the fire.
The plight of the Lodge without a home was quickly recognized
by the brothers of our sister lodge, Rockton Lodge #74, which was
chartered earlier the same year. Upon their invitation all
meetings with work were held in their lodge rooms and business
meetings without work were held in the Roscoe Methodist
Church.
Photos of church.
 The corner stone for
the new building
See close up.  and the
present home of Roscoe Lodge #75 was laid in the spring of 1927
with proper ceremonies. Dedication services were held in the
Masonic Temple on Dec. 10, 1927, with an overflow attendance for
our much enlarged capacity. Many Grand Lodge officers were
present and participated in the program. Among them was Most
Worshipful Grand Master Louis L. Emerson, ex-governor of the
state of Illinois, also Right Worshipful District Deputy Grand
Master Karl J. Mohr, who later as a Past Grand Master and Grand
Councellor of the state of Illinois also participated in the
Centennial program in 1949.
At this time the building committee consisted of four past
masters-- F. F. Moore, Geo. M. Taft, W. S. Richardson, H. G.
Evans -- and the three principal officers -- John A. Greenlee,
Worshipful Master, Fred Schoonmaker, Senior Warden, and P. W.
Vincent, Junior Warden; of which 22 years later at the time of
the centennial program three were still living. This committee
was not to be released until the building was free of
indebtedness.
At the time of the Centennial, (November 5, 1949) the
membership consisted of 123 in good standing, with 46 Past
Masters 12 of whom were living and many of whom were present at
the Centennial, and the following officers:
|
Robert S. Moore |
Worshipfull Master |
|
John A. Berg |
Senior Warden |
|
Harry Schoonover |
Junior Warden |
|
W.B. Harry G. Evans |
Treasurer |
|
W.B. John A. Greenlee |
Secretary |
|
Robert C. Hubbard |
Chaplain |
|
Arnold Bunting |
Senior Deacon |
|
Earl Stauffer |
Junior Deacon |
|
Marvin Barnes |
Senior Steward |
|
James Fulton |
Junior Steward |
|
W. B. Elmer Warner |
Marshall |
|
David Crockett |
Tyler |
This website does not speak for the
Grand Lodge of Illinois or Freemasonry in general
150th
Anniversary celebration!
In September of 1999 Roscoe Lodge #75 together with Rockton
Lodge celebrated our 150th Anniversary at Hononegah High school
in Rockton with a Dinner at 6:00 PM and a re-dedication of both
lodges with Brother J. Garrie Burr Most Worshipful Grand Master
of the State of Illinois officiating.
9 - 11 -
2001
Roscoe Lodge #75
HOLDS FIRST MEETING AFTER MERGER
Yes,
on this day which will live in infamy, Roscoe lodge # 75 A. F.
& A. M. under dispensation of the Grand Master of the state
of Illinois held its first meeting of the combined Rockton
#74/Roscoe #75 Lodge in the lodge hall of Rockton Lodge #74.
Prior to the meeting a buffet lunch was enjoyed by all and a nice
memorial cake was served. The celebration was muted by the facts
of the day and the loss of Rockton Lodge. Lodge was opened at the
usual time of 7:30 by the officers of Roscoe lodge #75 on the
third degree for business. After the usual order of busness lodge
was closed, and the members and guests either went home or
retired to the dining room to partake of some more cake and clean
up. Some of us I feel were somewhat reluctant to go home as this
was the last masonic meeting to be held in this building. The end
of an Era in more ways than one.
Wednesday,
May 8th 2002 --
The
non -Masonic related furnishings of Rockton Lodge #74 were
auctioned to the public.
ROCKTON LODGE'S LAST
BUILDING
Back to Roscoe Lodge Index
page
Back to Roscoe Lodge History
Merger
©David Warner, 2000 Back to Index
page
HOW TO JOIN THE FREEMASONS
Freemasons have traditionally never recruted members, prefering
to let the canidates come to them with a request to join, and
that is about all that is necessary. If a man believes in God or
a Supreme Being and is "of good report" all that he need do is
find someone he knows who is a member and ask him for a petition,
then fill it out and hand it in with the required fee and before
he knows it he is a member of the oldest and most far-flung
fraturnity in the world.
How do I find someone who is a Freemason? Look for this symbol on
his car, or on a ring on his finger. 
Or any of the following symbols, they are emblems of Dependant
bodies, in other words one must first be a Mason or closely
related to one in order to join these.
If all else fails call our Lodge at (815) 623-7575 and leave a
message on our machine. Someone will get in touch with you.
Or E-mail the Webmaster David F. Warner
This website does not speak for the Grand Lodge of
Illinois or Freemasonry in general
©David Warner, 2000
Calender of Events
©David Warner, 2003
This website does not speak for the Grand Lodge of
Illinois or Freemasonry in general
|
