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A History of Ark lodge No. 243
and Valley Center Lodge No. 364 While we were together this evening celebrating the 50th anniversary of Valley Center Lodge No. 364, there was a former Masonic Lodge working in Valley Center which I think affords a sufficiently interesting background history of Masonic activities in Valley Center to justify a few minutes spent in reviewing it here. Many of you folks will undoubtedly have some pleasant recollections of persons and incidents, which this sketch will cover. I should like first to give credit to our late Bro. Chas. W. Rickard who was commissioned to draft a historical sketch of Masonic activities in Valley Center and it is from his works that much of this material is taken. The first settlement of pioneers in the Valley Center vicinity occurred about the year 1868 and the city was founded in 1872 when the Santa Fe built the railway South from Newton to Wichita. Among the earliest settlers, who had migrated mostly from states East of the Mississippi River, there was a sprinkling of members of the Masonic fraternity who made themselves known to each other and in a short time, records reveal that as early as the year 1878, there was agitation for the forming of a Masonic Lodge. At that time, Wichita Lodge No. 99 and Sedgwick Lodge No. 139 were the nearest chartered lodges and in accord with Masonic law, it was necessary that both of these adjacent lodges should give their permission before a lodge could be authorized here. For reasons which are not entirely clear, so far as the record reveals, such permission was withheld until in the spring of 1884; a group of brethren from Valley Center petitioned our Grand Lodge for authorization to form a lodge, which petition was supported by communications from Sedgwick Lodge No. 139 and Wichita Lodge No. 99 permission granted by Grand Lodge. The signers of this petition were: Edward R. Mitchell, Alfonzo J. Finch, Asa B. Fisher, George J. Barr, Wm. C. Carr, William N. Ayers, Venis Mayall, Albert E. Johnston, William W. Ayers and Orlando G. Jacobs. On the evening of May 26, 1884, the above named brethren, with tree visitors, met in the Odd-fellows Hall and “Ark Lodge No. 243 was instituted by William Cowgill, a member of Harmony Lodge No. 94, of Neodesha, Kansas, acting as special Deputy Grand Master in behalf of M. W. J. Jay Buck, who was Grand Master at that time and Ark Lodge operated under dispensation until December 31, 1884. One additional name (John J. Lambert) was added to the original petition and during the period under dispensation ten meetings were held and five petitioners were initiated, four were passed and four were raised making a total membership of eighteen as of December 31,1884. The records of “Ark” Lodge reveal the occupations of twelve of the charter members which is possibly of some interest to those of you who have spent several years in the community, and they are briefly, as follows: William N. Ayers was the proprietor of what was then known as “The Apothecary Shop” and was also the grandfather of William N. Ayers who served many years in the National congress and who just recently passed away. Elias Barnaby was the village shoemaker, George J. Barr conducted a general store, butcher, Alonzo J. Finch was the village blacksmith, Asa B.Fisher was a farmer, Samuel Foote was a carpenter, Orlando G. Jacobs was a real estate and insurance broker, Albert E. Johnston and Veniz Mayall were farmers living Northeast of town. The records also reveal that among the organizers, were veterans of the then so lately ended civil war between the states, some of whom served on each side during the war but worked in harmony in Masonic service. Minutes of the first meeting also show that money in the treasury was $150.00 which had been borrowed and disbursements at the first meeting were in total $146.50 leaving an operating capitol of $3.50. The hall in which the lodge was instituted was the West half of the second floor of the building across the street West of this present building and was built of bricks which were made one mile West of town. As before stated, special dispensation for ARK lodge ended on December 31,1884 and their authority to operate a lodge thus ended. They made the mistake of holding an annual election on December 22, 1884 at which time there was a complete set of officers elected for the ensuing year but without authority to operate and I have been unable to find when they received their charter but we do know that the lodge was subsequently chartered and continued to work until after the turn of the century at which time some contention arose (and I am unable to find official information stating what the difficulty was). And according to Grand Lodge proceedings in February of 1885, the committee on chartered Lodges and lodges U.D. recommended that a charter be granted and it is to be assumed that such charter was probably issued immediately after the Grand Lodge session of 1885. Whatever may have been the basis for contention among the members must have proved impossible of harmonious settlement for at a stated meeting , motion was made to surrender the charter the vote according to the record lacking only three of being unanimous and thus ended “ARK” lodge No. 243 