One Hundred and Fifty Years
of Masonry
in
SOUTHPORT LODGE NO. 270
F. & A. M.
1861 - 2022
Masonry in Indiana
Masonry in Indiana descended from Virginia by way of Kentucky. The Grand Lodge of Virginia was founded in 1777. It granted charters to various Lodges in Kentucky, which was then a part of the territory of Virginia. After the Grand Lodge of Kentucky was organized, in 1880, it issued dispensations for the formation of Lodges in Indiana as follows; Vincennes, Charlestown, Madison, Corydon, Salem, Lawrenceburg, Vevay, and Rising Sun. The Lodge of Brookville, the only other Lodge in the Territory, received its charter from Ohio. There were all the Lodges there were in Indiana in 1818. The first Lodge organized in the Indiana Territory was at Vincennes, which was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, August 31, 1809.
The Territory was admitted to the Union as a State in 1816, and the brethren deemed it advisable to take steps looking to the formation of a Grand Lodge. Accordingly, a convention of representatives of all the above Indiana Lodges met at Corydon on December 3, 1817 for the purpose of taking the preliminary steps for such organization.
Agreeable to a resolution from this convention, delegates from the same Lodges met in the town of Madison, Indiana, on January 12, 1818 and there consummated the organization of the Grand Lodge of Indiana, electing Alexander Buckner, of Charlestown, as the first Grand Master.
The several Lodges there represented then surrendered their charters and were granted new charters by "The Grand Lodge of Indiana." On the same day, a special committee made a report, containing twenty-four sections, embracing the main features of the Constitution as it exists today. The Grand Lodge seal, still in use, was adopted at that time, after being described in complete detail.
And so it came to pass that the Grand Lodge was legally organized in Indiana on the 12th day of January, 1818; and it is somewhat remarkable, owing to the newness of the country at the time, the lack of educational facilities, and the somewhat crude material out of which the organization necessarily had to be constructed, that the foundation was so substantially laid. Our ancient Indiana brethren builded better than they knew. No Grand Lodge has existed so long with so little friction, and has so satisfactorily extricated itself from so many difficult problems, as has the Grand Lodge of Indiana.
Its history is one in which its members may take much pardonable pride, and it stands today with an honorable record of almost two centuries and four hundred and twenty-two Lodges.
Highlights of One Hundred and Fifty Years
Southport Lodge No. 270, F. & A. M.
There are several dates in history which have a special meaning to a number of people in this Lodge, among the first, of course, is July 4, 1776, and then forty years later, December 11, 1816, when Indiana was admitted as the nineteenth state of the union.
Forty-four years after Indiana became a state, Freemasonry had its beginning in Southport, Indiana, in the year 1860. At that time there was a number of Free and Accepted York Masons living in the village and surrounding country side, who were desirous of forming a Lodge of Mason. They applied for a dispensation from Alexander C. Downey, who was the Grand Master, and in due time were granted a dispensation. Under the dispensation the following men were appointed to serve as officers; William G. Lockwood, Worshipful Master, Hezekiah Hinston, Senior Warden, and James Gentle, Junior Warden.
The Lodge worked under dispensation until May 28, 1861 when a charter was received from the Grand Lodge of Indiana granting them full rights and privileges of a Lodge of Master Masons. The charter gave the Lodge the name of Southport Lodge No. 270 of Southport, Indiana. When chartered the Lodge had a total of fifteen members who were; William C. Lockwood, James Gentle, R. M. Stewart, S. E. Tyler, I. R. McKibbon, Mathias Shepley, Thomas J. Todd, John C. Woods, Hezekiah Hinston, Robert N. Todd, Levi L. Todd, D. W. Snider, William C. Ransdell, Samuel Moore, and J. W. Riley.
The first years of the Lodge were busy ones as have been those that followed. The records of the Lodge show that at the beginning of our Centennial year of 1961, the Lodge had a membership of 1,373, and fifty years, at the beginning of our Sesquicentennial year of 2011, membership was 702. Under the able leadership of William C. Lockwood, our first Worshipful Master, Masonry received a very solid foundation in this community and each of the Master and his offerers since that time have been able to advance the respece and esteem of the Lodge held by the people living in the community.
Early meetings of the Lodge were held in a blacksmith shop located on Main Street. The meetings continued to be held in the blacksmith shop until November 7, 1863 when they were moved to the Lodge's first Lodge Hall, in which it met until July 7, 1900. They moved to a hall, which had been erected for them, where they met until 1907 when, through some difficulty, they lost their building and moved to a hall on the northeast corner of Union Street and Madison Avenue, which they later purchased in 1921. In 1944, Brother Henry Burkhart donated five acres of ground on South East Street for the erection of a new Temple. The membership was very enthused and began to make plans for our new home. Ground was broken on March 26, 1949 and eight months loater, on November 7, 1949, the Lodge held its first stated meeting in the new Temple we now occupy. Brother Burkhart later donated more ground, increasing the total Lodge property to twenty-one acres.
