Officers for the Year 2008 - 2009

                            All were Installed in October, 2007

W. Bro. Charles W. Mongan Jr. Worshipfull
Master
   W.B. Frank D. McRenolds Senior Warden
   W.B. Fred B. Redmann Junior Warden
   R.W.B. Randy E. Scott Treasurer
   W.B. Adelbert E. Scott Secretary
  R.W.B. Charles Brown Chaplain
   R. Rex Smith II Senior Deacon
   Bro. Charles W. Mongan III Junior Deacon
   Bro. Daniel Erickson Senior Steward   
   Bro. Gene M. Johnson Junior Steward
   W. Bro. Harold L. Peterson Marshall
   Bro. James W. Geddes Tyler
   W. Bro. John C. Hayter Junior Past Master
  © David F. Warner 2003



Past Officers Slates

officers 2007
officers 2006
officers 2005
officers 2004
officers 2003
officers 2002
officers 2001
officers 2000




HISTORY OF ROSCOE LODGE #75

Roscoe Lodge No. 75 was organized in 1849, under dispensation of the Grand Lodge of the State of Illinois by appointment by the Most Worshipful Grand Master Wm. Leverly of the following officers:
      Dr. Alfred E. Ames Worshipfull Master
          Nathaniel Howland Senior Warden
          Joseph Prentice Junior Warden
          Orab Parker Treasurer
          S. N. Eastman Secretary
          Freman Fyler Senior Deacon
          Lewis Sexton Junior Deacon
          J. B. Bartholomew Tyler

The first meeting under the dispensation of the Grand Lodge of Illinois was held on September 20, 1849 in the red brick home of S. N. Eastman, which at that time was the Congregational Church parsonage, was recently the home of Ray Olmstead, and was located on the North West Corner of Harrison and Second Streets (now 5648 Harrison).
Pictures of 1st meeting place.

While under dispensation, S. P. Thompson and C. S. Bradley were initiated, passed and raised. These new members, with the appointed officers, became the charter members of the lodge.

At the meeting of October 10, 1849, the following officers were elected and installed by brothers N. Hotchkiss, Deputy Grand Master, Thomas Glover, acting Deputy Grand Master, Ramsey Hatch, acting Grand Senior Deacon and Master of Rockton lodge #74, and H. A. Davidson, acting Grand Junior Deacon:

      Dr. Alfred E. Ames Worshipfull Master
          N. Howland Senior Warden
          J. G. Prentice Junior Warden
          S. B. Bradley Treasurer
          C. W. Thompson Secretary
          Freman Fyler Senior Deacon
          Lewis Sexton Junior Deacon
          S. N. Eastman Senior Steward
          J. B. Bartholomew Junior Steward
          Orab Parker Tyler

These men, by being duly elected and installed, became the first official officers of the new lodge and were presented with the three candlesticks (burning tapers) and the three gavels by brother N. Hotchkiss, installing officer.
The first appointed and first elected Worshipful Master, Dr. Alfred E. Ames, was later the first Most Worshipful Grand Master of the state of Minnesota.
Bylaws which addressed meeting dates and times were adopted according to the conditions of the times and read as follows: "The lodge shall meet on Tuesdays next preceding the full moon unless the moon is full on Tuesday then that shall be considered the day of the meeting except in June and December, in which months the stated meeting of the lodge shall be on the festival days of St. John the Evangelist and St. John the Baptist. The hours of meeting shall be 6 o'clock P.M. from the first of October to the first of April and at 7 o'clock P.M. during the remainder of the year."

Fees:              For each degree              $5.00
                       Admission to membership $1.00
                       Quarterly dues                      25 cents

Attendance : Any member Who shall absence him self from the lodge for six months at the option of the lodge, be considered as having withdrawn, unless caused by sickness or absence from his usual place of residence.

The 60th anniversary on December 1, 1909 was an eventful affair with ceremonies dedicating the new Masonic Hall with Brother C. A. Ransom as Worshipful Master. Roscoe Lodge #75 at this time had the largest membership of any lodge in Winnebago County outside the city of Rockford.

The 75th anniversary was held in the lodge rooms on December 10, 1924, under the direction of brother Harry Evans, Worshipful Master.
In preperation for the event the building was re-decorated, new furniture secured, electric signs hung, and a double heating system installed. The lodge was in a very prosperous condition having the largest membership of any lodge in the county outside of Rockford.
The ceremonies were opened at 1:00 PM when the Master Mason degree was confered on three candidates in the lodge hall, the work being jointly confered by present and past officers of the lodge.