with the furniture, seal and charter being surrendered to the Grand Secretary’s office and Grand Lodge membership certificates being issued to all members who qualified for same which of course entitled such members to petition for membership in any other lodge of their choice. After the dissolution of Ark lodge No. 243, in the Grand masters report made at the annual communication of the Grand Lodge, held at Fort Scott, Kansas, in February of 1902, we find excerpts as follows: “During the year, information was received that contention existed among the brethren of Ark lodge at Valley Center culminating in a proposal to surrender the charter, which was authorized on January 24th. It is the expressed intention of Valley Center brethren to ask the Grand Lodge for another charter and I believe their request should have full consideration”. From the preceding quotation, we are assured that the majority of the membership had every intention of carrying on Masonic work in this community, and consequently, a petition was presented to the same Grand Lodge session in 1902 asking for a new charter and permission to change the name to “Valley Center Lodge”. This petition for a new charter was signed by thirty six brethren as follows: Isaac D. H. Booth, Robert Burns, Daniel E. Boone, John Baird, Samuel L. Belden, George A. Clark, William C. Carr, Edgar F. Casad, John A. Davidson, Willis Davis, Isaac M. Evans, Jesse Clyde Fisher, Samuel Foote, Asa B. Fisher, George H. Gregg, Henry H. Keller, Robert T. Hutchison, Len B. Herndon, Herbert C. Houston, Charles W. Hancher, Al. E. Johnson, John T. Lambert, William O. Magee, Hugh B. Marshall, Edward D. McKellips, Marion Miles, Thomas G. Pratt, Otto C. Ramlow, Charles W. Simmons, Eugene S. Talcott, Richard C. Woffendon, Frank Vallance, John F. Wadsworth, William Weller and Chas. F. Wright, all of whom became charter members of our present lodge. The petition was referred to the Grand Lodge committee on chartered lodges whose report reads in part as follows: “we recommend that the petition for a new charter be granted; that the property formerly belonging to Ark Lodge be turned over to such new lodge to become it’s property and that the records of said former lodge be turned over to the Grand Secretary and be retained by him”. The entire recommendation of the Grand Lodge committee on chartered lodges was favorably acted upon and the new number 364 assigned to the Valley Center Lodge. Thus Valley Center Lodge No. 364 came into being and was duly chartered on February 19, 1902. I personally have not known many of these brethren who were our charter members, but one of them, Henry H. Keller, who is now a resident of our Masonic Home at Wichita, was delegated by the other brethren to make the trip to Fort Scott to present the petition to the Grand Lodge, and as all necessary action on the matter was concluded during the communication, the charter was delivered to Bro. Keller and he personally returned it to Valley Center. After receiving the charter, thee was a called meeting held on March 17, 1902, for the purpose of instituting the new lodge. At this meeting there was a total attendance of thirty three. On the above date, March 17, 1902, the first meeting was presided over by Thomas G. Fitch, who was at that time Grand Senior Warden, and on this occasion, acting as the special representative of Grand Master Thomas H. Dewey, to install the new officers. The first officers to serve Valley Center Lodge No. 364 were as follows: Willis Davis, as W.M., Richard C. Woffenden as S.W., Henry H. Keller as J.W., George A. Clark as Treasurer, John A. Davidson as Secretary, William O. Magee as S.D., Eugene S. Talcott as J.D., Otto C. Ramlow as S.S., William Weller as J.S. and Frank Vallance as tiler. At the first meeting, after the officers were installed and authorized to conduct the business of the lodge, eleven petitions for the degrees were received and were signed by the following: George R. Davis, James F. Bolan, William L. Belden, Frank Wetterhold, Adria P. Wright, Robert H. Cross, Jude N. Hoefgen and Samuel S. Colclazier. Some of these petitioners have thus been associated with the entire life of this lodge, some have served through the officers chairs, including the Master’s station and we are happy that they are still with us. Records of activities of the lodge, particularly in it’s earlier years, are somewhat meager. Minutes of the meetings of those days were written with a quill pen in a large ledger type book and while the old minute books still exist, it is most difficult to de-cipher some of the writings due to the fading of ink and yellowing of paper and other reasons, not the least of which is my ability to read the writing of some of the older brethren who served as secretary. Due to the rising cost of maintaining a lodge building and the decline in membership. The lodge building had to be sold. The Valley Center School Board purchased the building. The membership then agreed to merge with Newton Masonic Lodge #142 in Newton, Kansas. This was aproved by Newton Lodge membership and the Grand Lodge of Kansas and on April 23, 2008. Valley Center Masonic Lodge #364 consolidated with Newton Lodge. Sorry to see this happen. Please check back for further
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