CRETE LODGE NO. 763
The committee on Lodges U.D., made the following report which was adopted. Your committee are satisfied from the returns that this lodge can obtain an abundance of good material, and will do work in the future which willcompare favorably with that of any in this jurisdiction,and they recommend that a charter be granted as Crete Lodge No. 763. Brethren, when our charter was received and the Lodge Instituted, I verily believe we were the happiest and most enthusiastic small body of masons in the world. William H. Nevens
The Masons are one of the oldest and largest fraternal organizations. The Masons began at the time when men,known as stonemasons, built cathedrals, abbeys and castles. The stone masons organized as a society of friends and brotherhood which were known as Ancient Free Masons. After great edifices were no longer being built and the men held other occupations, they accepted non-stonemason members as Accepted Masons. The two principal tools. used by the stonemasons, were the Square and Compass which together form the most familiar Masonic trademark in the world today. The letter G in the very center of this emblem reflects the true Masonic belief that God is the very center of ALL life. Found on the Internet about Masons: Twenty-two words describe the most important prerequisite to becoming a Mason,We receive none knowingly, into our ranks who are not moral and upright before God and of good repute before the world. The Masons and their appendant bodies are charitable organizations; their works nationally benefit the professions of nurses, doctors and dentists for the handicapped. They work with learning centers and those with dyslexia, a disturbance of the ability to read. The Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children and Burn Centers are world renown. The History of Crete Lodge #763 The oldest organized group in Crete today is Crete Lodge No. 763 A.F. and A.M (Ancient Free and Accepted Masons). At the time when Crete Lodge was organized, Grant Park, Blue Island and Peotone were the nearest communities with Masonic Lodges. Owing to the mode of 1880 travel and the distances and times involved,Crete Masons felt that it would be in their interest and of those in the surrounding area to organize a lodge in Crete. The Masons organized in 1880, and operated as a Lodge Under Dispensation issued by the Illinois Grand Master in 1881. Crete Lodge #763 was issued a charter by Grand Master William H. Scott on October 4, 1882. There were eighteen original charter members: W. H. Nevens, John Becker, Lewis Merritt, C. W. Smith, Emil Walter,John Pulver, George Wixson, George H.Wilder, Henry Cole, George B. Goodenow, Fred E. Graves, Charles Wiederhold, W. S. Gillette, R. B. Millar, Frank Cook, Willard Wood (Cretes founder), R.A. Hewes,and Samuel Rose. Meetings in Crete have always been held at the same location they are today, at the southeast corner of Main and Division Streets. The original building was built by Emil Walters, who according to the Will Country History of 1878, came to Crete in 1876 and was engaged in the saloon business. He was also an agent for farm tools such as reapers,cultivator, rakes, plows, seeders and corn planters. He had living quarters in the back of the building and upstairs was a large hall. Six years after becoming chartered, this upstairs hall in the Walters building became the home of Crete Lodge. This building was in danger of being destroyed by fire in 1888. The Crete Citizen newspaper edition of April 28, 1888, gives an account of the fire. Crete was visited by the fire fiend, Thursday evening at the hour of 10:30. The barn in the rear of E. Walters dwelling and millinery store was discovered to be on fire. It was but a few feet from the barn to a one-story kitchen, part of the house. There was no firefighting equipment, no hooks, ladders, buckets nor engine. The barn burned without much opposition but when it became evident that only a well directed fight could save Sennholtzs house and if that burned the factory would be likely to go, the work was determined and efficient and we are glad to say successful. The wind was south and Mrs. Winters house was in imminent danger for a time. Its roof, as well as the roofs of the blacksmith shop, saloon, Westgates barn and others, were in flames at least once each. The Walters property was insured for $2,000, the Masonic hall for $300. Crete feels relieved this morning at getting off so cheaply. Opperman and Rowe ran teams drawing water from Woods well, the only reliable supply. It is hoped that reservoirs may now be provided at the street crossings, with hooks, hose, ladders, an engine, etc. From his activity, good judgment and courage in fighting the fire last night it is evident that Dr. Blim, of Crete, is a man fully competent to direct a fire company. Let one