HISTORY OF MONROE lODGE #22

Freemasonry first made its formal appearance in the frontier settlement of Bloomington less than five years after the founding of the town and four years after the organization of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. Grand Lodge issued a charter to Bloomington Lodge 22 on October 7,1823 and began with nine members. A wave of Anti-Masonic sentiment swept the country in 1826. Bloomington Lodge failed to meet after 1829, Grand Lodge dues fell in arrears, and the charter was arrested by the Grand Lodge with the understanding that the members could apply for a new dispensation when conditions were more favorable.

On June 5th, 1839 Monroe Lodge was constituted with a new charter and the number 22 was restored. With nine members, Brother George W. Hardin was installed as Worshipful Master. Members grew to 18 within two years but difficulties prevailed for several years until membership declined to six in 1845. Both internal and external; problems continued to keep the membership for Monroe Lodge 22 from seeing any substantial growth for several decades in the immediate post-Civil War era.

The first Lodge hall was built in the 1860's to replace rented quarters. A new group of leaders in the late 1880's lead a renewal of vigor in the Lodge and membership grew. By the early 1890's membership had risen to fifty and by 1902 the increase in membership led the fraternity to secure rooms on the upper floor of the Buskirk Building on the south side of the courthouse square, where they remained until 1925. Continued growth in membership saw the formation of the Building Committee in 1917 to plan construction of a new Lodge building. The project was delayed as the United States Entered World War 1.

In 1923 work to establish a new Lodge building resumed and the committee proceeded with the construction of the Masonic Temple at 7th Street and College Avenue. The building was erected and furnished at the cost of about $283,000. It was occupied and dedicated in 1925 by the Grand Lodge under Grand Master A. W. Funkhouser. The debt on the building retired and the mortgage burned on December 27th, 1954. Lodge dues in 1950 were $12.00 (approximately $135.00 in 2021).

The decade of the 1970's brought a period of change in Monroe Lodge 22. Membership in 1970 was 1,000 and dues were $18.00. However, during this period of aging membership, declining income, and aging inefficient Temple building set the stage for the sale of the 1925 building on July 1st, 1985. The New Lodge was located at 1460 S. Walnut Street Pike by remolding a large home to add a Lodge room and Kitchen. Permission was granted by the Grand Master to move the charter to this location on December 1st, 1986. The new Lodge building was officially dedicated by Grand Master Joseph Burton on June 9th, 1987. With the renovation cost paid in full and $100,000 left over from the sale of the old Temple, The Lodge approved a reduction of dues for 1988, from $41.00 to $28.00.

Prominent Members Throughout The History of Masonry in Bloomington: