Cecil Lodge had been meeting in the "Reed Building" for ten years when Brother Harry Lovitz received word that the Conrey Building (Franklin Hall) he was renting would be sold soon. He had already announced his retirement and had no interest but passed the word on to the officers of Cecil Lodge who immediately contacted Brother PM James Weinroth, Attorney, who informed the seller of our interest. Several members inspected the building and made an offer of $4,000. The seller had a set price of $4,400 which both parties agreed upon and the lodge made a $100 deposit based on Grand Lodge approval which was received shortly thereafter. The lodge mortgaged $4,000 @5% interest and borrowed $300 for the balance on a 90 day note to be paid upon receipt of cash for sale of US bonds. Final settlement was made a month later on November 23, 1947. Closing costs amounted to less than $100. Then the work began on the third floor meeting room which had to be painted and some electrical changes were needed to accommodate the lodge requirements. New blinds and drapes were donated and wall to wall carpet was installed by the members - much different from the way carpet is laid today. All of this was completed and the lodge furniture was moved during summer recess (1948) from their present meeting room next door ready for a new beginning for the first fall meeting in September. Once settled on the third floor, the second floor and entrance way needed to be painted with some other changes here and there. The major work on the second floor was the installation of toilet facilities and refinishing the old floors which was done by the members.

Shortly after Cecil Lodge settled in Franklin Hall the business on the first floor closed followed by many discussions on the repairs needed to attract a new tenant. Fortunately there was an inquiry from a wholesale company who wanted to lease the first floor and block part of the area off as a storage vault for cigarets at their expense which suited fine since Cecil Lodge had no money for improvements. This all took place overnight and worked out fine for a few years when the business went bankrupt leaving overnight without notice. Cecil Lodge held an auction to clean out what was left behind, mainly pallets and plywood which realized a small profit of $200 (equivalent of four months back rent). After the cigaret company left Cecil Lodge struggled financially for the next twenty years. Several youth groups occupied the first floor until the building was sold in 1974.

In late 1973 knowing that there was a community interest in Franklin Hall a committee was appointed to study the feasability of selling the property and building a new Temple. As the committee was pursuing this idea they learned that there was a possibility of buying the Daughters of America Hall in North Chesapeake City. The two groups met and agreed on a purchase price of $6,500 with $100 down payment pending approval from the Grand Lodge of Maryland. In the interim the Chesapeake City Civic Association agreed to buy Franklin Hall for $12,000.

With the Grand Lodge approval, the Bo Elk Holding Corporation was formed and property settlements were made and work began on the former Daughters of America Hall. With a difference of $5,500 to spend for the necessary changes in the building, Brother Theodore Fish was appointed overseer in control of the project and finances. The largest expense was converting and replacing the store front with a brick A- frame appearance which required a professional to do the brick work. This was contracted after the crew of members replaced the old store front with a new wall. A group of members from lodges in Cecil and Harford lodges gathered together for a day and replaced the roof shingles. The windows in the meeting room were removed, framed and sheet rocked to match the walls. The interior wall was relocated to separate the banquet hall, restroom, anti room and heater room. The entire floor was first covered with an underlayment of plywood with wall to wall carpet installed in the meeting room and vinyl floor covering in the banquet room. A clean up area - sink, counter, etc. was installed in one corner of the banquet room. Upholstered theater seats replaced the antique wooden chairs in the meeting room. . Once the painting was complete the furniture was moved in place and the first meeting in this building was held on October 22, 1974.

In 1947 after renting the Reed location for ten years Cecil Lodge bought Franklin Hall and mortgaged it for $4,000 and paid that mortgage over a twenty years period. Franklin Hall was a disaster in a sense because shortly after the lodge was settled in the building the slate roof began to leak and the fascia board needed to be replaced at a cost in excess of $2,000 and the first floor tenant left in the middle of the night. As financial support for the men some of the wives who were members of the Elkton Chapter #84, OES tried to organize a Chesapeake City Chapter but both the Elkton and Chestertown Chapters objected two different times twenty years apart. The men talked about organizing a Square Club but it never went beyond the talking stage for fear the men would not support both groups. Again we can sum all of this up with a happy ending when Franklin Hall was sold and the lodge moved to North Chesapeake City in 1974. The lodge was debt free when they sold Franklin Hall for $12,000 and bought the Daughters of America Hall for $6,500 and used the difference to convert the building for lodge use. Twenty-five years later came community involvement on Canal Day which proved to be very profitable.

Community Involvement

During recent years the Grand Lodge of Maryland encouraged the subordinate lodges to take part in community activities hoping to attract new members. Canal Day in Chesapeake City is one of the largest annual events in Cecil County drawing record crowds in excess of 10,000 people. Renting a space and selling sandwiches, bottled water, and sodas for several years has not only given the lodge exposure in the area but has been very profitable. After purchasing the necessary set-up equipment for Canal Day ( tents, tables, freezer, etc.), the profits have enabled the lodge to replace the heating and air conditioning system plus upgrading and improving the appearance of the exterior of the building as well as some changes in the banquet room.