The canadidates were Jacob Speilman and Henry Edwards, of Roscoe, and Sylvester Ray, of Harlem. Lynn C. Treadwell, past master, of E. F. W. Ellis lodge No. 633, was in the east during the raising of the first candidaate, George Taft, a past master at Roscoe, confered the work in the second, while Harry G. Evans, the master at the time officiated during the exemplification on the final candidate.

Grand Lodge Represented
The work was supervised by J. R. Balliet, Right Worshipful District Deputy Grand Master, Belvidere, who complimented the officers at the close of the session on the impressive manner in which the ritual had been performed.

Lodge members representing practically every organization in the northern part of the state were joined by their wives at the banquet served in the evening at the Methodest church parlors. The banquet was served by members of the Ladies' Aid Society, who are members of the Eastern Star. Mrs. Joseph Gsell was chairman of the banquet committee, which was highly complimented on the capable manner in which the vast throng was served.

Banquet Gala Event.
The banquet was perhaps the most gala event of its kind ever staged in Roscoe. Former Residents thronged the parlors of the church. It was in the nature of a home-coming celebration, and proved most enjoyable to every one in attendance.
Musical numbers were provided during the banquet by members of the Harlem Consolidated school orchestra under the direction of Irvin Pearson. This 10 piece organization formed but a few months previously, had gained an enviable reputation and was much in demand at social gatherings in the area at the time.
The personel included Mrs. Pearson, Miss Lisle Conklin, Miss Frances Brown and Robert Miller as viollnists; Francis Swanson, cornet, Irvin Pearson, clarinet and director, the Misses Elaine and Enid Andrews, as Saxaphonists; Miss Dorothy Stegman, Pianist and Master Ralph Hall, at the traps.
Beloit Quartet on Program.
Miss Stegman, at the piano, also proved unusually capable as accompaniest. The Misses Andrew, appearing in the Saxophone duet, won merited applause. The orchestra was well balanced and the themes presented, some of them extremely difficult, were interpreted with the skill of a veteran organization.
Master Frederick Haye, soloist at the Emmanuel Episcopal church, Rockford, and a student at the school, accompanied the orchestra and favored with three vocal selections. The Fairbanks-Morse Masonic quartet, Beloit Wisconson, composed of Messrs. David McCulloch, Lehand Foreman, LeGrande Warner and Le Grand Brannon, was heartily applauded after its numbers.

Former Pastor Speaker.
Mrs. Ezra Greenslit, Rockford reader, exercised all her usual charm and ability in the presentation of a group of numbers.
The Rev. John DeLong, pastor at Barrington and a former pastor at Roscoe, gave the principal address of the evening. He cited masonry as one of the greatest infulences for good in the world.
"Like the Democratic Party, it is full of mystery," said the speaker. "And", he added, "like the Republican organization, it is full of good."
The pastor expressed a regret that he had not affiliated with the organization years before so that he might have benefited by the influence that the order has in store.
Roscoe lodge, the speaker asserted, was proof in itself of the wide influence of masonry which, he explained was not confined to fraturnal circles alone.

As a mark of respect for the able manner in which the diamond jubilee program had been arranged and presented, members of the lodge have re-elected the present officers who planned the celebration. These include:

  • Harry G. Evans, W. M.
  • John Greenlee, S. W.
  • Ernest Wilson, Secretary.
  • C. A. Ransom, Treasurer.
  • Percy Vincent, S. D.
  • Verne McDonald, J. D.
  • William Hough, S. S.
  • Ray Rogers, J. S.
  • L. A. Belden, Chaplain
  • R. L. Cummings, Marshal
  • James Parker, tyler
  • C. A. Ransom, organist

Earnest Wilson, Secretary of the local lodge, had served the order faithfully in that capacity for the past 21 years.
Over 200 members and their wives and families totaling more than 400 people were served at a Dinner which was served by the Junior Warden and Stewards.

The last meeting held in the building, which was dedicated in 1909, was on November 9, 1926 when a Motion was made and carried to increase the amount of insurance on the building.

At about 4:00 A.M. the following morning the building caught fire and burned to the ground and because of a lack of fire fighting equipment two nearby homes and a store also burned down completely.  

Mrs. Lenore Warner, wife of Worshipful Brother Elmer F. Warner and mother of this Webmaster, remembered her sister being informed of the fire and making the statement "When it gets to Harry Hardy's wake me up". They lived next to Mr. Hardy, and he, just down the street one house from the fire.

