The first photograph to the left was captured by Flickr contributor Tourismguy (Bruce Wicks).

The second photograph is from Google Streetview.

The images to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

The old structure is now home to Temple Banquet Centre and Spirits Lounge, and is No. 78001165 on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first image was captured by Flickr contributor, Seth Gaines. Click here to see Mr. Gaines' extraordinary portfolio.

The second image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

Arcola's Masonic organisations moved directly across the street to 213½ East Main Street.

The first photograph to the left was captured by Flickr contributor Tourismguy (Bruce Wicks). The second image is a close-up form the same photograph.

The third image is a satellite view from Google Maps. Note the prominent impression of the chapter/lodge hall in the roof structure.

The photographs to the left come to us from Facebook site, "Historic Masonic Lodges and Temples (A Photo Tour)".

The image to the left was captured Google Streetview.

The chapter now meet at Aurora's new Masonic Temple, on the third Wednesday of January, April, July, and October, at 7:30 p.m.

The first photograph on the left was captured by Flickr user pasa47.

The second photograph was taken by Waymarking user BruceS.

The cornerstone was laid on 3 September 1920, and the temple was dedicated on 14 September 1921.

Clarke Chapter merged into Lusk Chapter No. 20 on 28 July 2006.

The first photograph on the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second photograph is a postcard of the then-new temple, produced by Curt Teich & Co. and is available from the Illinois Digital Archive.

The first image was captured by Flickr contributor, Courtney Chesley. Click here to see Ms. Chesley's portfolio.

The second image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

Kishwaukee Chapter No. 90 purchased a life lease of the lodge room from Belvidere Lodge for US$3,000 on 20 May 1912. Ibid. The chapter merged into Winnebago Chapter No. 24 of Loves Park on 27 July 2001. The combined chapter subsequently removed to Rockford.

The first image comes to us from Belvidere Lodge No. 60.

The second image was captured by Google Streetview.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

Please click here for images of Bloomington Chapter’s hall (known as the “Gold Room”) in the Bloomington Scottish Rite Cathedral.

The first image comes courtesy of the Scottish Rite Valley of Bloomington.

The second image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The third and fourth photographs were captured by Companion David Miley on 21 September 2008.

Notice the columns and archway, capped with a keystone. Difficult to see in these photographs are the square & compasses on the base of each column, and the Mark of Hiram on keystone.

Fairview Chapter No. 161 merged into Calumet Chapter No. 203 on 12 March 1975. The combined chapter subsequently merged into Logan Chapter No. 196 of Oak Lawn on 13 June 1983.

The photographs on the left were captured by Google Streetview.

Henry Godeke Chapter’s convocations are held on the fourth Monday evening of each month. Click here to visit the chapter’s website.

The imagery to the left come to us through the courtesy of the Bridgeport York Rite bodies.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The image to the left was captured by Flickr user Eridony.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The image to the left was posted by Waymarking user gladtobehere and published by Waymarking user Math Teacher.

The images to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

The chapter merged into LaHarpe Chapter No. 111 of LaHarpe on 14 January 1956.

The photographs on the left were captured by Facebook site, "Historic Masonic Lodges and Temples (A Photo Tour)".

This temple was home to Carthage Chapter No. 33 until 1924 when a three-alarm destroyed most of the interior and necessitated extensive exterior reconstruction as well. Mississippi Valley Telephone purchased the building's remains that year and rebuilt it without architect George W. Payne's original arched windows and pyramidal roof. Carthage's Masonic bodies built a new, larger temple in the following year.

The photographs on the left were captured by Waymarking user BruceS.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The Neil Street site is now a parking lot.

The first image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The second photograph depicts the building's cornerstone, now displayed in front of Champaign's current Masonic Temple, and was captured by Companion David Miley on 14 September 2008.

These photographs were captured by Companion David Miley on 14 September 2008.

Each of the four halls boasted lavish ornamentation, murals, detailed mouldings, and powerful pipe organs. One of the halls featured what may have been the first horse-shoe balcony in a Freemason hall in the United States.

Despite being equipped with a 4,000-gallon reservoir in its attic, and a basement steam pump capable of propelling water fifty feet above the roof, building was gutted by fire on 17 June 1930.

Please click here for more details and cited references.

Please click here to see the interior.

La Fayette Chapter’s monthly convocations are now held on the fourth Tuesday evening of each month at Jefferson Park Masonic Temple. Click here to visit the chapter’s website.

The woodcut on the left, depicting the exterior of the American Merchants' Union Express Company building, originally appeared on page 197 of The Land Owner, Vol. 4, No. 11 (November 1872), published by J. M. Wing & Co.

The photograph on the left depicts the exterior of the American Express Building dressed for the 1910 Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the U.S.A. See the reflection of the Majestic Building’s distinctive terra cotta lower walls in the American Express Building’s windows. Photo courtesy of Apollo Commandery No. 1, Knights Templar. Click here to see ninety more photographs of Chicago hosting the 1910 Triennial Conclave.

The former temple is now a charter high school, the Community Youth Development Institute.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The temple was home to Corinthian Chapter No. 2, Wiley M. Eagan Chapter No. 126, Lincoln Park Chapter No. 177, and Saint Cecilia Chapter No. 220. See Evert E. Lawson (ed.), 1968-1969 Masonic Directory: A Listing of Masonic Lodges and Appendant Bodies in Illinois, Glenwood, Illinois: Temple Publishers (1968).

Wiley M. Eagan Chapter merged into Corinthian Chapter who reassumed their former name, La Fayette Chapter No. 2. They currently meet on the fourth Tuesday evening of each month at Jefferson Park Masonic Temple. Click here to visit the chapter’s website

St. Cecilia Chapter merged into Lincoln Park Chapter, who now meet at Mont Clare Masonic Temple.

Please click here to see the interior.

The first photograph on the left shows the Central Masonic Temple dressed for the 1910 Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the U.S.A.

The second photograph shows the cornerstone ready for its laying on 14 October 1909. Click here for more photographs of the laying ceremony and the procession thereto.

The third photograph was taken during construction in early 1910.

Please click here to see interior photographs of the interior of Corinthian Hall.

To the left is a woodcut depicting a westward view along the Chicago River, South Water Street (now Wacker Drive) and Kinzie Street, from Rand McNally's 1893 Bird's-Eye Views and Guide to Chicago. Corinthian Hall is in the upper right corner, at the northwest corner of the intersection of Kinzie and Dearborn Streets. Dearborn is identified by the second bridge from the top (west).

