Dade County, Missouri - Chapter 16, 1917 (part 6 of 6)

The early meetings of the lodge developed that the organization was to be a pioneer in education as well as in Freemasonry for when its first hall was constructed, a frame structure which stood just north of the present grade school building on the same lot, it was constructed two stories in height, the ground floor being used for an academy. It was several years prior to the civil war that this building became inadequate both for the use of the lodge and for an academy and a larger and more pretentious brick building was erected on the site of the present grades school building. For its day and time this latter was a great credit to the little hamlet of Greenfield. In fact there was doubtless none other so good owned by the Masonic order in all of Southwest Missouri, not excepting the larger towns. In this building the lodge and the academy flourished until the disturbances of the civil war made the maintenance of the school impracticable and forced the lodge to seek more central and less conspicuous quarters.

At the close of the war, Washington was the only chartered lodge in all Southwest Missouri. The inability to continue their meetings and preserve their records, caused the forfeiture of the charters of all others, but a valliant little band of heroic Masters, among whom were Dr. S. B. Bowles, W. K. Lathim, Arch M. Long, Nelson McDowell, Columbus Talbutt, John C. Wetzol, R. S. Jacobs and John Howard, held their meetings sometimes on "high hills" or on "low vales" but generally in the old court house which was burned by Shelby's brigade in 1863, after which the meetings were held in the Lathim building on the southwest corner of the square (when they were held in doors), until the close of the war, and their own building on the hill could be repaired and made use of. It is said by the older Masons that Dr. Bowles carried the charter of Washington Lodge in his pocket during most of the war period.

The Academy building, as it was most generally termed, suffered in turn with most everything else in this troublous war period, but very early after the war closed it was repaired not only as a Masonic Hall but fitted also for an academy. This was the place of meeting thenceforth up to the building of the R. S. Jacobs block on the northeast corner of the square when a third story was added for the Masonic orders. A chapter, Greenfield Xo. 28, having been organized in the interim. This later hall was used by the Masonic bodies a Commandery, Constantine No. 27, K. T. having been subsequently chartered in the same hall, and all bodies occupied it up to the time the building burned, December 29, 1914.

After removing to the Jacobs building, the lodge sold their property on the hill to the school district. With the proceeds of this sale and some other resources, the lodge built the Washington Hotel building which is still occupied as a hotel and under the original name of the Washington. The property was sold some years ago and a portion of the proceeds invested in a splendid building site on the west side of the square where the construction of a strictly modern building is contemplated.

On the occasion of both the fires mentioned all her records were burned, and all lodge paraphanalia but undismayed her communications are held now in the I. 0. 0. F. lodge rooms and should she never accomplish anything more it is a proud record to look back upon - the achievements of Washington Lodge.