Buena Vista Lodge No. 186, A.F. & A.M.

                                                            Buena Vista, Virginia

Some of this history was obtained from Brother W. N. Seay, the last surviving charter member who died in July 1939. He said that the organization plans were made in his home.

The first record that could be found was in the minutes of Mountain City Lodge No. 67 in Lexington.  It records that on January 27, 1890, a petition was received asking their consent to establish a Masonic Lodge in the town of Buena Vista. The consent was granted and the District Deputy Grand Master, J. T. Wilson signed the dispensation petition.

There were thirty-two names on the dispensation that was granted March 10, 1890, naming the following officers:

Jacob Bumgardner                  Worshipful Master

C. A. Lacey                             Senior Warden

J. W. Talley                             Junior Warden

None of the names had the name or number of their Lodge. Brother Bumgardner was from Staunton and was later Grand Commander of the Knights Templar. The charter was granted December 10, 1890.

While under dispensation, the Lodge laid the cornerstone of Saint Johns Methodist Church on November 11, 1890.

On December 15, 1890 Grand Master J. Howard Wayt instituted the Lodge and a detailed account of this appeared in the December 19^th edition of “The Buena Vista Advocate.”

The first meeting place was in the Seay Building on the northwest corner of Beech Avenue and 24^th Street. This building was destroyed by fire in 1892 and evidently the records for the first three years were also destroyed. The minute books begin January 6, 1893.

There was apparently no activity from August 1897 until August 1899 when the Lodge was reorganized. The second meeting place was on the Northwest corner of Sycamore Avenue and 21^st Street. About 1891 it met on the third floor of the Court House on the Northeast corner of Magnolia Avenue and 21^st Street. The fourth meeting place was over the First National Bank on the Northeast corner of Sycamore Avenue and 21^st Street. There it remained until the purchase of the present building at 2155 Magnolia Avenue, in 1925. This building has had significant remodeling and is a modern Lodge hall. During World War II the Red Cross used the dining area as a workshop and later the “Veterans of Foreign Wars” met there.

A number of years ago Brother W. E. Glass bequeathed the Lodge some money and for several years it gave a local high school graduate a scholarship known as the W. E. Glass Memorial Scholarship.

For about twenty years the Lodge has had an Oyster supper proceeding the December stated Communication and before that Christmas fruit baskets were presented to local Masonic widows.

Probably the most distinguished member of this Lodge was Right Worshipful Willis Robertson who served as United States Senator from Virginia.

Several third generation Brethren have served as Worshipful Master and Worshipful L. T. Page, III was a fourth in 1990.