The image the left was captured by Google Streetview.

La Fayette Chapter’s monthly convocations are held on the fourth Tuesday evening of each month. Click here to visit the chapter’s website.

Please click here for images of La Fayette Chapter’s hall in Jefferson Park Masonic Temple.

The mid-construction photograph and the blueprints, both shown to the left, come to us through the courtesy of Hesperia Lodge No. 411, A.F.&A.M.

[1] See Bruce Barnes, ed., “History and Rededication of Jefferson Masonic Temple,” The Hesperian (Chicago), vol. 70, no. 3 (July 2005): 1, 16. See also Edward E. Gaunt, A Historical Account of the First 100 Years of Providence Lodge No. 711, A.F.&A.M., (date unknown [c. 1968?]).

Logan Square Chapter merged into Lincoln Park Chapter No. 177 who now meet at Mont Clare Masonic Temple.

The former Logan Square Masonic Temple is now known as Armitage Baptist Church.

The photograph on the left was captured by Companion David A. Miley on 1 February 2010.

The twenty-two storey building, designed by John Wellborn Root of Burnham and Root, was constructed in 1892. Below the Masonic floors were offices. The lower nine floors featured shops surrounding an open court. The lodge halls served also as theatres, but the building's elevators, barely sufficient for daily commercial activity, were woefully inadequate for the theatre crowds. The building, with its lacklustre utility services and elevators, struggled to retain commercial tenants. The building's death knell was the construction of the State Street subway (now part of the Red Line), which would have necessitated prohibitively expensive upgrades to the structure's foundation. Consequently, the temple was razed in 1939.

Please click here to see Washington Chapter's insurance policy for their furnishings at this temple, dated 7 January 1903.

The tinted postcard on the left depicts the exterior of the Chicago Masonic Temple at or about the time of its opening, judging by the horses and cable-cars.

The photograph on the left depicts the exteriors of the Chicago Masonic Temple and its neighbour to the south, Marshall Field & Company, dressed for the 1910 Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the U.S.A. Click here to see ninety more photographs of Chicago hosting the 1910 Triennial Conclave.

Lincoln Park Chapter No. 177 merged into Irving Park Chapter in 1978. The chapter, having readopted the Lincoln Park name and number in 2009, now meet at Mont Clare Masonic Temple.

The former Irving Park Masonic Temple is now a church.

The photograph on the left was captured by Companion David A. Miley on 17 April 2010.

The sketch was produced by the architectural firm, Hatzfekd & Knox.

Formerly located at 122 [o.s.] 18 North [n.s.] LaSalle Street, in Chicago, Oriental Hall was home to Washington Chapter No. 43.

Please click here to see the interior of Oriental Hall.

Please click here to read Washington Chapter's 5 March 1878 letter to Oriental Lodge No. 33, inquiring about becoming a tenant.

The woodcut on the left depicts the exterior of Oriental Hall, circa 1873, as it appeared in The Land Owner, Vol. 4, No. 10, Chicago: J. M. Wing (Oct. 1872), at 173. Click on it to see a high-resolution image.

The photograph on the left, from the archives of Oriental Lodge No. 33, depicts the exterior of Oriental Hall, sometime after the 1894 completion of Louis Sullivan’s Chicago Stock Exchange (on the right edge of the image, immediately north of Oriental Hall on the other side of the Calhoon Place alley, but prior to the 1909 demolition of the hall and the LaSalle Building (left edge of the photo, abutting the hall to the south) to make room for Holabird & Roche’s Hotel LaSalle. Click on it to see a high-resolution image.

Please click here for a history of the temple from its former owner, Paul Revere Lodge No. 998, AF&AM.

Following the building's sale, Loyal Chapter formally removed to Evanston and became effectively dormant until being resurrected at Franklin Park on 17 July 2006. Having been renamed M.I.B. Red Chapter on 1 August 2008, the chapter removed on 29 June 2012 to Elmhurst where their convocations are held on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m..

The building is now a Buddhist temple, and is a mere block east of another former Masonic temple at 4605 North Paulina Street.

The first image was captured by Google Streetview, and shows the structure in its current state.

The second image was taken by Robert W. Krueger in 1985, and is available from the Chicago Public Library's digital collections.

Pullman Chapter merged into Calumet Chapter No. 203 of Blue Island on 11 July 1975. The combined chapter then merged into Logan Chapter No. 196 of Oak Lawn on 13 June 1983.

After years of neglect, the former temple is now the offices of the Historic Pullman District Foundation.

The photograph on the left was captured by Picasa user Bob Cafarelli (a/k/a Flickr user caferhead).

The more significant building in the complex, from our perspective here, however, is the large structure built, and first occupied in 1905, by the Scottish Rite[5] in the centre of the block, adjoining the south side of the church, and accessing the street via a stone-faced corridor extension constructed in the vacated alleyway at 923 North Dearborn Street [n.s.] (293-5 Dearborn Avenue [o.s.]).[6] The Valley’s so-called “Small Preceptory” occupied the third floor of this building in the centre of the block, and was the meeting place of La Fayette Chapter No. 2 from the 1960s until the complex was turned over to the property developers on 19 December 2006.[7] The structure was carefully razed over the course of several weeks in September and October 2007;[8] care and precision were required in order not to damage the surrounding structures.

Despite it having been constructed by the Scottish Rite, rather than a Holy Royal Arch chapter or other York Rite entity, notice the keystone design of the apex of the west wall in the second photograph on the left. In later years, large ductwork obscured the view of the keystone shape.

Both buildings face Washington Square Park, popularly known in the early 20th Century as “Bughouse Square.” [9]

The colourised postcard to the left depicts both Medinah Shriners’ church building and the Scottish Rite’s structure (albeit with the entrance to the latter erroneously coloured as brick, rather than as its actual grey stone), sometime between 1905 and 1911, C.E. The monochromatic photograph of the Scottish Rite structure and the 1891 George B. Carpenter mansion comes to us by the courtesy of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago. The aerial or orbital photographs of the complex are copyright by MapQuest and are used herein pursuant to the fair use doctrine. The areal photograph of the demolition were captured by Companion Stanley W. Smith of La Fayette Chapter No. 2 on 13 September 2007. The ground-level photographs were captured by Companion David A. Miley, also of La Fayette Chapter No. 2 on 15 September and 1 November 2007.

Please click here for our page about La Fayette Chapter’s hall in the former Scottish Rite Cathedral.

Please click here for more images and information about the former Scottish Rite Cathedral.

