Our History
On October 25,1895, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory issued a letter of
dispensation for the formation of a Regular Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons to be known as
Shawnee Lodge U.D.
On October 27, 1895, " Shawnee Lodge U.D. was opened in due form on the 3rd degree of
Masonry in Maxey Hall in Shawnee, O.T.". The Maxey Building was located on the northeast corner
of Main and Broadway. Lodge rooms were on the second floor.
The First Officers were:
C.N. Points, Worshipful Master
Abe Cole, Senior Warden
William H. Dodge, Junior Warden
Cassius M.Cade, Senior Decon
R.E. Wood, Secretary
(A short time later, Brother Cassius M. Cade was elected as Treasurer.)
According to the new By-Laws:
The fees for the degrees were:
$10.00 for initiation
$10.00 for passing
$10.00 for raising.
The annual dues were $2.50.
The stated Meetings were held on the first and third Mondays of each month at the hour of 7:30
p.m., and on the Festival of St. John the Baptist (June 24th) and St. John the Evangelist
(December 27).
March 13, 1896, a charter for Shawnee Lodge No. 27, dated February 11, 1896 was delivered by
Brother W.S. Search, Past Master of Tecumseh Lodge No. 13, who had been appointed by the
Grand Master as Deputy Grand Master for the purpose of consecrating, dedicating and
constituting Shawnee Lodge No. 27, and to install Officers.
March 16, 1896, Brother W.S. Search petitioned Shawnee Lodge No. 27 for membership. He was
elected a member on April 6,1896, he was installed as Worshipful Master of Shawnee lodge for
1897.
March 8,1897, dispensation was granted to form an Order of the Eastern Star Chapter which met
in the lodge hall, and later became Shawnee Chapter No. 43.
October 3, 1898, Shawnee Lodge No. 27 voted to move to the Aydelotte-Peoples Building. (The
lodge had considered moving to a building owned by H.B. Dexter and, later, to the Wayland
Building.)
While in the Aydelotte Building, the lodge rented the use of their hall, at different times, to the
Knights of Pythias, the Protective League, the Elks, the Brotherhood of the Locomotive Engineers
and Firemen, The Woodmen of the World, the Machinist's Union, the Select Knights and Ladies
and to the Boiler Makers, This ceased when the lodge later moved to another location.
The following was taken from the 50th Anniversary of Shawnee Lodge No. 107 booklet prepared
when Brother C.W. Epperson was Worshipful Master.
"The following quote from the minutes of February 5, 1900 indicates the type of mutual interest
existing between the Freemasons of Shawnee and their Sisters of the Order of the Eastern Star:
While we were at recess after the first section had been given to the candidates, the ladies of the
Order of the Eastern Star stormed our castle and fed us on everything good and sweet and
entertained us for about an hour."
January 21,1901 , the lodge voted to rent the hall to Royal Arch Masonry, Shawnee Chapter No.
32,R.A.M., received it's chapter on April 8,1902 and was meeting in the lodge hall.
April 5,1902 the lodge voted to purchase a Tyler's sword.
May 5,1902 the lodge completed a contract to lease a new hall on the third floor of the Whittaker
Building. They moved to the Whittaker Building in February,1903.
February 11,1909, Shawnee Lodge No.27 was re-chartered as Shawnee Lodge No.107 due to the
consolidation of the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory and the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory
to form the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of the State of
Oklahoma.
April 19,1912, Shawnee Commandery No.36, Knights Templar, was chartered and was meeting in
the lodge hall.
April 17,1913 Shawnee Council No.26, Royal and Select Masters, was chartered and was meeting
in the lodge hall.
September 10,1920, the newly-formed Masonic Temple Association held it's first meeting in the
offices of Stanard and Ennis. The association was the result of the concern of many of the leading
Masons in Shawnee for the welfare of Shawnee Masonry, in general, and consisted of three
trustees apiece from each of the member organizations meeting in the lodge hall.
June 2,1923, Shawnee Assembly No.2, Order of the Rainbow for Girls, was chartered and was
meeting in the lodge hall.
June 1,1925, Shawnee Chapter, Order of DeMolay for Boys, was chartered and was meeting in the
lodge hall. The chapter was re-chartered on April 25,1975.
