Masonic Temple-217-219 East Main Street
Title
Masonic Temple-217-219 East Main Street
Subject
Freemasons ; Greek letter societies ; Clubs ; Libraries
Description
The laying of the cornerstone for this building took place on April 13 , 1871 . Besides official papers such as the charter of the Grand Lodge of the State of Indiana , there were placed in the cornerstone such things as: a paper containing the names of many of the pioneer citizens of Madison ; a card containing the pictures of all the presidents of the United States ; specimens of the silver , nickel and copper coins of the day ; the copper plate taken from the cornerstone of the old lodge building on West Street and the coins taken from there, including one American silver dollar dated 1803 , one half dollar dated 1818 , one quarter dollar dated 1818 , one dime dated 1821 , one sixteenth of a dollar dated 1797 , one copper cent dated 1820 , and one half cent dated 1808 . These were placed in a hermetically sealed jar with the intent that they remain there, "probably for centuries , unless some unforeseen accident caused the destruction of the building , the contents of the jar will never be looked upon again by any person now living , after the cap-stone is closed over it. " The dedication of the building , built by John Temperly , took place on May 16 , 1872 . There were brass bands , a procession , speeches , and a banquet consisting of seventeen tables set with "all the dainties " of the season . There had been a deep fog that morning and many of the boats had been late in arriving . When they did , depositing some 400 guests , another grand procession was held to include the newcomers . In the early 1920s the public library was housed here on the second floor . In 1921 there was extensive work done on the building . It was modernized and refurbished making it one of the "most attractive lodge halls in the state for a town the size of Madison. " Over the years several businesses have been located in the building including Drake's Music Store , Rousch's Book Store and for many years until the mid '90s , Steinhardt and Hanson . The lodge sold the building in the 1990s and it is in the process of undergoing a major renovation by the present owners .
Creator
Harry Lemen, photographer Eastman-Kodak Brownie Camera No. 2C model A, with No. 130 film.
Contributors
Madison-Jefferson County Public Library
Date
Picture taken 1927
Type
Negative (2-7/8" x4-7/8" )
Format
Scanned negative, 1200 DPI, online JPG saved at 72 DPI 1000 pixels on long edge with a MicroTek ScanMaker 9800XL. Scan is full frame of negative. No correction of film errors. Slight sharpness and contrast adjustments.
Identifier
"Lemen1049-masonictemple"
Source
RoundAbout Madison Madison Courier Evening Courier Daily Evening Courier
Rights
Permission to reproduce this image for other than personal use must be requested from the Director of the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library. Please contact at 420 W. Main Street Madison, IN 47250 (812) 265-2744
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