[2] Sam Loiacono & Harry Strouse, eds., Scottish Rite Cathedral Tour, Valley of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago (2003): 1.

[3] Alphonse Cerza, 33°, A History of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Illinois, 1846-1965, Bloomington, Illinois: Illinois Council of Deliberation (1966): 65-66.

[4] Id.

[5] George W. Warvelle, LL.D., 33°, History of Scottish Rite Masonry in Chicago: From its introduction until the semi-centennial anniversary in the year 1907, Chicago: Oriental Consistory (1907): 38.

[6] Id. at 19.

[7] Companion Gregory R. Klemm, MEPGHP, 33°, “Scottish Rite - Valley of Chicago change of address” email message, Chicago: Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago (12 Dec. 2006).

[8] Companion Stanley W. Smith (La Fayette Chapter No. 2), email statement to Companion David A. Miley (La Fayette Chapter No. 2), (17 Sep. 2007); Companions Stanley W. Smith & David A. Miley (La Fayette Chapter No. 2), personal observations and photographic records (17 Sep. - 1 Nov. 2007).

[9] Electronic Encyclopaedia of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Historical Society (n/k/a Chicago History Museum), at http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/

pages/178.html

When dedicated in 1926, the temple was the home of La Fayette Chapter No. 2, Wiley M. Egan Chapter No. 126, Hyde Park Chapter No. 240, and Temple Chapter No. 252. No Masonic bodies meet there at present. See Evert E. Lawson (ed.), 1968-1969 Masonic Directory: A Listing of Masonic Lodges and Appendant Bodies in Illinois, Glenwood, Illinois: Temple Publishers (1968).

The first photograph on the left is a post card from the Curt Teich Postcard Archives of the Lake County Discovery Museum.

The second photograph was captured by the Chicago Architectural Photographing Company and is found among the University of Illinois’ Northwest Architectural Archives (American Terra Cotta Company Photographs). The tall, dark building, seen half a block to the east, is the Daniel Burnham-designed Masonic Temple Building (1892-1939).

The third image is the cover of the temple’s leather-bound dedication book, and is a part of the archives of La Fayette Chapter No. 2.

The final image comes to us from Planet99.com.

The photographs were captured by Companion David Miley. The image of the commemorative fob image comes courtesy of Companion Paul A. Scheeler, Past High Priest of La Fayette Chapter No. 2. Click on the fob image to see an enlarged view of the reverse side shown; click here to see an enlarged view of the obverse side.

The building is currently home to a Baptist church.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

See Evert E. Lawson (ed.), 1968-1969 Masonic Directory: A Listing of Masonic Lodges and Appendant Bodies in Illinois, Glenwood, Illinois: Temple Publishers (1968).

The building currently houses the American Indian Centre of Chicago, and is only a block west of the former Paul Revere Masonic Temple at 1521 West Wilson Avenue.

Fort Dearborn Chapter merged into Irving Park Chapter No. 195 on 23 July 1969. Irving Park Chapter, into which Lincoln Park No. 177 had merged in 1978, restored that name and number on 31 July 2009, and is now located at Chicago's Mont Clare Masonic Temple.

The interior space of this temple was reconfigured into loft apartments.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

America Chapter removed to Tinley Park before merging into Blue Island Chapter No. 203 on 11 December 1975. The combined chapter merged into Logan Chapter No. 196 of Oak Lawn, on 13 June 1983.

The building currently houses the Bowman Dairy Company and Universal Family Connection.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

These photographs were captured by Waymarking user BruceS.

The first and third photographs to the left come to us from Facebook site, "Historic Masonic Lodges and Temples (A Photo Tour)".

Please click here for images of Macon Chapter’s hall in the Decatur Temple.

Please click here for images of the alternate hall in Decatur Temple, configured for the supreme degree of Holy Royal Arch Mason.

The images of the token commemorating the 24 March 1928 cornerstone laying ceremony come to us through the courtesy of eBay seller LakeTownTreasures.

Please click here to visit the chapter’s website.

Please click here for our page featuring DeKalb Chapter's Holy Royal Arch furnishings in their chapter hall within DeKalb Masonic Temple.

Please click here to visit the chapter’s website.

The imagery to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The building was later deconsecrated. The Masonic bodies of Delavan now utilise a smaller cinder block temple two blocks away at 205 East 3rd Street.

The imagery to the left come to us through the courtesy of Grove Lodge No. 824, A.F.&A.M.

Please click here for our page featuring West Suburban Chapter’s hall in the Downers Grove Masonic Temple.

Please click here to visit the chapter’s website.

Edwardsville Chapter merged into Franklin Chapter No. 8, of Alton, on 16 April 1964.

The first photograph to the left was captured by Bing.

The second photograph comes to us from Flickr contributor gambleg42.

The first image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second image to the left was captured by Flickr user plasticfootball.

The temple is essentially due south of El Paso's former Masonic temple.

The images to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

Mackey Chapter relocated to El Paso's current Masonic Temple, almost directly due south of this former temple, before merging on 1 August 2008 into Bloomington Chapter No. 26 of Bloomington.

These images all come to us from the extraordinarily extensive El Paso Community History Website.

The first image to the left is a photograph of the eastern half of block 43, and was published in the 1896 Souvenir Album of El Paso, Illinois, at 29. The temple is on the far right.

The second image is a postcard of East Front Street, looking west. The temple is on the right edge.

The third image is a photograph of East Front Street, looking west, circa 1910, which was published in The El Paso Story Committee, The Centennial Book of El Paso, Illinois, 1979 Ed., El Paso, Ill.: El Paso Public Library Board (1954, 1979), at 121.

The fourth image shows the temple in 1954, with the ground floor painted white, and the exterior entry vestibule which had been added. The photo was published in The El Paso Story Committee, The Centennial Book of El Paso, Illinois, 1979 Ed., El Paso, Ill.: El Paso Public Library Board (1979), at 313.

Loyal L. Munn Chapter No. 96 had been chartered on 5 October of the preceding year. Investigation is on-going to determine whether the chapter resided in the Home National Bank Building.

The building was razed for the construction of the 1929 Home National Bank Tower (now known as the Elgin Tower) on the same parcel.

The vintage photograph on the left can be viewed in detail at The Stickling Foundation.

The image on the left is a vintage postcard, available for viewing from the Illinois Lodge of Research's Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

Following the 16 November 1920 fire that destroyed Monitor Temple, approximately 1,200 Freemasons – the largest gathering of men ever in the history of the city – met at the Elgin State Hospital on 24 November, to deliberate about a new temple, and to form a committee to make a recommendation. The cornerstone was laid on 9 June 1923, and the temple was constructed at an estimated cost of US$200,000. See Cathy Newby, "Masonic Temple", James McDunn, ed., Postcards From the Past: A Brief History of Elgin Illinois.

