1922 - The Groveland Graphic Newspaper - Newett

April 21, 1925 The Lodge's name was changed to Groveland Lodge No. 190 F. & A. M. There are a number of years of minutes missing and I cannot find when the Lodge started meeting in the Newett Building at 171 East Broad Street (at the corner of SR 50 & Indiana Ave). It was probably some time during the mid to late 1920's, after W:. Brother Charles J. Ingalls, P.M was Raised in 1923. In a conversation, one time, with W:. Brother Clayton J. Weir, PM in his law office, he told me about the steel trusses that are on top of the Newett Building. He stated that he cut & welded them together on the ground and a crane was brought in to hoist them to the top of the building. They were placed there with long steel rods into the two oak beams that supported the roof so that the columns, in what was being used as the Lodge Room, could be removed. I had been told by an older member when I joined in 1965 that the trusses were there to hold the walls in. Later, when I was on the roof I could see that they were not attached to the walls and after looking in the attic, I could see the rods coming through the roof into the two beams that ran the length of the building. W:. Brother Weir did this during his summer vacation from college. Our records show that he was Raised to the Degree of Master Mason February 18, 1924, but I do not know if it was in the old school house or the Newett Building? He could have been college or law school after 1924. I did not think to ask at the time of our conversation. He related this to me some years before my conversation with W:. Brother Ingalls, PM. July 11, 1944 The Lodge must have had a mortgage on the Newett Building, because there is some reference to it in a copy of a twenty-five (25) lease agreement in 1935 for the ground floor to Groveland Real Estate & Investment Company. According to the Minutes of July 11, 1944, there was a foreclosure on the "Masonic Building¨ and that the City of Groveland had the winning bid at the "Master Sale". It was, also, noted that the City Council was willing to trade the building for the lots the Lodge owned located at the corner of Orange St (SR 50 eastbound) & Lake Ave (SR 19). The city built its building on those lots and the Lodge got its building back clear of any mortgage. August 25, 1981 The Newett Building was sold and the building & property located at 320 East Jim Payne Road was purchased. With the help of R:.W:. Harvey B. Eddy, Deputy Grand Master (next Grand Master), getting the paper work through, we had the first Stated Communication in this building was held on this date. the Lodge moved from the Newett Building at 171 East Broad Street in Groveland (1981) to 320 E. Jim Payne Road Wells bought it from Dalton S. Payne who had a Real Estate Office. 1997 - Maria Rodriguez sold it on finance. Wells got it back, then sold it. Wells did renovations in late 90s: New Roof, Stucco, New Windows, and Painted.

[Contributors: Jason Brown]

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