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Sacramento Lodge No24 History
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1900 - 2000
THE HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO LODGE # 24
ANCIENT FREE and ACCEPTED MASONS
Alamogordo, New Mexico
The first Hundred Years
Prepared by
R:.W:. Brother Carroll R. Sorenson, P.M.,
R:.W:. Brother Harvey A. Lewis, P.M.,
R:.W:. Brother Arnold G. Flaugher, P.M..
Historians
The town of Alamogordo, New Mexico was founded in 1898 and with the advent of the railroad workers, health-seekers and those seeing an opportunity to grow with the new town, Alamogordo had a flourishing, if not booming beginning.
As time went by, the Masons in town gradually became aware that other men in town were also Masons, coming from many States of the Union, as well as Canada, and at least one Mason from Scotland. When the Brethren realized that there were a number of Masons in the area, interest in forming a Masonic Lodge soon developed. Robert White, a member of Doric Lodge # 233 in Ontario, Canada, seemed to be the driving force in the organization of the new Lodge.
On April 4, 1900, a group of Masons met in a adobe building on the West side of Frank Stewart's livery stable to discuss the organizing of a new Masonic Lodge. Mr. Stewart's livery stable was on the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Maryland Ave., where the Western Bank now stands. It may be of interest, that Mr. Stewart was initiated into Masonry Sept. 6, 1900 by E.E. Day, Grand Master of Masons in New Mexico. The second man initiated by Sacramento Lodge. Frank Rhomberg, an early day jeweler and postmaster, was the first initiate. The Degree was conferred on Sept 6, 1900 also and was conferred by Robert White, Sacramento Lodge's First Worshipful Master.
The following is a list of Masons who signified, in writing, that they would demit from their Lodges and join the new Lodge in Alamogordo.
Robert White W. Bryden Colonel Lewis S. F. Miller
John T Hogwood F. C. Rolland George Tibbetts W. E. Warren
W. W. Ratliff R. E. Welden W. A. Hawkins G. C. Scipie
J. S. Welch
A special meeting was held April 17, 1900 and after discussion, the stationed officers were elected, though they were not a Lodge as yet. The officers elected were:
Worshipful Master Robert White
Senior Warden Colonel Lewis
Junior Warden F. C. Rolland
These officers were constituted as a committee to secure the Knights of Pythias Hall as a meeting place, when needed.
It was voted that the fees for the degrees to be set at $50.00, broken down as follows:
Entered Apprentice $25.00
Fellow Craft 15.00
Master Mason 10.00
The first meeting in the Knights of Pythias Hall was held on May 24, 1900. This hall was upstairs over 905 New York Ave. where the Mity Nice Bakery and Omega Jewelers are now. In those days the ground floor had not been partitioned and contained only one business. At the South side of the building there was a stairway leading from New York Ave. to the second story.
A petition for a dispensation was presented and signed by:
Worshipful Master Robert White
Senior Warden Colonel Lewis
George Tibbets J. T. Hogwwod S. F. Miller
C. E. Beasly G. C. Scipie O. R. Bilbre
W. E. Warren Isaac Jackson J. S. Welch
A considerable amount of work was done on this May 24th meeting. In addition to taking care of the petition for a dispensation, a name was chosen for the new Lodge. They decided to name the new Lodge "Sacramento Lodge" after the mountains just east of Alamogordo. The Lodge voted to give each new Entered Apprentice a lambskin apron as a gift from the Lodge. A committee was appointed to secure the paraphernalia and equipment required to carry on the work of the Lodge The committee on securing the hall reported that they had secured the use of the hall on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of each week, for $ 25.00 per month. At this time the meetings were adjourned by motion and the Worshipful Master called the next meeting by mail.
The Grand Master had written the Alamogordo Brethren that he would issue a dispensation to them as soon as W. H. Seamon, The Grand Lecturer certified to him that they were proficient in the Masonic work. On June 29,1900, the Grand Lecturer wrote that he couldn't be in Alamogordo until between July 18th and July 25th. To speed things up, the Grand Master was requested to authorize J. T. Pyle, a local Mason, to instruct the Brethren and notify the Grand Lecturer when they were proficient. Brother Pyle began his instruction on July 13, 1900, by authority of the Grand Master. Brother Pyle obviously did an excellent job because the dispensation created Sacramento Lodge, U. D. was dated July 31, 1900 only eighteen days later.
Grand Master E. E. Day was present Sept. 6, 1900, opened the Lodge and read the dispensation creating Sacramento Lodge U. D. The Grand Master then read the names of the Lodge officers and installed them. Nine petitions for the degrees were read and investigating committees appointed and Sacramento Lodge initiated its first candidates. It appears from the minutes that, by special dispensation from the Grand Master, our first two candidates were initiated the same night that their petitions were read.
Sacramento Lodge met Sept. 7, 1900, the day after it received its dispensation, for the purpose of laying two cornerstones, with Grand Master E. E. Day presiding. These cornerstones were laid at the New Mexico Baptist College and at the Public School Building of District One.
In its history, Sacramento Lodge has laid four cornerstones in public, non-Masonic buildings. Besides the two above mentioned, on Dec. 9, 1906 a cornerstone was laid at the Sanitarium, a tuberculosis hospital. The Sanitarium was built southeast of town, near the mouth of Alamo Canyon. On May 27, 1961 a cornerstone was laid at Chaparral Junior High School at 1400 College Ave., with Grand Master Ray Lofton presiding.
Read the complete history.
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