The costs of maintaining the large, aging temple eventually became untenable for its resident Masonic bodies. The building was sold on 22 March 1991 for US$163,000. Ibid. The former temple was subsequently converted into a fundamentalist low-Protestant church. On 10 October 2007, the Elgin City Council approved 5-2 the church's request to alter the historical landmark by removing the cornerstone, square & compasses, and other Masonic symbols from its exterior, on the condition that the removal be performed by professionals under the city's supervision. The materials were placed in the custody of the Elgin Historical Society and Museum.

The convocations of Loyal L. Munn Chapter No. 96 are now held in Palatine at 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday evening of each month, aside from July and August in which the chapter is dark.

The first and third photographs to the left were captured by Flickr contributor, Seth Gaines. Click here to see Mr. Gaines' extraordinary portfolio.

The second photograph is a vintage postcard from James McDunn's site, Postcards From the Past: A Brief History of Elgin Illinois.

Please click here for images of the interior of Elmhurst Masonic Temple.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The 1928 temple was designed by world-famous architect, the late Companion John A. Holabird, and replaced a previous temple built downtown in 1889.

Note that the temple's street address, 1453, is equal to the number of columns supporting the First Temple (i.e., King Solomon's Temple) in Jerusalem.

Please click here for our page featuring Evanston Chapter’s “Doric Hall”.

The second photograph on the left is a screen capture from Toth and Parsons Productions’ The Freemasons: The Mystery, Myth and Truth (1995, 2005), which was filmed almost entirely in and around Evanston Masonic Temple, Medinah Shriners’ former ‘mosque’ in Chicago, and the former Scottish Rite Cathedral in Chicago.

Normal Park Chapter merged into Chicago Chapter No. 127 on 29 November 1967. The combined chapter merged into Logan Chapter No. 196 of Oak Lawn on 14 January 1988.

The former temple is now a United Methodist church.

The images to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

Fairbury Chapter merged into Bloomington Chapter No. 26, of Bloomington, on 27 July 2007.

The photograph to the left comes to us from Wikimedia Commons user Ivo Shandor.

The first photograph to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second photograph was captured by Flickr contributor, Tourismguy (Bruce Wicks).

This photograph was captured by Companion David Miley.

Freeport Chapter’s monthly convocations are held on the first Tuesday evening of each month, less July and August when the chapter is dark.

The upper image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library. The lower image is from the website of the Valley of Freeport.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The first photograph to the left was captured by Flickr contributor Moonlight Cocktail Photography (Johanna).

The second photograph comes to us from Flickr contributor johnriley (John Riley).

The image to the left is a vintage postcard which comes to us from the ILGenWeb Project, by the courtesy of Bob Miller.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

Click here to visit the chapter's website.

The first image, looking roughly south-west shows both the building's Main Street façade and 2nd Street side. The second photo, facing essentially west, reveals the 2nd Street entrance for the stairs up to the chapter hall on the 2nd storey. An illuminated sign on the building's north-east corner, announces which body is meeting. At the bottom is the plaque on the north edge of the east wall, proclaiming the lodge and chapter.

These four photographs were captured by Companion Dave Miley, on 27 June 2010 during the town's annual Swedish Days festivities.

Click on any of the images for a high-resolution version.

The building replaced Peterson's original hall which served as Geneva's Masonic temple from 1881; it was into the earlier building which the chapter removed from Saint Charles in 1882, to join Geneva Lodge No. 139 there. See "Geneva Masonic Lodge 139 History".

The first photograph to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second photograph was captured by Bing.

The first photograph to the left (204 West State Street is the green building; the current temple is the white building) was captured by Panoramio contributor samyost.

The second photograph was captured by Bing. At the bottom-left (white building, black roof) is the current Masonic Temple. Immediately next to it is 204 West State Street. At the top-right (grey roof) is the former Peterson's Hall.

The chapter's convocations are now held at the Virden American Legion Hall on the second Wednesday evening of each month, at 8:30 p.m., less July and August when the chapter is dark.

The first photograph to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second photograph was captured by Flickr contributor, Seth Gaines. Click here to see Mr. Gaines' extraordinary portfolio.

Oracle Chapter’s monthly convocations are held on the second Thursday evening of each month. Click here to visit the chapter’s website.

The images were captured by Companion, Richard E. Yena, Most Excellent Past Grand High Priest, Right Excellent Grand Secretary (Right Excellent Deputy Grand High Priest at the time), on 12 January 2008.

Granite City Chapter’s monthly convocations are held on the first Thursday evening of each month, less July and August when the chapter is dark.

The photographs to the left were captured by Flickr contributor, Tourismguy (Bruce Wicks).

The chapter merged into Marion Chapter No. 100, of Marion, on 12 February 1973.

The building was vacated in 2008 and a new temple was dedicated by Grand Master Richard Swaney in November of the following year. See Brian DeNeal, "Lodge Dedicated in Ancient Tradition", The Daily Register, Harrisburg, Illinois: Temple Publishers (9 Nov. 2009).

The photograph to the left was captured by Flickr contributor DClemm.

Harvard Chapter merged into Woodstock Chapter No. 36 on 14 July 1969. The chapter was subsequently renamed Cary-Grove Chapter No. 36 and is located in Cary.

The former temple is now an antiques store.

The first photograph to the left was captured by Bing.

The second photograph comes to us from the McHenry County Historical Society and Museum.

The third photograph is a vintage postcard from eBay seller paper-collectibles-4sale, showing a view circa 1950s, when much of today's parking space was vegetation.

The chapter merged into Chicago Heights Chapter No. 218 on 5 March 1976 who removed first to Lansing, and later to Homewood on the 31st anniversary of the aforestated merger. The combined chapter merged into West Suburban Chapter No. 207 of Downers Grove on 30 July 2010.

The former temple now houses Catholic Charities' South Suburban senior services centre.

The images to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

Havana Chapter's companions then affiliated with Springfield Chapter No. 1 of Springfield.

The photographs to the left were captured by Flickr contributor gambleg42.