be organized before this lesson loses its effect. As the article states, this fire did take place before Crete had a fire department. The fire department was organized on January 24, 1889, less than a year after the fire. Fires were fought by bucket brigades at the time of the fire. In 1884, the Lodge approved the subletting of the Lodge Hall to the Odd Fellows for their meetings. Another well know and popular fraternity at that time. To adjust to the available daylight Crete Lodge had its own Daylight Savings time recorded in the minutes June 20, 1885. It met at 8pm from March 25th to September 25th, and met at 7pm from September 25th to March 25th. Today, the meetings are held at 7:30 pm the entire year. The downstairs or street level was used for a variety of business including Miss Winters millinery store in 1888 and in the late 1920s Frank and Flossie (Pease) Ray operated a lunchroom there. Another major fire threatened the building on November 14, 1895, when the Crete Manufacturing Company, just two buildings south, burned to the ground. On March 18, 1890, the Lodge approved the subletting of the Lodge Hall to the Crete Camp of the Modern Woodmen for their meetings. The late 19th and first half of the 20th century saw an increased interest in Masonry. This was evident in Crete Lodge #763 when the lodge raised its 50th member in 1893, and the 100th member in 1905. Also the tendency of Hazel Chapter to meet in the Lodge room showed the growing interest in the Masonic movement to the women of the community. Crete Lodge then purchased the property and building, which had been their lodge hall since 1888, from Emil and Elizabeth Walters on November 26, 1903. Further evidence was the expansion of Masonry in the rural communities with the formation of a lodge in Grant Park in 1909. By todays standards, one of the more unusual items that were common in the early 1900s was the purchase of one/ half dozen cuspidors on January 20, 1912. The Masonic Hall was renovated and remodeled in 1929, with a basement excavated for a new heating plant. The first floor was made into an apartment and a dining hall, the second floor was used for lodge purposes. The local lodge was affected by the Great Depression and the World Wars. All these historical events were evident in the lodge minutes and in the efforts of the lodge members, who, as a joint team, worked to survive these times. There was mention of many brethren struggling to pay dues and the Lodge itself having difficultly in paying the taxes on the property. April 4, 1942, saw the Lodge remitting the dues of all servicemen until 6 months after they left the service. After WWII interest started to fade in masonry causing a drop in membership combined with demographic changes that caused many lodges to lose membership and consolidate. Crete Lodge was a melting pot for the south suburbs. On August 6, 1959 Beecher Lodge #1087 became one of those lodges which merged with Crete. In September 1963 the Masonic Hall, a landmark building, was demolished. The building, which served as a meeting and ritual hall for the Crete Masonic Lodge for seventy-five years, was razed to make way for a new brick Masonic lodge building at the same site. In September 1963 ground was broken in a joint ceremony of the Crete Lodge and Hazel Chapter. The cornerstone was laid in an elaborate ceremony by the Grand Master of Illinois. Crete Lodge then erected the 40 by 80 foot building which houses the lodge today. The yellow brick front structure was set back some 10 feet from the sidewalk line, closer to the south edge of the property. The contractor for the new lodge hall was R. & G. Carlson Construction Company of Steger. The firms engineer, Dee Sumpter, was a past master of Crete Lodge. The Worshipful Master at that time, Russ Healy, supervised the demolition work. On August 11, 1972, the interior paneling was installed in the upstairs lodge room. On March 23,1973 Crete Lodge and Hazel Chapter joined in the mortgage burning ceremony. One of the last lodges to consolidate with Crete #763 was New Triangle Lodge #797 on December 1,2004 to create the current Crete Lodge #763. This decision has revitalized the lodge and increased its membership to over 300 members. The following is Crete Lodge Seen today with a bright future. The Eureka Challenge Trophy The Grand Lodge established the Eureka Challenge in 2003. This is a statewide lodge competition where each lodge is quizzed on its knowledge of a topic selected by the Grand Lodge. The competition has three rounds: District, Area, and State. Crete Lodge became the State Champion of the Eureka Challenge in 2006 and repeated this achievement in 2007. The lodge has custody of the traveling trophy until the next Grand Lodge communication. This was the first time that a lodge had repeated as either an area finalist or