The plight of the Lodge without a home was quickly recognized by the brothers of our sister lodge, Rockton Lodge #74, which was chartered earlier the same year. Upon their invitation all meetings with work were held in their lodge rooms and business meetings without work were held in the Roscoe Methodist Church.
Photos of church.
Picture of corner stone From original building re-laid in 1927. The corner stone for the new building
See close up. See Corner stone close up.and the present home of Roscoe Lodge #75 was laid in the spring of 1927 with proper ceremonies. Dedication services were held in the Masonic Temple on Dec. 10, 1927, with an overflow attendance for our much enlarged capacity. Many Grand Lodge officers were present and participated in the program. Among them was Most Worshipful Grand Master Louis L. Emerson, ex-governor of the state of Illinois, also Right Worshipful District Deputy Grand Master Karl J. Mohr, who later as a Past Grand Master and Grand Councellor of the state of Illinois also participated in the Centennial program in 1949.

At this time the building committee consisted of four past masters-- F. F. Moore, Geo. M. Taft, W. S. Richardson, H. G. Evans -- and the three principal officers -- John A. Greenlee, Worshipful Master, Fred Schoonmaker, Senior Warden, and P. W. Vincent, Junior Warden; of which 22 years later at the time of the centennial program three were still living. This committee was not to be released until the building was free of indebtedness.

At the time of the Centennial, (November 5, 1949) the membership consisted of 123 in good standing, with 46 Past Masters 12 of whom were living and many of whom were present at the Centennial, and the following officers:

      Robert S. Moore Worshipfull Master
          John A. Berg Senior Warden
          Harry Schoonover Junior Warden
          W.B. Harry G. Evans Treasurer
          W.B. John A. Greenlee Secretary
          Robert C. Hubbard Chaplain
          Arnold Bunting Senior Deacon
          Earl Stauffer Junior Deacon
          Marvin Barnes Senior Steward
          James Fulton Junior Steward
          W. B. Elmer Warner Marshall
          David Crockett Tyler

This website does not speak for the Grand Lodge of Illinois or Freemasonry in general


150th Anniversary celebration!

     In September of 1999 Roscoe Lodge #75 together with Rockton Lodge celebrated our 150th Anniversary at Hononegah High school in Rockton with a Dinner at 6:00 PM and a re-dedication of both lodges with Brother J. Garrie Burr Most Worshipful Grand Master of the State of Illinois officiating.

9 - 11 - 2001
Roscoe Lodge #75 HOLDS FIRST MEETING AFTER MERGER

Yes, on this day which will live in infamy, Roscoe lodge # 75 A. F. & A. M. under dispensation of the Grand Master of the state of Illinois held its first meeting of the combined Rockton #74/Roscoe #75 Lodge in the lodge hall of Rockton Lodge #74. Prior to the meeting a buffet lunch was enjoyed by all and a nice memorial cake was served. The celebration was muted by the facts of the day and the loss of Rockton Lodge. Lodge was opened at the usual time of 7:30 by the officers of Roscoe lodge #75 on the third degree for business. After the usual order of busness lodge was closed, and the members and guests either went home or retired to the dining room to partake of some more cake and clean up. Some of us I feel were somewhat reluctant to go home as this was the last masonic meeting to be held in this building. The end of an Era in more ways than one.

Wednesday, May 8th 2002 --

The non -Masonic related furnishings of Rockton Lodge #74 were auctioned to the public.







ROCKTON LODGE'S LAST BUILDING
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HOW TO JOIN THE FREEMASONS

Freemasons have traditionally never recruted members, prefering to let the canidates come to them with a request to join, and that is about all that is necessary. If a man believes in God or a Supreme Being and is "of good report" all that he need do is find someone he knows who is a member and ask him for a petition, then fill it out and hand it in with the required fee and before he knows it he is a member of the oldest and most far-flung fraturnity in the world.
How do I find someone who is a Freemason? Look for this symbol on his car, or on a ring on his finger.
Or any of the following symbols, they are emblems of Dependant bodies, in other words one must first be a Mason or closely related to one in order to join these.

Call (815) 623-7575
If all else fails call our Lodge at (815) 623-7575 and leave a message on our machine. Someone will get in touch with you.

Or E-mail the Webmaster David F. Warner

This website does not speak for the Grand Lodge of Illinois or Freemasonry in general



©David Warner, 2000



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3rd Northern District Lodge Activities - Special meetings, degree work, etc.


                   ©David Warner, 2003      

This website does not speak for the Grand Lodge of Illinois or Freemasonry in general