Written By Harold Carruthers, Glencoe & District Historical Society
If one were to trace the history of any one Lodge, it might be compared with that of trying to determine the very origin of humanity. I am talking about the meeting places of the members of the organization called Free Masonry. The history of our local chapter, Lorne Lodge No. 282 Glencoe, can be traced back to 1872 and ended this year 2024 when our Lodge went dark after 152 years.
Meetings were held in some of the most historical buildings in the village of Glencoe, Middlesex County.
McKellar House hotel 1872
On May 8, 1972, 16 men held a meeting at the original McKellar House hotel and decided to form a Masonic Lodge in Glencoe. Several of the original charter members came from ‘mother’ lodges in London, Mt. Brydges, Newbury, Seaforth, Grimsby, Iona Station and Collingwood.
The men’s names were inscribed on the Charter dated July 11, 1872 which was issued from the Grand Lodge and affixed to the east wall of the Lodge meeting room. Charter member occupations were railway employees, farmers, hotel keeper, lumber contractor, druggist, medical doctor, engineer, wagonmakers, merchant and registrar.
The Town Hall 1873
Looking for a more permanent home than the local drinking establishment, the executive of Lorne Lodge signed a debenture with municipal trustees to lease the upper floor of the two-year-old Glencoe Town Hall for a meeting room. This new hall was located behind the McKellar House and across from the present-day Southwest Middlesex municipal office.
On September 22, 1893, twenty years later, a fire broke out in the McRoberts Livery Stables next door and after a few hours all was destroyed. Fortunately for the Lodge, most of the valuables in the Lodge room were saved from total destruction by the actions of several citizens.
The Clanahan Block 1893
The next Lodge room chosen was the 233 Main Street Clanahan Block (now owned by Godfather’s Pizza), directly across from the McKellar House. Again, there was a fire and the Lodge members were again on the street looking for a new home.
French Hall 1896
Worshipful Brother William J. French offered the use of the upper floor of his business block at the corner of Main and Symes Street in Glencoe until suitable quarters could be obtained. This building still stands but it was moved a short distance to 167 Symes Street so a new Memorial Hall could be built on the corner lot by a chapter of the I.O.O.F. - International Order of Foresters, another men’s club.
Dixon Block 1902
In 1902, Arthur E. Sutherland, publisher of the The Glencoe Transcript local newspaper, offered to lease the upper floor of his Dixon Block, 243 Main Street, Glencoe and fitted it for Masonic use. Sutherland became a brother Mason the following year. This location served the Masons very graciously for 57 years.
Dobie Block 1959
In 1958, Right Worshipful Brother Herman Bauer made the motion that the Lorne Lodge consider purchasing the Dobie Block, a brick building built by George Dobie as a bank in 1885. It was decided by the executive and fellow members to purchase this building and decorate it up to be used for Lodge purposes and lease out the lower rooms.
This building served the Masons well for 59 years. Through a combined effort of every member, the second floor was rebuilt and on November 11, 1959, a cast of Grand Lodge officers dedicated the new Lodge room. Over the years, Masons made several structure changes, added blinds, painted, and added air conditioning to make the room more attractive and comfortable.
Hammond Lodge 2018 - 2024
In March of 2017, the executive and membership decided to sell the Masonic building due to declining membership. The building was sold and a decision was made to rent the Masonic Hammond Lodge in nearby Wardsvile 21996 Hagerty Rd. The first meeting was held September 11, 2018.
Glencoe Lodge Goes Dark
In the early years, Masonic districts were usually laid out in unison with the railways.
In 1872, the Glencoe Lorne Lodge was part of the London District. Then in the years 1887 - 1923, Lorne Lodge became part of the Erie No. 1 Masonic District. In 1923, redistribution took place and Lorne Lodge members found themselves in the Chatham District.
Over the 152 years that the Lorne Lodge existed, there have been 583 initiated members, 120 Masters, 12 District Deputy Grand Masters, 14 Grand Stewards and one Grand Chaplain. Lorne Lodge has tried to maintain a high standard throughout its Masonic history with dignity, perfection of work and upholding their strict Masonic principles, all of which could not have been obtained without the fullest cooperation of its members past and present and future.
Unfortunately, due to aging membership and a decline in new members, the members made the difficult decision to close. I myself am proud to have served as historian for the past 34 years.