John Wildi commissioned M. O. Ulrich to build a French revival-style home and carriage house for his family. Upon his death in 1910, Wildi’s widow, Louise, continued living in the home. Then in 1920, Mrs. Wildi deeded her home in a trust to the brothers of Highland Lodge No. 583. Mrs. Louise Wildi also donated $10,000.00 to the lodge if they could match it for the purpose of adding on a dining room and lodge/chapter hall. On 4 March 1922 the addition was dedicated. In 1933 Mrs. Wildi set up an endowment trust fund for the maintenance and upkeep of the building.

Please click here for a much more detailed history of John Wildi Masonic Temple.

The first photograph to the left comes to us from Highland Lodge No. 583.

The second photograph was captured by Bing.

This photograph was captured on 8 May 2010 by Companion David A. Miley.

Click here to see the chapter hall configured to confer the supreme degree of Holy Royal Arch Mason.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

Please click here for our page featuring Hinsdale Chapter’s former hall.

Please click here to read more about the history of Hinsdale Masonic Temple.

The colourised postcard images to the left depict the temple circa 1909 and, like the modern photograph of the front door, come to us through the courtesy of Companion Paul A. Scheeler, Past High Priest of La Fayette Chapter No. 2 in Chicago, and Past Master of Hinsdale Lodge No. 934, A.F.&A.M. The monochromatic photograph depicts the temple circa 1920 and comes to us by the courtesy of Hinsdale Lodge No. 934, A.F.&A.M.

Homer Chapter merged into Champaign Chapter No. 50, of Champaign, on 31 July 2009.

Please click here to see a lovely collection of photographs depicting the temple's beautiful old lodge hall. The east features stained glass windows in symbolic and capitular themes.

The first image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second image is a vintage postcard, available to view on Flickr by the Homer Historical Society.

The third image, depicting the temple's cornice, was captured by Greg Knott and comes to us from Homer Masonic Lodge No. 199.

This image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The temple was home to Kedron Chapter No. 138 only briefly. The chapter merged into Mount Pulaski Chapter No. 121 on 6 February 1960.

See: Gene Hall, "More Than You Probably Want to Know About Illiopolis Illinois", 1984; Kinahan Rule, "Speech Given to the Sangamon County Historic Society", circa 1994.

The third floor was home to the Masonic bodies, including Kedron Chapter No. 138, with a large hall, dining room, and reception rooms.

See: "Supplement", The State Center Record, 11 Jan. 1901; Gene Hall, "More Than You Probably Want to Know About Illiopolis Illinois", 1984; Kinahan Rule, "Speech Given to the Sangamon County Historic Society", circa 1994.

The image to the left shows the then-new Masonic Opera House, and was published in the The State Center Record's 11 January 1901 Supplement.

The first photograph to the left are here through the courtesy of Companion Franklin E. Cline, Most Excellent Past Grand High Priest.

The remaining three photographs are here through the courtesy of Facebook site, "Historic Masonic Lodges and Temples (A Photo Tour)".

The photographs to the left were captured by Flickr contributor, Tourismguy (Bruce Wicks).

These images were captured by Waymarking user JBDiver.

The property where the temple and the adjacent buildings formerly sat is now Silver Cross Field, hosting the Joliet Slammers and the University of St. Francis' baseball team.

The first two images to the left are vintage postcards.

The third image was captured by Waymarking user JBDiver.

Although built of wood, it stood the ravages of time and was in fairly good condition as late as 1935, having been continuously occupied since erection. Masonic, Odd Fellows, and Good Templars lodges met there.

The image to the left was captured by Flickr contributor, Courthouselover.

This image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The temple is now the Lanark Herritage Centre. It remains in Masonic usage by Lanark Lodge No. 423.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The images to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

The chapter merged into Hillsboro Chapter No. 197, of Hillsboro, on 21 July 1995.

The building is now a banquet hall.

The first image to the left is a photograph captured by Flickr contributor, myoldpostcards.

The second image is a vintage postcard viewable at the Illinois Lodge of Research's Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The image to the left comes to us from Rockford Lodge No. 102.

The image to the left was captured by Flickr user, Lights in the Old Farmhouse.

The image to the left is a vintage photograph which comes to us from the Marion High School Class of 1986's reunion committee.

The images to the left are postcards viewable on the Illinois Lodge of Research's Louis L. Williams Masonic Library website.

It was the home of Mattoon (née William F. Gammill) Chapter No. 85. See Evert E. Lawson (ed.), 1968-1969 Masonic Directory: A Listing of Masonic Lodges and Appendant Bodies in Illinois, Glenwood, Illinois: Temple Publishers (1968).

The chapter and lodge left the temple in 1991, having erected a smaller, more manageable temple at 116 North 1st Street. See House Resolution 1365, "150th Anniversary Masons Mattoon", 95th General Assembly, 30 May 2008.

The first image comes to us from The Association for the Preservation of Historic Coles County, and shows the structure in its current state.

The second image is a vintage postcard, viewable at The Illinois Lodge of Research's Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The photograph on the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The chapter was dispensed on 31 October 2011 to merge into Murphysboro Chapter No. 164, of Murphysboro. The merger was officialised on 27 July 2012.

The photograph on the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The photograph on the left was captured during the Illinois Historic Structures Survey (1971-1975), and comes to us from Darius Bryjka, "What a Loss", Mesker Brothers, 11 November 2011.

Click here to view the chapter hall.

The image to the left was captured by Panoramio contributor, embryojoe.

Orient Chapter merged into Joliet Chapter No. 27 of Joliet on 25 January 1978.

The first image to the left was captured by Flickr contributor Tourismguy (Bruce Wicks).

The second image is a vintage photograph, viewable at The Illinois Lodge of Research's Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

This image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

This photograph was captured by Waymarking user JBDiver.

This image was captured by Companion Patrick B. Jones, then our Excellent Grand Principal Sojourner, on 11 February 2012.

These images were captured by Waymarking user Math Teacher.

The cornerstone was laid in an elaborate ceremony on 9 September 1916. The following is the newspaper account from the 13 September 1916 issue of the former Naperville Clarion:

Corner Stone Laid For Masonic Temple

The corner stone of the new Masonic Temple in this city was laid on Saturday afternoon with impressive Masonic ceremonies, before a large assemblage of residents and Masons of the city and from surrounding counties. Bro. Ralph H. Wheeler, Grand Master of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Illinois, officiated, assisted by an occasional Grand Lodge composed as follows: Brothers H. H. Benjamin, Deputy Grand Master; C. W. Reed, Senior Grand Warden; C. A. Ashley, Junior Grand Warden; Claude V. Leffler, Grand Treasurer; Isaac Cutter, Grand Secretary; A. E. Randell, Grand Orator; Harry Woodward, Grand Chaplain; C. V. Wellner, Senior Grand Deacon; Edward Enck, Junior Grand Deacon; Wm. H. Bird, Grand Marshall; C. F. Wm. Schultz, Grand Pursuiviant; John Eisele, Senior Grand Steward; Earnest Rich, Junior Grand Steward; Ralph Steele Shepardson, Grand Architect; C. S. Gurney, Grand Tiler; John A. Bell, Master of Oldest Lodge.

