The History of Heights Lodge #633
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1920
The annual meeting of Heights Lodge #633 was held on November 21, 1919.
S. Holmes Mansfield became the 4th Master in a ceremony
of Installation held on December 5, which was strictly limited to members
of Heights Lodge. The annual Roll Call was held on January 2nd, 1920,
at which time 119 members were present to respond.
Early in the year, the District Lecturer (now known as District Deputy Grand Master), James B. Ruhl, conducted a series of meetings for the instruction of officers in this jurisdiction, which may have been the inauguration of the newly elected Officers meetings, which take place on the 2nd Saturday in November.
The annual Inspection was held on February 28, 1920. One of the more interesting events of the year 1920 was Returned Soldiers Night on February 6. The evening was devoted to paying honor to the Brethren who had served their country in the Great World War (WWI).
[Invitation to Returned Soldiers Night]
On May 8, 1920, the annual Children’s Party was held, and on August 21st, the 3rd annual Lodge Picnic was held.
[Invitation to Children's Party]
The Great Architect called from labor to refreshment Bros. Robert Dill and Lewis Englander (charter member).
Heights Lodge sponsored two new Lodges this year, Orman Lodge #652 and Service Lodge #658. Wor. Bro. Mansfield left his station with the distinction of presiding over one of the best years in the history of Heights Lodge.
1921
The Annual Meeting was held November 19, 1920 and the Installation took
place on December 4. C. Ralph Keim was the new Worshipful
Master. The line of Officers for 1921 consisted of:
SW: Alanson O. S. Alan
JW: Charles F. Holmbrecht
SD: Frank L. Kellam
JD: F. Hale Vose
Secretary: A. B. Breitweg
Tyler: Bing F. Hackon
SS: L. Bart Clough
JS: Walter R. Hurriking
The annual Roll Call occurred on January 7th, 1921. Due to the increased membership the brethren simply rose in their places and responded without the entire roll being called.
The annual Inspection was held on Friday, February 25, at which time District Lecturer (Now DDGM) James B. Ruhl inspected the Lodge. The degree work was admirable and the District Lecturer and dignitaries were greatly impressed with the dignity & beauty of the work.
On Friday April 1, the Lodge was honored by having as its guest Bro. Newell W. Banks, the Checker champion of the United States. He gave a short, but interesting talk on checkers & chess.
In February, March, April, May & June, the Lodge averaged 6 petitions for new members per Stated Meeting which amounted to 60 petitions for the 5 month period. The total membership at the next Annual Meeting was 392, with over 100 men being raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason this year.
The 4th annual Lodge picnic, billed as an old fashioned basket picnic, was held on August 26th, at Nela Park and featured base ball, swimming, games and dancing. Another annual Ladies Night was held on November 12, with many musical selections for organ, voice and small orchestra being played in the Lodge room and the ball room.
[Postcard
sent to members announcing picnic]
[Program
for Ladies Night]
1922
The 1922 Masonic year began at the Installation of Alanson O.
S. Alan, where he received the tile and gavel from Worshipful
Brother C. Ralph Keim. The supply of petitions did not diminish this year,
since on the average nine petitions were acted on each month, and work
continued through the summer. The total membership at year-end was 483.
[Invitation
to the Installation]
Program of work (monthly news) for:
June, September,
October
& November
of 1922
1923
Charles T. Helmbrecht took the tile and gavel from W.B.
Alanson O. S. Alan in the Ceremony of Installation on December 22, 1922.
At a meeting on February 2, 1923, 10 petitioners were acted upon, creating
a new Lodge record! Heights Lodge was exemplifying the “roaring
twenties”, with membership roaring towards year-end at 499.
1924
The Masonic year 1924 began when Will Holmhorst was installed
as Master on December 7, 1923. The line at this time was as follows:
SW: F. Hale Vose
JW: Walter Horning
SD: C. Calhoun Jr.
JD: Robert Boggs
SS: S. B. Long
JS: B. Davis
Secretary: A. B. Breitweg
Tyler: S. Russell.
The membership at year end stood at 531.
1925
F. Hale Vose was installed as Master on December 9, 1924,
inaugurating the Masonic Year 1925, the 9th year since Heights Lodge first
met as a Lodge under dispensation.
On February 6, 1925 a whopping 14 petitions at a single meeting were received and referred to committees, breaking the old record of 10 set just a few years earlier. An earlier lodge historian, Bro. Ralph Duecker, notes that the lodge was losing from 3-5 members a year to the grim reaper, compared to the 12-15 members lost per year in our modern age.