But let’s not forget the community involvement back in 1870 when everyone in the community supported the "Grand Scheme" - the first Masonic sponsored community project to raise money for a new Masonic Hall. This was a very profitable event and with this support in mind Cecil Lodge went on to build a building with a whole floor devoted for community use for 67 years. Everyone commended the Masons for their foresight and respect for the community. The community referred to this as "Opera Hall". The schools and different organizations used it for meetings and plays. It was also used as a movie theater for silent movies accompanied with player piano music. The community was stricken with a major loss when the land lease was cancelled and the building torn down.

The 100^th Anniversary of Cecil Lodge No. 125 was held on May 14, 1966 in the Fellowship Hall of the Methodist Church with 160 present for a roast beef dinner served by the Adult Christian Fellowship and an evening of entertainment. Bro. William Kupke, chairman, opened the program welcoming people from Union Lodge, Harmony Lodge, Elkton Chapter Order of Eastern Star and Hiram Lodge, Newark, DE. WM James Kirk introduced the officers of those lodges and our Grand Lodge representatives. A floral arrangement was presented to Bro. John T. Loveless - the only Life Member of Cecil Lodge. A talk entitled "What does Freemasonry Offer The World" was given by PM Lewis Collins. There was group singing with Mary Sutton playing the piano, followed by Robert Fears, Ernest Davis, Wroth Manlove and Galen Reynolds singing as a quartet. The Rev. Walden Pell, Rector of St. Augustine Episcopal Church and former Headmaster of St. Andrews School, Middletown, DE and Missionary to the Far East presented the main topic for the evening - a film presentation on his missionary work.

According to Grand Lodge records Grand Master William Koenig and his Line Officers made the first Grand Lodge visit in 113 years to Cecil Lodge on October 23, 1979 and to top it off GM Koenig invited Grand Master William Little and his Line Officers from Delaware to join them. After the date was set we had some fast thinking to do because we knew the hall would be over crowded. The secretary and treasurer’s tables were moved out and chairs were borrowed - enough to seat 110 who came out for this special occasion. Once Grand Master Koenig was officially received and greeted, he took the East and introduced his Line Officers followed by an official welcome of Delaware Grand Master William Little, who joined him in the East and introduced his Line Officers. Grand Master Koenig and his staff conferred the Master Mason Degree on two Cecil Lodge candidates - Bros. Harry Money and Daniel Fletcher after which he presented each with a copy of the "Maryland Master Mason Handbook". WM Lewis Collins presented Grand Master Koenig with a pair of miniature decoys carved by Morrison Watson. A copy of "Ed Ludwig’s History of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal" was presented to several other officers. Grand Master Koenig announced that Cecil Lodge was the sixth smallest of 129 lodges in the state. PM Sam Walls representing Pennsylvania introduced his group and on their behalf presented Cecil Lodge with a pair of "Keystone Door Knockers" for the Tyler’s door. After a round of compliments the Grand Master Koenig closed the meeting .

In the year 2000 the banquet room was named "Cooling Hall" and was dedicated to Past Master Walter Frederick Cooling in honor of his dedication to Masonry. PM Cooling was the last member to receive the Master Mason degree in the original Masonic Temple which was home for Cecil Lodge for 68 years and torn down in 1938. From that evening when he began his career in Masonry he was the most dedicated member of Cecil Lodge serving as Worshipful Master in 1942 and 1987 plus many years as Treasurer. He did not have perfect attendance but sure came in with a close second and was always willing to fill in and help wherever or whatever the need might be. While the hall was dedicated and named "Cooling Hall" it is interesting to note that there are more Coolings on the 142 year membership roll than any other family name and they are all related.　

Cecil Lodge membership peaked at 90 members in 1968 and since then has shown a steady decline to 65 members in 2007. Very few members live within the area today. The question arises as to why we are forfeiting the charter after all these years. The answer is simple. Times have changed and there are too many opportunities in the world today without being committed to any one organization. There are twelve officers in each Masonic lodge and it takes eight at a minimum to conduct each meeting. They are each required to take part in the opening and closing of every meeting. This is witnessed by non members attending the "open installation of officers" in January when they can view step by step the work involved. The ritual in the three degrees (required to become a member ) is lengthy and has to be memorized by the officers conferring the degrees. Two officers, PM Ralph Gary Pierce and PM John Rodney May have been rotating between Worshipful Master and Secretary for fifteen years and it is time for a break with no one willing to learn the rituals. Not one of the present officers lives in Chesapeake City. Cecil Lodge was the second lodge chartered in Chesapeake City and is the last one of eight lodges to forfeit their Charter.

All of the officer’s chairs plus the Altar, and Bible were purchased in Baltimore in 1872. The officer’s chairs were upholstered in 1974 and the Bible was rebound and restored in 1955 by a Baltimore Bookbinding Co. The tables (sect’y and treas.) and two large pictures of George Washington date back to the early 1900's - exact dates unknown. The Lantern Slide Projector and slides came from the Grand Lodge of Maryland in 1938 through the request of our Grand Inspector at that time. The Lessor Lights also date back to the early days of the lodge although there is no information in the minutes as to where they came from. As we close our last meeting ( February 26, 2008), three of these antiques will go on display in the Grand Lodge Museum - "The Holy Bible", "The Lessor Lights", and "The Lantern Slide Projector with the wooden slides ".

Union Lodge No. 48, A.F.& A.M., Elkton, MD