Masonic Temple-Auburn

About this property

The Auburn Masonic Temple is located at 10 Auburn Way South in Auburn, Washington. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 and is significant for various reasons. The building is "an unusually sophisticated, urban version of fraternal architecture for a town of less than 3,500. It remains today the only fraternal hall in the city still in its original use." As early as 1886, settlers in the farming community of Auburn (originally named Slaughter) and the Green and White River valleys gathered to discuss the feasibility of forming a local Masonic lodge. These prospective members had been affiliated with the Masonic order in their previous hometowns and states. Because of this meeting and subsequent discussions, St. Andrews Lodge No. 35 in Renton was asked to sponsor a new lodge. The applicants prepared the necessary paperwork, petitioning the Grand Master for dispensation to establish the new lodge. In May 1889, shortly before Washington Territory became a state, the Grand Lodge issued that dispensation. The following year, on June 11, 1890, a charter was granted to King Solomon Lodge No.60. Henry A. Libby was named Master; William T. Myrick, Senior Warden; and George Hart, Junior Warden. The Freemasons were the second fraternal order to be established in Auburn, following the Knights of Pythias by only a few months. Auburn Masons were proud of the fact that Lt. William Slaughter, who lost his life in hostilities with White River natives in 1855 and for whom the town was named, was the Past Master of Steilacoom Masonic Lodge #2. They were equally proud of the first governor of newly established Washington State, Elisha P. Ferry, was a Past Grand Master of Masons in Washington. The tradition of member prominence was continued in Auburn, where early leaders of the community such as C.H. French, Vice President of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Slaughter, C.P. Lacey, liveryman and hotel owner, and Aaron Neely, valley pioneer, joined the ranks of King Solomon Lodge No. 60. Like other Masonic organizations, Auburn's Masons were dedicated to mutual support, sociability, and involvement with the community. In its formative years, the Lodge experienced two difficult setbacks when, in 1897 and again in 1898, fire destroyed all of its records, regalia, and (in 1898) jewels on loan from the Grand Lodge. However, the group persisted. In 1901, the Cyclamen Chapter No. 65 Order of Eastern Star, a women's auxiliary was established. Other concordant bodies took shape - Damascus Shrine #3 of the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem was chartered in 1920, Auburn Chapter of #46, and the Royal Arch Masons was constituted in 1922.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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