The Freemasons Come to Wooster

The Freemasons, the first secret society in Wayne county, founded Ebenezer Lodge in Wooster in 1816 as part of the Grand Lodge of Ohio.  The lodge originally consisted of only 9 members, but provided essential security to those few in a time when life was full of uncertainty. The 12 ½ cent fee to attend a meeting (18 ¾ cents if a member was late) went toward a fund to aid the wives and children when members fell ill or died.¹  The society also provided amateur medical care for members since the nearest doctors were often miles away.  Financial security early in Wooster’s history was essential for allowing the town to grow into more than a pioneer settlement.  Masons in early Wooster were also important members of the community, including the first master, Reverend Thomas Jones.  Jones became one of the first shopkeepers in Wooster and eventually went on to become a judge and president of Wooster Bank.  William Larwill, one of the founders of Wooster was also a Freemason. He was one of the first businessmen in the community, opening a general store shortly after arriving in Wooster. Larwill also became a master of the lodge.²

The Freemasons ran into problems just over a decade after they established themselves in Wooster. In 1829, an ex-Mason in New York was allegedly murdered for revealing secret masonic rituals.  Masons across the country faced backlash from members of the community not involved with secret societies, who believed them to be violent or hiding sinister secrets.  The lodge in Wooster shut down as a result, but returned to its former place in the community with plans to build a new temple in 1840.³  This did not happen until 1916, when the current-day masonic temple was built on North Market Street.  However, records show that the organization became more stable and was able to use a building on the northeast corner of Wooster Public Square for over 40 years.⁴  The Masons would go on to thrive for years and still survive in Wooster today.

¹ Leopold, Fred J. A Pillar in the Wilderness. Wooster, OH: Ebenezer Lodge No. 33, 1991. 5.
² Ibid., 3.
³ Ibid., 6.
⁴ Ibid.