The Most Worshipful Grand Master was escorted from the depot to the Masonic Hall by Aurora Commandery No. 22, Knights Templar, under Commander F. Merritt Pepper and Captain-General C. E. Cooley, which was headed by the Lounge Factory Band and the G. A. R. Drum Corps of Aurora.

The Grand Lodge was then convened at the Masonic Hall where together with a delegation of Master Masons, the procession was again formed, the line of march being east on Jefferson Ave. to Washington St., south to Water St., west to Main St. to Jefferson Ave., and east to the Temple site. The Grand Lodge then counter-marched through the line of procession and assumed their places on a tastefully decorated platform, erected for the occasion.

Worshipful Master Sankey S. Good, after a few introductory remarks, then requested the Most Worshipful Grand Master and the Grand Lodge, on behalf of Euclid Lodge No. 65, to officiate at the ceremonies of the laying of the corner stone, which was performed with Masonic honors. The occasion was most impressive and will never be forgotten by those who were priveleged to witness it.

Appropriate vocal selections were rendered in the course of the ceremonies by the Oriental Quartet of Chicago and a feature most appreciated was an oration delivered by Rev. A. E. Randell, the gist of which was the relation and benefits of Masonry to society in general and the fact that the importance and desirability of any edifice to a community, no matter how beautiful architecturally, rested absolutely on the nature of the institution which it houses.

The corner stone was the gift of Bro. Arthur R. Beidelman, a member of Euclid Lodge No. 65; it is exceptionally beautiful in design and will be a lasting and worthy monument to Masonry and to the beneficence of Bro. Beidelman.

Please visit the history section of Euclid Chapter’s website to see the buildings that formerly served as their temple.

Please click here for our page featuring images of the interior of Euclid Chapter’s hall.

These images are presented through the courtesy of Euclid Chapter No. 13.

The wording on the front of the building, between the second and third floors, reads “Crockery Hardware Dry Goods Groceries”. From the Naperville Historic Walking Tour, courtesy of the Naper Settlement Museum:

Henry Peaslee, 1850. This is one of Naperville’s oldest commercial buildings, similar to [214 North Ellsworth Street]. The building housed a grocery and dry goods store, with dances and social gatherings held in a hall on the third floor.

Please visit the history section of Euclid Chapter’s website to see the other buildings that formerly served as their temple.

The picture to the left shows the first lodge hall building as it looks as of April 2007.

These images are presented through the courtesy of Euclid Chapter No. 13.

Neoga Chapter merged into Mattoon Chapter No. 85, of Mattoon, in 1978. The combined chapter merged into Tuscola Chapter No. 66, of Tuscola, on 28 July 2006.

The former temple is now used by commercial enterprises.

The photographs to the left were captured by Flickr contributor Tourismguy (Bruce Wicks).

Click here to view the interior of the chapter hall.

Click here to view the interior of the chapter hall, configured to exemplify the Holy Royal Arch Mason degree.

The first image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second image, showing the cornerstone, was captured by Companion David A. Miley on 5 January 2013.

The first photograph to the left was captured by Bing.

The second photograph comes to us from Flickr contributor Ray Cunningham

Please click here for an image of Henry Godeke Chapter’s former hall in Olney Masonic Temple, configured for the conferral of the supreme degree of Holy Royal Arch Mason.

This image comes to us through the courtesy of the Bridgeport York Rite bodies.

The three-story, yellow brick façade was designed in the Classical Revival style, and features ivory brick accents to create a quoin effect on the upper storeys. The second storey windows are consist of sets of three lights surrounding a smaller central light. Above the triangular pediment is a stone shield bearing the year 1900 and a Mark Master capstone. Following the departure of the chapter and other bodies, Oregon Lodge No. 420 refurbished and repainted the old enunciator globe lights to commemorate the lodge and memorialise John C. Berger. See the temple's National Register of Historic Places registration form; Wikipedia article, "Masonic Temple Lodge No. 420" [sic].

The first image to the left was captured by Flickr contributor Teemu008. The second image is a close-up view of the same photograph.

The third photograph, showing the globe lamps, was captured by Andy McMurray.

The first image was captured by Panoramio user bmont69.

The second image is from a postcard, courtesy of the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The ground floor was originally rented out to various organisations and businesses. For the building's first decade, that floor was the Palatine Athletic Club, at which time the temple held suburban Cook County's first two-lane bowling alley. The temple had no non-Masonic tenants again until 1951 when the Palatine's Public Library moved in briefly between permanent homes, to be replaced by the Palatine Leader newspaper and, thereafter, a Christian Science reading room. See Hollander, supra.

In approximately 1961, the lodge rehabilitated the temple, replacing the utilities and updating the exterior brickwork with blue-grey paint and adding shutters to the windows. See unidentified 1961 article, supra.

The city of Palatine condemned the temple in 2009 in order to reconfigure and improve the traffic intersection at Plum Grove and Palatine Roads. A multi-step land-swap was negotiated between the city and the lodge. The city traded a its soon-to-be vacated fire station at 455 West Dundee Road and approximately US$592,000 for the 1904 temple property. As the city needed the old temple nearly two years before the replacement fire station would be completed, the deal also included temporary use of a previously condemned and vacant former Harris Bank data processing annex less than two blocks west of the old temple. See "New Palatine Fire Station Coming to Quentin Road", Brian Slupski, Palatine Patch, 27 October 2010.

The first two photographs were captured by Michael Zale (Flickr alias Neopsychedelia) in March 2008. Click here to see Mr. Zale's Flickr portfolio.

The last two photographs depict Eugene Fifielski's beautifully detailed scale model of the temple, and were captured by Companion David Miley on 6 November 2010. The model is displayed in the current Palatine Masonic Temple and makes periodic appearances in local parades and the public library.

