The Masonic Temple in London, Ohio is
now located at 65 North Main St, on the
northwest corner of Main and Fifth Ave.
Chandler Lodge was charted by the Grand
lodge of Ohio on October 21st 1846. At
the time the lodge was located downtown.
By 1856 they shared a lodge hall with
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows on
South Main St. In 1889 the lodge was
moved to the location now occupied by
the State Theater in downtown London. A
fire on February 20, 1929 consumed the
building and destroyed the lodge all its
records. The lodge remained prosperous
and rented the third floor of the
Exchange Bank Building. It was after
this last move that it was decided to
find a more suitable location with room
for growth, and a known landmark for the
growing farming community of London.
The cornerstone for the current temple
was laid on July 10th, 1932. The
dedication ceremony of the lodge was a
grand affair with a parade through
downtown with many community leaders and
Masonic dignitaries on hand. The new
temple was opened and commenced its
Masonic duties on February 7th 1933. The
temple contains one of the largest and
nicely ornamented meeting halls in the
district. In addition it contains a
second smaller meeting room, offices, a
large sitting and informal meeting room,
and a full kitchen and dining room for
150 people that have been recently
remodeled. Today the 'new' Temple is a
well known 'old' landmark and meeting
place for citizens of London.
The
Masonic related bodies that meet at the
temple include:
-
Chandler Lodge #138 F &
A.M. Chartered October 21st, 1846
(2nd & 4th Tuesdays 7:30 p.m.)
-
Adoniram Chapter #73, Chartered
October 18th, 1856 (2nd Thursday
7:30 p.m.)
-
London
Council #41, Chartered October 13th,
1866 (2nd Thursday 7:30 p.m.)
-
Order
of the Eastern Star; London Chapter
#386, Chartered October 25th 1916
(1st Thursday 7:30 p.m.)
-
Willis
Commandery #82, Chartered October
9th, 1951 (4th Thursday 7:30 p.m.)
-
John
L. Owsley Council of Allied Masonic
Degrees #217, Chartered in 1986
-
International Order of Rainbow For
Girls; London Assembly #208,
Chartered October 26th 1993 (1st and
3rd Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., Advisory
Board Meeting Last Monday 7:00 p.m.)
Also meeting in the temple on a regular
basis is the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows Madison Lodge #70, the London
Area Baseball Council, American Cancer Society, and
Ladies of the DAR, Retired Teachers
Association.
Besides the stated meetings of the
Masonic bodies and other organizations,
the Temple also is a part of many annual
traditions for the city of London, such
as the Strawberry Festival, Cobra Car
Show, Old Fashioned Christmas
Celebration, and an annual Christmas
Party for the Children of Madison County
.
