On February 22, 1821, representatives of several lodges met to discuss the organization of a Grand Lodge for Missouri. On April 23, 1821, they again convened and adopted a constitution and By-Laws and elected Bro. Riddick as Grand Master. Many St. Louisiana are familiar with the dramatic story of Bro. Riddick’s long and dangerous ride ton horseback in the dead of winter to plead with congress to deed unallocated parcels of land in St. Louis for public school sites.
The first regular communication of the new Missouri Grand Lodge was held on October 1, 1821, at which session four lodges were represented, among them Hiram Lodge No. 3 of St. Charles, Missouri, whose number we acquired twenty-seven years later. This lodge surrendered its Charter in 1826, just five years after the formation of the Grand Lodge, and its number three, for some reason of fate, seems to be firmly interwoven with the history of Beacon Lodge. We initiated, for instance, three candidates for the degrees during the first year of activity as a lodge. The lodge has meet at several different places during its existence: first, at the Southwest corner of Broadway and Monroe Street from 1848 to 1869: second, at Union Hall, at Broadway and Benton Street from 1869 to 1914: third, at Mount Moriah Temple from 1914 to 1979: fourth at Olive Branch Lodge which met at the Odd Fellows Hall on Lindell from 1964 to 1979: and fifth at Beacon Lodge our present home since 1979.
During the summer and early fall of 1848, a small group of Freemasons conceived the idea of starting a lodge. Most of these brethren resided in the vicinity of our first, or proposed, meeting place on North Broadway near Monroe Street, and they were successful in arranging for the rent of a hall or lodge room on the third floor of the building at that location.
This old brick structure, long ago abandoned by our lodge and other organizations as a meeting place, was razed in 1948. Being assured of a place to hold lodge, they promptly petitioned the Grand Lodge for the right to constitute themselves into a regular Masonic lodge of Free and Accepted Masons to be opened in the city of St. Louis, and to be known by the name of “Beacon Lodge.” There were eleven brethren in this group, our Charter Members, and their names were as follows: William H. Merritt, Erastus Wells, Henry Holmes, E. A. Hughes, Hugh P. Sexton, Isaac Wickerham, J. J. Holliday, Thomas V. Nuchols, Wm. H. Remington, and John Scott. No records are available to us to show the names of the various lodges to which they belonged.
In due time, they received a dispensation from the Grand Lodge, under the date of October 14, 1848, authorizing them to proceed; and on the evening of October 25, 1848, they met for the purpose of opening Beacon Lodge. The lodge was called to order by then district Deputy Grand Master, and duly opened in legal and ancient form. Bro. Hugh P. Sexton, who had been selected to serve as our first Worshipful Master, then took over and the lodge proceeded to the business of the evening. They continued to meet under dispensation until the Grand Lodge meeting in the following Spring when their work was approved and they were given a Charter and assigned the number three. Our Charter bears the date may 10, 1849. Our first corps of Officers were: Hugh P. Sexton, Worshipful Master; J. J. Holliday, Senior Warden; Jesse Holmes, Junior Warden; Erastus Wells, Treasurer; henry Holmes, Secretary; William H. Remington, Senior Deacon; and William H. Merritt, Junior Deacon. We have no record of who served as Stewards, Chaplain, and Tiler, at this meeting.
To Be Continued Next Month