State Champion of the Eureka Challenge. Crete Masons sponsor a girls youth group, for young ladies between the ages of 11 and 20, known as International Order of Jobs Daughters, which is based on God, Country, Family Honor and Good Citizenship. In the past, Cretes Masons held a Donut Day in Crete for twenty years, and manned the Salvation Army Christmas Kettles for 10-15 years. Today they support the Crete Park District with the Wild West Parade and Easter egg hunt. They also donate to the Crete Pantry, Police, and Eastern Will County Seniors. Crete Lodge holds two fund-raisers a year. These fund-raisers enable those who cannot attend regular meetings, or those who wish to be more active, to be involved in the organization and are used to fund their charitable works. Both Crete Lodge and Hazel Chapter award scholarships in the area. In May, 2007 the Hazel Chapter presented two $500 scholarships to Crete-Monee High School students. Crete Lodge presented one $500 scholarships to the Crete-Monee High School. This last award, known as the Thayer Memorial, has rotated between Crete-Monee and Beecher High Schools,and Bloom Trail Jr. High School since 1977. Crete Lodge has a long history in Crete and many village fathers have been members. The first Worshipful Master of Crete Lodge was William Henry Nevens, school superintendent, followed by Henry Cole and Rollin Hewes, farmer and chicken breeder, and William Trowbridge, owner of The Crete Citizen newspaper. All active masons and respected members of the community. It is interesting to note that there are local family members who are fourth generation Masons or Masonic appendant body members. One such fourth generation family is the Pease family. The fourth generation was the late Juanita Nity Pease, a member of the Eastern Star, and the daughter of Emogean and Charles Pease of South Chicago Heights. In 2008 the lodge was re-dedicated and celebrated its 125th anniversary. Considerable work was done on the interior to prepare for the dedication; cleaning the lodge proper, a new coat of paint, a lot of reorganizing and cleaning up, a library for members, and some preparations for our next celebration .. the 150th! Crete Lodge has an historical tie to Woods Corners, the original name for the village. Willard Woods, the Founding Father of what is now Crete, and its first mayor, was one of the eighteen original charter members of Crete Lodge. In 1882, the same year Crete Lodge was chartered, Crete became a village. Crete Lodge is celebrating its 125th year as a lodge and Crete is celebrating its 125th year as a village. To honor this historical tie the lodge has requested and received permission from Crete Library to display historical Masonic items in their library display cases and in the Crete Historical Societys display cases as well, for the months of January and February 2008. January will honor past Masonic history and February, being Presidents Month, will honor Masonic Presidents from George Washington to date as well as important Masonic historical figures.
Order of the Eastern Star The Hazel Chapter 390 Order of Eastern Star, although a separate organization, has an affiliation with Crete Lodge. A male member of the Eastern Star must be a Mason and a female member must be a relative of a present or past (deceased or living) member of the Masonic organization. The organizational meeting of what was to become a chapter of the Eastern Star was held on January 18, 1898. The meeting was presided over by Mrs. Emma Van Horn, a Past Matron of Marguerite Chapter No. 187 of Joliet, Illinois. The officers elected were Mrs. Grace McCord as President and Fred Read as Secretary. Mrs. Grace McCord was elected Worthy Matron and Samuel Rose was Worthy Patron. It was then time to choose a name for the Chapter. The name chosen was Hazel, after the infant daughter of one of the charter members, Sister Emma Pease. Thus it became the Hazel Chapter 390 Order of the Eastern Star. Their charter members were Minnie Baker, Emma Pease, Grace McCord, Margaret Clark, Annette Rose, Lucy A. Cole, F. W. Read, Leila Trowbridge, A. R. White, Laura E. Cole, Nancy Bissett, Winnie Trowbridge, Jessie Wilder, Minnie Tillotson, Libbie M. Darling, Samuel Rose, R. A. Hewes and Charles Bissett. At a meeting on February 2, 1898, Brother W. B. Carlock, Worthy Grand Patron of Illinois, read his dispensation empowering the institution as an Eastern Star Chapter of Crete. The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal group in the world that permits both women and men as members, having over 3 million members world wide. Its presiding officer, the Worthy Matron must be a woman. The highest ranking male officer, the Worthy Patron, serves as the constitutional advisor to the Worthy Matron. Hazel Chapter meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 8 pm.
