Our History
1868 — Grove Lodge No. 296
Our story begins decades before Webster Groves Lodge No. 84 existed. On June 11, 1868, Grove Lodge No. 296 received its dispensation, and it was formally chartered that October 15th. Eight men signed on as charter members: B.J. Bristol, F.B. Howe, Charles Knight, Louis F. Bompart, George W. Gore, M.L. Gerould, O.C. Orrick, and John W. Bowen. At the time, it was the only Masonic lodge in this part of the county, drawing brothers from as far as Fenton and Kirkwood.
1874 — A Charter Surrendered, Not Forgotten
Grove Lodge No. 296 surrendered its charter in 1874. Its Senior Warden that year, S.A. Moody, quietly stored the lodge’s furniture in a barn loft — where it would wait more than two decades. One charter member, F.B. Howe, carried off the lodge’s Bible when he moved to California. Years later, when he heard that a new lodge had organized in Webster Groves, he sent the Bible home, and the elderly Mr. Thompson who had originally donated it presented it once more, this time to the new lodge.
1897 — Webster Groves Lodge No. 84 Is Organized
Twenty-three years after Grove Lodge folded, Brother F.M. Anderson approached Worshipful Brother C.W. Ferguson with an idea: start a new lodge in the recently incorporated city of Webster Groves. Ferguson hadn’t set foot in a lodge in years and knew little of the work, but he called a meeting anyway — in Brother Moody’s office, on the site of what later became the Borelock Building. Twenty-two men answered the call, and Webster Groves Lodge No. 84 was born.
Determined to start debt-free, the new members chipped in between five and twenty-five dollars apiece, cleaned up the old furniture Moody had kept safe all those years, and partitioned off the third floor of the Brannan Building for their first lodge room. Some of the most prominent Masons in the state presided over its dedication, including Grand Master Dorsey A. Jamieson and Grand Secretary John D. Vincel. Brother McClure became the young lodge’s first Senior Deacon, and from day one, the brothers took pride in the quality of their work.
1899 — A New Home in the Bristol Building
On February 21, 1899, the lodge dedicated a new hall in the Bristol Building — a true Blue Lodge room, finished in blue with a ceiling painted to look like a starlit sky.
1906 — The Empire Building
By September 21, 1906, the lodge had outgrown that space and dedicated a hall in the Empire Building. Brother Beattie had rescued a set of beautiful columns from the wreckage of the World’s Fair, and used them to transform the East end of the lodge room. He rebuilt the altar and officers’ stations by hand, and the members funded new chairs, carpet, and electric light fixtures almost entirely out of their own pockets.
1916–1923 — Building a Permanent Home
Planning for a lasting home began in 1916. Construction started in 1919 on Lockwood Avenue, on the very site of the lodge’s earliest meeting place, and the building was completed in the spring of 1923 — the temple that still stands today, right next to Webster Groves City Hall. The cornerstone was laid by Rabboni Chapter No. 131, Royal Arch Masons.
Today
More than 125 years after Webster Groves Lodge No. 84 first met in a rented office, our temple is home to a family of fraternal, family, and youth organizations who share this historic building. Our doors remain open to the community for tours, rentals, and events throughout the year — a living continuation of the same spirit that brought twenty-two men together in 1897.