February 24, 1926, Composite Lodge No.523 was chartered and was meeting in the lodge hall.
There were twenty-five charter members.
The First Officers were:
J.M. Hinds, Worshipful Master
A.C. Dunson, Senior Warden
Charles H Irvion, Junior Warden
G.W. Wyatt, Secretary
December 9, 1929, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge was opened in the Shawnee Masonic Hall
which was temporarily located in the Brown-Duncan Building. With an escort of uniformed knights
Templar led by the Grand commander, Sir Knight Leslie H. Swan (who was Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge in 1922), the Grand Officers and other Masons marched to the new Shawnee
Masonic Temple on the southwest corner of 9th and Bell and, with due ceremony, laid the
corner-stone for the Masonic Temple Building.
Masonic temple Building 23 East Ninth, Shawnee, Oklahoma. Three Lodge rooms, secretary
offices, Mens Lounge and Ladies Lounge were on the fifth floor. A large dining room, kitchen and
store rooms were on the sixth floor.
Shawnee Lodge, Composite Lodge and the other affiliated organizations used the Temple Building
at 9th and Bell for many years until the Masonic Temple Association sold the building in 1984 and
purchased land at 555 Kickapoo Spur to build a new Masonic Temple.
From the time that the old Masonic Temple was vacated until they moved into the new Masonic
Temple at 555 Kickapoo Spur, the two lodges met temporarily in the Tecumseh Masonic Temple
and the affiliated organizations were at recess.
March 9,1985, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, under the direction of Most Worshipful Bob C.
Morrison, Grand Master, laid the corner-stone for the new Shawnee Masonic Temple.(M.W.
Morrison was a member of the Shawnee York Rite Bodies.)
In May,1985, the two lodges and the affiliated organizations held their first stated meetings in the
new Masonic Temple.
September 10,1985, Shawnee Lodge No.107 and Composite Lodge No.523 were consolidated and
the name of the resulting lodge was Changed to Composite Lodge No.107,A.F.&A.M..
July 20,1996, with Brother Bobby J. Peters serving as Worshipful Master, Composite Lodge No.107
celebrated it's One-hundredth birthday.
Today Masonary is alive and well in Shawnee, Oklahoma
dispensation for the formation of a Regular Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons to be known as
Shawnee Lodge U.D.
On October 27, 1895, " Shawnee Lodge U.D. was opened in due form on the 3rd degree of
Masonry in Maxey Hall in Shawnee, O.T.". The Maxey Building was located on the northeast corner
of Main and Broadway. Lodge rooms were on the second floor.
The First Officers were:
C.N. Points, Worshipful Master
Abe Cole, Senior Warden
William H. Dodge, Junior Warden
Cassius M.Cade, Senior Decon
R.E. Wood, Secretary
(A short time later, Brother Cassius M. Cade was elected as Treasurer.)
According to the new By-Laws:
The fees for the degrees were:
$10.00 for initiation
$10.00 for passing
$10.00 for raising.
The annual dues were $2.50.
The stated Meetings were held on the first and third Mondays of each month at the hour of 7:30
p.m., and on the Festival of St. John the Baptist (June 24th) and St. John the Evangelist
(December 27).
March 13, 1896, a charter for Shawnee Lodge No. 27, dated February 11, 1896 was delivered by
Brother W.S. Search, Past Master of Tecumseh Lodge No. 13, who had been appointed by the
Grand Master as Deputy Grand Master for the purpose of consecrating, dedicating and
constituting Shawnee Lodge No. 27, and to install Officers.
March 16, 1896, Brother W.S. Search petitioned Shawnee Lodge No. 27 for membership. He was
elected a member on April 6,1896, he was installed as Worshipful Master of Shawnee lodge for
1897.
March 8,1897, dispensation was granted to form an Order of the Eastern Star Chapter which met
in the lodge hall, and later became Shawnee Chapter No. 43.
October 3, 1898, Shawnee Lodge No. 27 voted to move to the Aydelotte-Peoples Building. (The
lodge had considered moving to a building owned by H.B. Dexter and, later, to the Wayland
Building.)
While in the Aydelotte Building, the lodge rented the use of their hall, at different times, to the
Knights of Pythias, the Protective League, the Elks, the Brotherhood of the Locomotive Engineers
and Firemen, The Woodmen of the World, the Machinist's Union, the Select Knights and Ladies
and to the Boiler Makers, This ceased when the lodge later moved to another location.