A rare occurrence took place in 1925, under the watchful eye of W.B. Vose - a Masonic Trial. A brother was charged with ‘un-Masonic conduct’ for defrauding members and a widow of the Lodge. A transcript recorded of the proceedings is available in its entirety.
Five brethren gained admission to the Celestial Lodge above, but there were no other losses for withdrawal or non-payment of dues, bringing the year-end total to 558 Members.
1926
The Masonic year 1926 was ushered in on December 11, 1925 by the installation
of Bro. J. Burt Clough who received the tile and gavel
from the departing Master, F. Hale Vose. Almost immediately afterwards,
W. Bro. Clough was called on to conduct a Masonic Funeral Service for
Bro. Charles L. Ellis. In these days a Special Meeting was called to perform
such sad duties.
The work of the young and rapidly growing lodge continued vigorously. On February 5th, 1926, five E.A.’s were examined for proficiency in that degree and then seven newly raised M.M.’s were likewise examined. Being found satisfactory, they were then enabled to sign the book and subscribe their names to the by-laws, a practice which ended in the early Nineties.
The Brethren were visited by the grim reaper 5 times in February, an extraordinary occurrence owing to the fact there was no epidemic at work at the time.
The Lodge often called Special meetings in non-meeting weeks (being typically the 2nd & 4th Saturdays in the afternoon) to continue initiating, passing and raising the large volume of men desirous of being brought to Light. A slow day might see two men receiving degrees.
The Heights Masonic Benefit fund was created on October 23, 1926, in recognition of the 10th Anniversary of the Lodge.
The annual report to the Grand Lodge for Masonic year 1926 shows 610 members, of whom 42 were raised, 9 affiliated, and 6 reinstated for a net gain of 52 members.
1927
Walter R. Horning was the Worshipful Master who presided
over the dawn of the Masonic year 1927. In January of 1927, eight men
received their Entered Apprentice degree. In February, those same eight
received their Fellowcraft degrees. The Master Mason degree however was
always conducted with the candidates in pairs.
Many members of the Lodge, and Masons in the area, belonged to the oldest
congregation in Cleveland Heights, The Cleveland Heights Methodist
Episcopal Church. The church, which had been situated a few blocks
away in what had been the town center for the Village of Cleveland Heights,
built a grand new ‘cathedral’ farther up Lee Road in the rapidly
developing Garden Community. They changed their name to the now familiar
Church of the Saviour, and formed a building committee,
which
included Charter Heights Lodge members: John Fish, S. H. Mansfield, and
Joseph Peck. The Lodges’ District Lecturer, Judge James
B. Ruhl, served as the Grand Master for the laying of the Cornerstone
on June 6, 1927. The cornerstone was a block of white sandstone selected
by the church’s pastor while in Jerusalem, from a quarry used to
obtain stones for the building of King Solomon’s Temple 3000 years
ago!
The year ended with a net gain of 54 members, 50 of whom were raised that year by Heights Lodge. Total membership going into the next Masonic year was 664.
1928
Joseph C. Calhoun was the master installed in the late
autumn of 1927, to preside over the Masonic year 1928. It was a slow start
to the year, but in a February meeting, four petitions were received and
the Lodge was off and running again. By years end 43 men had become Masons,
resulting in a net gain that year of 31, bringing the membership total
to 695.
1929
The Worshipful Master for the year 1929 was Anton B. Breitweg,
the last charter member to become Master, and one of the original early
organizers of the Lodge who had also served as Secretary for the first
10 years.
Visitors played a large part in the meetings back in the day. The minutes of a meeting in March of 1929 show that there were 35 visitors from Cleveland area Lodges, 11 from other Ohio Lodges, 16 from other states, 4 from Scotland and 1 from Canada, for a total of 67 visitors! Those visitors were taken good care of, as Lodges in those days would often have a team of alternate Stewards to provide hospitality to the Brethren and guests.
31 Masons were made that year, with 9 affiliations bringing the membership total at the time of the Great Crash of ’29 to 720.
Contact us at historian@ohiomasoniclodge633.org
- or -
Shawn Miller, PM - Lodge Historian
Heights Lion Heart Masonic Lodge
Lyndhurst
Masonic Center
5516 Mayfield Road
Lyndhurst, OH 44124 [map]