Past Masters
William G. Lockwood .... 1860, 1861, 1865, 1871, 1874
Robert N. Todd ........... 1862, 1863, 1864, 1872
William Worman ........... 1866, 1876
Hezekiah Hinston ......... 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870
George Tomlinson ........ 1873
Isaac Todd ................. 1875, 1878, 1882
John McLeine .............. 1877
William T. Bailey .......... 1879
Harlon Richardson ........ 1880
Charles R. Warman ....... 1881
George C. Thompson .... 1883, 1884, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1895
Joseph Bailey .............. 1885
James A. Norwood ....... 1886
Cornelous List ............. 1887
C. A. Barnes ............... 1892
William A. Wycoff ........ 1893, 1894
Oliver P. Ward ............ 1896
Hayden Morton ........... 1897
Ralph Hurlbert ............ 1898
J. Sabin Pruitt ............ 1899, 1900
George C. Harness ...... 1901
Frank E. Cline ............ 1902
Emerson G. Moore ...... 1903, 1904
William H. Davis ......... 1905
Theodore W. Colbert .. 1906
Thomas A Gentle ....... 1907
George A. Ross ......... 1908
George Spees ........... 1909
Lou A. Robertson ....... 1910
H. Farr Waggener ...... 1911
Edwin E Thompson ..... 1912
Benjamin M. Morgan .... 1913, 1914
Charles O. Sutton ....... 1915
Leroy Wycoff ............. 1916
John McPherson ......... 1917, 1918
John M. Smart ........... 1919
Oliver W. Pickhart ...... 1920
Stanley E. Moore ....... 1921
Robert McKay ............ 1922
Furman F. Moore ........ 1923
Douglas McClain ......... 1924
Winfield H. Hollister ..... 1925
Charles Kennick .......... 1926
John E. Zintel ............ 1927
Otis O. Burnett .......... 1928
Basil L. Poe ............... 1929
Harry O. Strong ......... 1930
Omer Brewer ............. 1931
Charles F. Bohne ........ 1932
Elmer E. Houze .......... 1933
Otto O. Gustin .......... 1934
William G. Hartman ..... 1935
John A. Whalen ......... 1936
Ralph E. Smith .......... 1937
Charles W. Miller ....... 1938
Howard C. Smith ....... 1939
William H. Bohne ....... 1940
John E. Swords ........ 1941
Leon H. Roquet, Sr ... 1942
Burley L. Parham ...... 1943
William P. Talbert ..... 1944
Carl A. Stone .......... 1945
Francis D. Strong ..... 1946
Walter H. Muir ......... 1947
Frank R. White ........ 1948
William E. Caesar ..... 1949
Walter Weimer ........ 1950
Louis Cato ............. 1951
Russell E. Herr ........ 1952
Manuel S. Green ..... 1953
Francis E. Venis ...... 1954
Dory L. Flake .......... 1955
Walter E. Line ........ 1956
Arthur J. Baumer .... 1957
Glen D. Cones ........ 1958
Ralph E. Monteith ... 1959
James P. Brooking ... 1960
Leo H. Roquet, Jr .... 1961
Paul A. Allen .......... 1962
William T. Norwood .. 1963
Birtle Allen ............. 1964
Dan E. McCoun, Sr .. 1965
Warren G. Black ...... 1966
Raymond H. Russler . 1967
William E. Singleton .. 1968
Lloyd E. Sierp .......... 1969
Thomas J. Jones ...... 1970
Larry Mitchell .......... 1971
Ronald H. West ....... 1972
John E. Emrich ........ 1973
Garry L. Clark ......... 1974
Robert A. Evans ..... 1975
Earl W. Possman .... 1976
Ronald R. Speedy ... 1977
Herbert Clark ......... 1978
Danny J. Self ......... 1979
Kenneth F. Adams ... 1980
W. Hugh Burns, Jr ... 1981
John V. Phillips ....... 1982
H. L. (Pete) Noggle .. 1983
Walter F. Eichholtz ... 1984
Harvey E. Grow, Sr ... 1985
Paul T. Snyder ......... 1986
David D. Bray .......... 1987, 1995
Robert L. Stevenson . 1988
Frederick W. Poad .... 1989
Robert E. Fisher ....... 1990
Milton G. Baas ......... 1991
William J. Smith ....... 1992
Tim J. Hopewell ....... 1993
John W. Friar .......... 1994
C. David Pennington . 1996
James L. Huffman .... 1997
Frank S. Tuttle, Jr ........... 1998
Rick Manifold .................. 1999, 2003
Randal W. Bradley ............ 2000, 2002
Richard S. Blocker ............ 2001, 2008
Eric N. Lawrence .............. 2004
Brian V. Biehn .................. 2005
Kenneth R. Ruckersfeldt ..... 2006
Kevin L. Roberts ............... 2007
T. Michael Brummett ......... 2009
Robert D. Sexton ............. 2010
Daniel W. Gillahan ............ 2011
Eric J. Ruckersfeldt .......... 2012
Paul W. Gartin ................. 2013
Barry D. Maxwell .............. 2014
Paul S. Ney ..................... 2015, 2019
Jarrett B. Hill ................... 2016
Charles E. Bushor, Jr. ........ 2017, 2020
Devin R. Calvert ............... 2018, 2022
Larry L. Lisman ................ 2021
S. Kent Holaday, Jr. .......... 2023
Brian R. Baker .................. 2024