The following was taken from the 50th Anniversary of Shawnee Lodge No. 107 booklet prepared
when Brother C.W. Epperson was Worshipful Master.
"The following quote from the minutes of February 5, 1900 indicates the type of mutual interest
existing between the Freemasons of Shawnee and their Sisters of the Order of the Eastern Star:
While we were at recess after the first section had been given to the candidates, the ladies of the
Order of the Eastern Star stormed our castle and fed us on everything good and sweet and
entertained us for about an hour."
January 21,1901 , the lodge voted to rent the hall to Royal Arch Masonry, Shawnee Chapter No.
32,R.A.M., received it's chapter on April 8,1902 and was meeting in the lodge hall.
April 5,1902 the lodge voted to purchase a Tyler's sword.
May 5,1902 the lodge completed a contract to lease a new hall on the third floor of the Whittaker
Building. They moved to the Whittaker Building in February,1903.
February 11,1909, Shawnee Lodge No.27 was re-chartered as Shawnee Lodge No.107 due to the
consolidation of the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory and the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory
to form the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of the State of
Oklahoma.
April 19,1912, Shawnee Commandery No.36, Knights Templar, was chartered and was meeting in
the lodge hall.
April 17,1913 Shawnee Council No.26, Royal and Select Masters, was chartered and was meeting
in the lodge hall.
September 10,1920, the newly-formed Masonic Temple Association held it's first meeting in the
offices of Stanard and Ennis. The association was the result of the concern of many of the leading
Masons in Shawnee for the welfare of Shawnee Masonry, in general, and consisted of three
trustees apiece from each of the member organizations meeting in the lodge hall.
June 2,1923, Shawnee Assembly No.2, Order of the Rainbow for Girls, was chartered and was
meeting in the lodge hall.
June 1,1925, Shawnee Chapter, Order of DeMolay for Boys, was chartered and was meeting in the
lodge hall. The chapter was re-chartered on April 25,1975.
February 24, 1926, Composite Lodge No.523 was chartered and was meeting in the lodge hall.
There were twenty-five charter members.
The First Officers were:
J.M. Hinds, Worshipful Master
A.C. Dunson, Senior Warden
Charles H Irvion, Junior Warden
G.W. Wyatt, Secretary
December 9, 1929, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge was opened in the Shawnee Masonic Hall
which was temporarily located in the Brown-Duncan Building. With an escort of uniformed knights
Templar led by the Grand commander, Sir Knight Leslie H. Swan (who was Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge in 1922), the Grand Officers and other Masons marched to the new Shawnee
Masonic Temple on the southwest corner of 9th and Bell and, with due ceremony, laid the
corner-stone for the Masonic Temple Building.
Masonic temple Building 23 East Ninth, Shawnee, Oklahoma. Three Lodge rooms, secretary
offices, Mens Lounge and Ladies Lounge were on the fifth floor. A large dining room, kitchen and
store rooms were on the sixth floor.
Shawnee Lodge, Composite Lodge and the other affiliated organizations used the Temple Building
at 9th and Bell for many years until the Masonic Temple Association sold the building in 1984 and
purchased land at 555 Kickapoo Spur to build a new Masonic Temple.
From the time that the old Masonic Temple was vacated until they moved into the new Masonic
Temple at 555 Kickapoo Spur, the two lodges met temporarily in the Tecumseh Masonic Temple
and the affiliated organizations were at recess.
March 9,1985, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, under the direction of Most Worshipful Bob C.
Morrison, Grand Master, laid the corner-stone for the new Shawnee Masonic Temple.(M.W.
Morrison was a member of the Shawnee York Rite Bodies.)
In May,1985, the two lodges and the affiliated organizations held their first stated meetings in the
new Masonic Temple.
September 10,1985, Shawnee Lodge No.107 and Composite Lodge No.523 were consolidated and
the name of the resulting lodge was Changed to Composite Lodge No.107,A.F.&A.M..
July 20,1996, with Brother Bobby J. Peters serving as Worshipful Master, Composite Lodge No.107
celebrated it's One-hundredth birthday.
Today Masonary is alive and well in Shawnee, Oklahoma