The formation of Crete Lodge as it is today Winsor Park Lodge # 836 Chartered October 3, 1894 Consolidated July 1, 1961 With Blackstone Lodge # 1124 Forming Windsor-Blackstone Lodge # 1124 Consolidated October 21, 1924 With Normal Park Lodge # 797 Chartered October 8, 1890 Forming New Triangle Lodge # 797 Pyramid Lodge # 887 Chartered October 3, 1906 Consolidated December 26, 1975 With Lowvale Lodge # 1139 Remaining as Lowvale Lodge # 1139 Consolidated May 28, 1998 With New Triangle Lodge # 797 Remaining New Triangle Lodge # 797 Beecher Lodge # 1087 Chartered October 10, 1922 Consolidated August 6, 1959 With Crete Lodge # 763 Chartered October 4, 1882 Remaining as Crete Lodge # 763 New Triangle Lodge # 797 Consolidated December 1, 2004 With Crete Lodge # 763 Remaining as Crete Lodge # 763
Past Masters of Crete Lodge # 763 William Nevens .1882-83-84 Henry Cole .1885-86-87-88-89 Rollis Hewes ..1890-98-99 WilliamTrowbridge .. .1891 92 - 93 - 94 - 95 - 96 - 97 - 1900 - 01 - 02 - 07 - 08 Owen Bigelow ..1903-04 Leonard Cole ...1905-27 Edmund Peck................ .1906 Charles Wilder............ ...1909-10 Jesse Peck....................1911-12 Christian Eskilsen.......... .1913-20 Nelson Helme................ .1914-15 Carl Ehrhardt................ 1916 Jesse Hill....................1917 William Trowbridge .....1918 Clarence Blackman... .. .....1919 James McFadden........... . ..1921-22 Henry Schaeftine.......... ...1923 Richard Fry............... ...1924 Colin Buchanan............ ...1925 Ivan Carter.............. ....1926 Dewey Stricker............ ...1928 John Mertens......... ....1929 David Cribbs................. 1930 Chester Wilder............. . 1931 Kenneth Motlong.... .........1932-33 Frank Quinlan . ... .1934-35 William Wardell Jr ....1936 Theodore Hollingsworth ....1937 Francis Muirhead ...1938 John Merritt Jr . ...1939 Dee Sumpter . . ..1940 Carl Strandberg .. . . .1941 Henry Hartman . ...1942 Joseph Stewart .. . ...1943 Charles Fettel . 1944 Donald Easterday .. .1945 Thomas Northern ...1946 Richard Burke.. . ..1947 Raymond Moore . .. ..1948 Freeman Mertz .1949-50 John Miller . .. ......1951 Spencer Stucky . . .1952 Robert Austin . .. . ..1953-55 William Walton............. ..1954 George Koch .......1956 Griffith Schrader .. .1957 Albert Johannsen ... ...1958-59 William Murton .. .. ..1959 Hebert Hartman . .. . 1960 Ormand Henry . ....1961 James Siddens 1962 Russel Healy . ..1963 Daniel Parkinson . ...1964-83 Harold Parkinson .. . ...1965 Melvin Middleton .. . ..1966 Gerald Hanes . .... ..1967 Kenneth McCarty .. . . 1968 Francis Adams . ....... .1969 Raymond Young . .. 1970 Lewis Watkins ...1971-87 Jack Sharman .. . .1972 James Jankus ... 1973-76 Wayne Watson .. . ...1974 Oscar Wheeler ... . 1975 Mark W. Stricker . .. .1977 George Gussman Jr .. .. 1978 Jack Schrader ... .1979 Joseph L. Casson .. 1980 Gary Bevills . ...1981-82 Alvin Cates . ...1984-88 Lawrence Priester .. . . ..1985 Thomas Latz .. . ..1986 Ivon H. Harris .. 1989 Cliffton Burris Jr .. .. ...1990-93 Patrick Chalmers .. 1991 Phillip Bartos .. ...1992 William Adair . ...1994 Richard J. Schultz . . ..1995 Albert R, Stober . .. .1996 Jerome J.Connely .. ...1997 Darrin W. Adair .. .1998 Terry R. Davis .. . .1999-2000 Kevin E. Bullock . 2001 Donald C. Abrams . .2002 Raymond C. Hauser . .. ..2003 Thomas E. Fortner . .2004-05 Matthew S. Jackson . 2006 James J. Ruther .. . ..2007 James M. Ridgeway........... .2008 Michael Powers.............. .2009 91 Masons have had the privilege of serving Crete Lodge # 763 as Worshipful Master
SPECIAL THANKS The Lodge gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Carol and Waylan Triebold, Phyllis Monks, and Lucille Kester in the compilation of this book. To Scott Sonnenberg for valuable assistance with cover design And to the 125th Anniversary Rededication Committee Michael Powers Chairman Joseph Casson Thomas Fortner James Frey David Lynch James Ridgeway