In 2009, the City of Palatine condemned the 1904 temple in order to reconfigure and improve the traffic intersection at Plum Grove and Palatine Roads. A multi-step land-swap was negotiated between the city and Palatine Lodge No. 314. The city traded a its soon-to-be vacated fire station at 455 West Dundee Road and approximately US$592,000 for the 1904 temple property. As the city needed the old temple nearly two years before the replacement fire station would be completed, the deal also included temporary use of the ground floor of this previously condemned and vacant former Harris Bank data processing annex located less than two blocks west of the old temple. See "New Palatine Fire Station Coming to Quentin Road", Brian Slupski, Palatine Patch, 27 October 2010. Located adjacent to both the city's central train station and the future site of the new city hall, this building is slated to be razed to make room for a multi-deck parking garage.

Rather than simply using make-shift arrangements during their brief tenure in the bank building, Palatine's Masonic bodies outfitted the space with a proper lodge-chapter-council hall & asylum, mounted their framed material on the walls, built daises, installed ceiling lights for the altar and Easter Star positions, inter alia.

These photographs were captured by Companion David Miley on 6 November 2010.

The chapters moved into this temple on 15 December 2011. See the history of Palatine's temples above.

These photographs are here through the courtesy of Palatine Lodge No. 314.

Pana Chapter merged into Jackson Chapter No. 55, of Shelbyville on 14 December 1967.

The images to the left were captured by Waymarking contributor gladtobehere.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

Notice the globe lights bearing the symbols to indicate the various Masonic organisations in the temple, including the triple-tau, equilateral triangle, and circle, representing the supreme degree of Holy Royal Arch Mason, and thus Ford Chapter No. 113.

This photograph was captured by Companion David Miley.

This temple is the home of Pekin Chapter No. 25. Pekin Chapter's convocations are held on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.; they are formal in odd numbered months, and informal in even numbered months.

The second image to the left comes to us from Flickr user Plasticfootball, and shows the enunciator lamps which indicate which body is meeting at a given time.

The image to the left comes to us from Grand View Lodge No. 1112.

The photographs on the left were captured by Facebook site, "Historic Masonic Lodges and Temples (A Photo Tour)".

The image to the left comes to us from Google Streetview.

The first image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The second photograph comes to us from Flickr user tourismguy (Bruce Wicks). The third photograph is a close-up view of the same image.

The fourth view, showing Mystic Tie Lodge No. 187's enunciator lamp, is from Flickr user Dan around town (Danny Higgins).

The temple was designed by architects John Batschy and G.P. Behrensmeyer. Its cornerstone was laid on 20 July 1910 by Most Worshipful Grand Master Albert B. Ashley.

The first two photographs to the left come to us from Facebook site, "Historic Masonic Lodges and Temples (A Photo Tour)".

The remaining two images are vintage postcards, available for viewing at the Illinois Lodge of Research’s Louis L. Williams Masonic Library.

The photographs to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

The temple was home to Rock Island Chapter No. 18. See Evert E. Lawson (ed.), 1968-1969 Masonic Directory: A Listing of Masonic Lodges and Appendant Bodies in Illinois, Glenwood, Illinois: Temple Publishers (1968).

Rock Island Chapter removed to Moline in 2007, and meets on the fourth Monday evening of each month at 7:00 p.m.

The former temple is now a banquet facility known as Skellington Manor.

The first and third images on the left come to us from Skellington Manor.

The second image is a vintage postcard, available from CardCow.com.

The images to the left were captured by Google Streetview.

The images to the left come to us from Rushville Lodge No. 9.

The interior of the building and its neighbour to the west were merged and now effectively form a single commercial structure, with retail on the ground floor and a restaurant above.

The first photograph on the left comes to us from Panoramio contributor warnicked. The second photograph is a close-up view of the hall's Mark Master keystone above the windows, taken from the same image.

The third image was captured by Bing and shows the building from the north.

The chapter merged into Vandalia Chapter No. 136, of Vandalia, on 10 January 1974. The combined chapter then merged into Hillsboro Chapter No. 197, of Hillsboro, on 14 October 2009.

The photograph to the left comes to us from Google Streetview

The chapter consolidated on 19 June 1990 into Centralia Chapter No. 93.

This image of the temple’s exterior is here by the courtesy of the Marion Lodge No. 130.

Click here to view the interior of the chapter hall.

This image of the cathedral’s exterior is here by the courtesy of the Scottish Rite Valley of Springfield.

The following is excerpted from History of Springfield Chapter No. 1, Royal Arch Masons:

Notice the lights bearing the symbols to indicate the various Masonic organisations in the temple, including the triple-tau, equilateral triangle, and circle, representing the supreme degree of Holy Royal Arch Mason, and thus Sterling Chapter No. 57.

These photographs were captured by Wikimedia user IvoShandor. Click here to see more.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

This photograph was captured by J. A. Brown, and comes to us through the courtesy of Image Community.

The chapter merged into Henry Godeke Chapter No. 38, then of Olney, on 21 July 1995. The combined chapter removed to Bridgeport on 26 May 2008.

This building was deconsecrated when Sumner Lodge No. 334 left the building in favour of a smaller, more manageable temple, two lots to the east, at 131 East South Avenue.

The first image was captured by Google Streetview.

The second image is a vintage postcard in the collection of WorthPoint.

The chapter merged into Pana Chapter No. 115 on 28 May 1976. The combined chapter merged into Jackson Chapter No. 55, of Shelbyville, on 14 December 1967.

The photograph to the left comes to us from Taylorville Mound Lodge No. 122, AF&AM.

The temple was home to Wyoming Chapter No. 133 until they merged into Kewanee Chapter No. 47 of Kewanee on 8 October 1959.

The photograph to the left was captured by Panoramio contributor dlwest.

This photograph was captured by Waymarking user gladtobehere.

The building was severely damaged by the Urbana fire of 9 October 1871 while Chicago and Peshtigo simultaneously burned. It was rendered uninhabitable but was eventually salvaged with a new façade.

The first two images on the left are vintage lithographs which come to us from Urbana Lodge No. 157, AF&AM.

The third image shows the Gere Block as it looks today.

The site on which the Odd Fellows Hall stood now hosts a bank.

The image to the left is a vintage lithograph which comes to us from Urbana Lodge No. 157, AF&AM.

The ground floor and second storey were, respectively, commercial space and offices, leased to various concerns over the years. In the early twentieth century, the building was significantly remodelled and gained a new, generally classical revival façade, culminating with a rededication by M.W. Grand Master Henry T. Burnap on 14 November 1914. The Beaux-arts parapet was discovered in early 1950s to be structurally unsound, and was replaced in 1953 by architects Royer and Davis with a simpler design which complimented the classical revival style below it.

Click here to read the City of Urbana's page about the Tiernan Building, which the city considers one of their 100 most significant buildings.

