A piece of American history dating back to the country’s first president will be on display Sunday in Naperville as the city’s longest-standing fraternal organization celebrates its own 175-year history.
Euclid Lodge No. 65 is hosting a 175th Anniversary Open House from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the lodge at 31 W. Jefferson Ave — the space where the brotherhood has met since 1917. Because George Washington was a member of the same fraternal organization — the Freemasons — the group will display a special Washington-era artifact for all to see.
Displaying history and Masonic ‘mystery’
The George Washington Inaugural Bible will be part of the celebration. Yes, this holy book is the very Bible on which George Washington took the oath of office to become America’s first president on April 30, 1789. It later was used by four other presidents and several senators for their inaugurations.
Guarded by three members of St. John’s Lodge No. 1 — the New York City Masonic organization that maintains the artifact — the George Washington Inaugural Bible will be among the highlights of the anniversary festivities. Another perk? Getting inside a real Masonic temple, one that’s recently renovated, to peek at the culture of this storied society.
“There’s a lot of mystery behind the fraternity and the organization, so it’s good to be able to open up to the public whenever we can,” said Dana Armitage, who serves in the lodge’s highest role as Worshipful Master.
Lodge’s history connects with Naperville’s and nation’s
Artifacts at Euclid Lodge No. 65 in Naperville include signatures of the lodge’s charter members, including original Worshipful Master Aylmer Keith and Naperville town founder Joseph Naper.
Local Masons including Armitage and Tim Ory, a 31-year Euclid Lodge member and the group’s historian, call the George Washington Inaugural Bible they’re about to display a “national treasure.” Group members say they’re pleased to welcome the relic — especially as it helps them highlight their fraternity’s strong ties to history.
“Being a part of such an old lodge says a lot about that lodge,” Armitage said, “which is just another example of the strength and beauty behind our fraternity. To have that length of time of support and participation and commitment is an exact reflection of the virtues of our fraternity.”
While George Washington is what Ory calls “the most famous American Freemason,” well-known Napervillians have been involved, too. Ory says lodge members have been so integral to Naperville that the fraternity’s history and the city’s are “firmly intertwined.”
Town founder Joseph Naper was one of seven original members of Euclid Lodge No. 65 when it was chartered and “duly constituted” on Oct. 2, 1849. So was Lewis Ellsworth, himself an 1870s-era Naperville mayor and DuPage County’s first probate judge. Al Rubin, for whom the Naperville Park District’s Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center is named, was a member of the lodge, as was Owen “Dutch” Beidelman, a six-term Naperville City Council member and longtime furniture seller at his family’s iconic downtown shop.
Freemasons focus – making good men better
Members now and throughout the decades have included men from all walks of life, Ory said — men who are striving to build the “temple within” through Freemasonry’s architecture-infused symbolism, or simply improve their character.
“In masonry, as we say, the model is, ‘We find good men, and we make them better,’” Armitage said.
As they strive for personal improvement, current and future Masons also make their mark through charity and community involvement.
“We continually reach out for younger men of good character to join. We have been very successful in continuing to maintain our membership at a little over 200 for the past 20 to 25 years,” Ory said about his lodge — the oldest in DuPage County. “While other lodges are having to merge or folding completely, we’re still holding our own.”
175th anniversary rededication
Euclid Lodge No. 65 in Naperville was chartered in 1849 and now is celebrating its 175th anniversary with an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 31 W. Jefferson Ave.
Before opening to the public on Sunday, Euclid Lodge members will host a private rededication ceremony on Saturday.
“There is a particular ritual behind the ceremony that we are going to perform. Nothing lengthy, but we all have a role,” Armitage said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of such a great anniversary, something that’s historical and very rare. And I’m lucky to be worshipful master and serve in this ceremony.”
The lodge space itself, as well as the books, artwork and memories inside, are significant to member Masons, Ory said. That’s why the group is marking its milestone anniversary with symbolism, ceremony and hospitality in the very place where brothers meet to learn and grow.
“I always look it as an oasis outside of the world,” Ory said about the lodge, a place “where you can come in and be with other like-minded people and just relax.”
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