Hunter Lodge No. 135, A.F. & A.M.

                                                              Edinburg, Virginia

The first meeting of Hunter Lodge was held on September 24, 1855 on a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Virginia to meet and form a Lodge. There were nine Brethren present who proceeded to elect the following:

Richard Miller                         Worshipful Master

Samuel McElroy                     Senior Warden

Phillip Pitman              Junior Warden

The next order of business was the approval of bylaws. Some of the old bylaws were followed, such as: No Brother owing three dollars will be allowed to hold office, ballot or vote; Dues will be one dollar a year payable in monthly payments; Should a member owe more than three dollars or miss meetings for twelve months he shall be summoned to show why he should not be suspended; There will be a charity fund established, each Brother who shall become a member will pay three dollars and each newly raised Brother two dollars, a box will be passed at each meeting. (At a meeting in July 1879 it was reported that eight cents was collected.) After the bylaws were approved, a petition was read from Alexandria Grayson, the ballot being in his favor a Lodge on the first degree was opened and Mr. Grayson was initiated an Entered Apprentice. On November 3, 1855, Leon Dorsay was initiated, passed and raised all on the same day.

On June 24, 1856, Most Worshipful J. A. Leitch, Grand Master of Masons in Virginia installed the officers in an open installation followed by a program honoring St. John.

There were nine meetings in 1861, five in 1862 and none from August 1862 until March 1865. In 1865 there were 59 meetings, with Worshipful Richard Miller, the first Worshipful Master presiding at forty-six of them. On May 6, 1865, it was noted that the Lodge accepted Confederate money from seven candidates.

On February 19, 1866, the Lodge was opened for the purpose of “interring the remains” of Brother Amos Crabill. This is the first mention of a Masonic Funeral Service by this Lodge.

On February 20, 1869, a motion was passed to purchase the property at the corner of Main and Center Streets for $1,040.00. This is the present location of the Lodge. On March 16 the Edinburg Masonic Temple Association was chartered. This is the first corporation in Shenandoah County. On August 4, 1870, the Lodge hall was dedicated with fifty-six Brethren present from seven Lodges.

On June 28, 1873, the Master Masons Lodge was suspended and a Lodge of Paste Maters was opened. Brother J. M. Hendrick appeared and the Past Masters Degree was conferred on him. This is the first mention of the Past Masters Degree.

March 6, 1876, it was noted that there was a railroad wreck at Narrow Passage. A Brother from Alexandria, Virginia and one from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia were killed. Members from Hunter Lodge stayed with the bodies and accompanied them to their homes.

In 1886 a motion was passed that the secretary receive 10 percent of all back dues that he could collect. In 1893 a Brother was suspended for appearing drunk in public. This was considered un-Masonic conduct.

Water and electricity were installed in the Lodge building in 1908. And on November 28 the first mention is made of the Lecture of the Master Masons Degree being given. On July 4, 1916, the Lodge laid the cornerstone for the Methodist Church in Edinburg.

In 1918, a special dispensation was requested and granted by Most Worshipful E. L. Cunningham, Grand Mater of Masons in Virginia, to confer all three degrees at one meeting on Mr. C. E. Moyer of the 318^th Infantry Hospital Group, Camp Lee Virginia.

Hunter Lodge No 135 joined with Rockingham-Union Lodge No. 27 to take a special train to Alexandria, Virginia to attend the laying of the cornerstone of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in 1923.

On July 18, 1929, the Lodge sponsored a program by the Band and Glee Club from the Masonic Home at the Town Hall.  One hundred seventy-five dollars were contributed to the Masonic Home.

In 1939, a Brother who had been initiated in 1922 was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason.

This historical summary was compiled from the records of the Lodge, which were kept by the Lodge Secretaries.