Click here to read Masonic author Todd E. Creason's page about the building.

Urbana Chapter No. 80 merged into Champaign Chapter No. 50, of Champaign, on 11 September 1983

The first two images on the left are vintage lithographs which come to us from Urbana Lodge No. 157, AF&AM.

The third and fourth images shows the Tiernan Building as it looks today, including the square and compasses on the capstone above the entrance, and were captured by author Todd E. Creason.

For one month in early 1864, the temple was the temporary home of Asboth Military Chapter UD to whom a dispensation was issued in 1863 by the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the State of Illinois. The chapter was officered by civilians attached to the military work at Columbus, Kentucky, where it existed from 6 July 1863 until 20 January 1864, when it was moved to Vicksburg, and it met there from 28 January to 24 February 1864. The Grand High Priest, Hiram W. Hubbard, went with the chapter to Vicksburg, Mississippi. He said upon arrival:

We found the Masonic Temple under control of the Military Authorities. The Lodge room was occupied by three Military Lodges, the Chapter room by the Military Commission, who cheerfully gave way. We found several Royal Arch Masons there from Illinois, and a number of the former officers and members of Vicksburg Chapter No. 3, who rendered every assistance in their power by furnishing robes, jewels and fixtures, and aiding in the work.

The simple yet substantial building, an example of late Georgian architecture, had cast-iron lintels, brick pilasters and cornices. The brick entablature consisted of a wide capitular architrave and frieze, and a cornice with dentils ran across the east and south sides.

The second photograph shows a close-up of the large stone inset on the west side, between the second and third floors. It bears a Square and Compasses, within a capitular archway, flanked by a level and plumb.

The third photograph shows the south entrance at 717 Grove Street, which had been converted into a window. It features a capitular architrave, the keystone of which is inscribed with the Square and Compasses.

The fourth photograph shows the east and south sides. The white × in the background, less than two blocks west, marks the Illinois Central Railroad tracks.

Click here to see the interior of the lodge/chapter hall.

These photographs were produced in 1972, by the Library of Congress' Historic American Buildings Survey, a year before the building's demolition. Click here to see the complete file on the temple.

The chapter's convocations are held on the second Wednesday evening of each month, at 8:30 p.m., less July and August when the chapter is dark.

The image to the left comes to us from the City of Virden.

The temple has two entrances, being accessible from both Genesee Street and from the municipal parking lot abutting the temple's south face.

These photographs were captured by Companion David Miley on 8 May 2010.

•  City of Waukegan, Department of Planning and Zoning, Historic Preservation Commission: "Waukegan Masonic Temple";

•  Landmarks Illinois: "Old Masonic Temple, 220 North Sheridan Road, Waukegan, (E.E. Roberts, 1920-21)";

•  Congregation Am Echod: "Congregation Am Echod History 1896 - 2006";

This temple was the home of Waukegan Chapter No. 41 from 1921 until its sale in 1982, at which time the chapter and Waukegan's other Masonic organisations established a new temple on Genesee Street, where convocations are held on the third Tuesday evening of each month. The 1920 temple remains abandoned and in an increasingly poor state of disrepair. See:

•  City of Waukegan, Department of Planning and Zoning, Historic Preservation Commission: "Waukegan Masonic Temple";

•  Landmarks Illinois: "Old Masonic Temple, 220 North Sheridan Road, Waukegan, (E.E. Roberts, 1920-21)";

•  Evert E. Lawson (ed.), 1968-1969 Masonic Directory: A Listing of Masonic Lodges and Appendant Bodies in Illinois, Glenwood, Illinois: Temple Publishers (1968).

The first photograph on the left comes to us from the Waukegan Historic Preservation Commission.

The second image is a vintage photograph available from the Waukegan Historical Society.

The third picture, depicting the temple's cornerstone, was captured by Flickr contributor hannibal1107.

The image to the left is a vintage photograph which comes to us from Amity Lodge No. 472, AF&AM.

The image to the left is a vintage lithograph published in Combination Atlas Map of Du Page County, Illinois, Compiled, Drawn and Published From Personal Examinations and Surveys by Thompson Bros. and Burr, Elgin (Ill.): Thompson Bros. and Burr (1874), showing the business block being occupied on the first floor by Caspar Voll who dealt in dry goods and notions, and by John C. Neltnor who handled dry goods and groceries. The stores were separated by a centre door and stairway to the upper floor. Directly above Voll's store, was the Masonic Hall. The image comes to us from Nils L. Kullman, "Our History", West Chicago (Ill.): Amity Lodge No. 472 (1966).

The temple was constructed in 1893 as a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (a/k/a "Quakers"). The property was subsequently acquired by the First United Methodist Church. In 1951, the church built a new stone structure downtown, and their former home was re-consecrated as the Western Springs Masonic Temple. In addition to reconfiguring the chapel into a lodge / chapter hall, the brethren excavated a basement and constructed a fellowship hall therein.

Click here to see the chapter hall.

The photograph is presented through the courtesy of Three Pillars Chapter No. 280.

This photograph was captured by Companion David Miley.

Designed by architect Arthur Howell Knox (1880-1973), the cornerstone was laid in 1925, and the exterior is composed chiefly of yellow brick which compliments the surrounding community of largely Victorian and prairie-influenced craftsman style homes. The west wall features a trio of modest, Masonic themed stained glass windows.

These photographs were captured by Companion David Miley on 13 November 2010.

Wilmington Chapter merged into Kankakee Chapter No. 78, of Kankakee, on 30 July 2004.

The chapter's earlier temple stood on the same lot and, quite atypically, was owned by the chapter. Wilmington Chapter of Royal Arch Masons No. 142. The earlier temple was built as an Episcopal church in 1867 at a cost of US$7,000; and was long disused and in a poor state of repair when Wilmington Chapter purchased it for a mere US$600 in 1903. The chapter spent another US$473.43 on repairs, and it was consecrated as a Masonic temple on 21 October 1904. The chapter sold the deed to the Temple Association for a pro forma US$1.00 in preparation for razing that temple and constructing the current building. See Wilmington Lodge No. 208, A History of Wilmington Lodge No. 208, A. F. & A. M., Prepared for the Re-dedication and Sesquicentennial Celebration, November 10 & 11, 2006, Wilmington, Illinois: Wilmington Lodge No. 208 (2006).

The first photograph to the left was captured by Bing.

The second photograph comes to us from Wilmington Lodge No. 208.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.

The image to the left was captured by Google Streetview.