Appalachia Lodge No. 229, A.F. & A.M.

                                                            Appalachia, Virginia

Appalachia Lodge No. 229 held its first meeting on Monday, March 28, 1904, with Right Worshipful I. N. Kelly, District Deputy Grand Master presiding. Nominations and elections were held with the following elected:

R. W. Holly                 Worshipful Master

J. C. Pruner                 Senior Warden

W. L. James                Junior Warden.

The Grand Lodge of Virginia was petitioned for a charter and on February 16, 1905, the charter was granted with the following officers:

R. W. Holly                             Worshipful Master

R. N. Cornett                          Senior Warden

H. F. Whitehead, Jr.                Junior Warden.

The affairs of the Lodge were conducted and nothing of great importance happened until a stated communication on Friday October 24, 1924. At that meeting Brother Doctor W. B. Peters made a talk on the need for a Masonic Hospital. At the end of his talk he made the motion to purchase the W. M. Wolfe property, with its improvements, located on Wise Street in Appalachia, Virginia. The improvements on the property consisted of a multi-story building that was being used as a hospital. The Brethren present at that meeting, after much and thorough discussion, voted on and passed the motion with a unanimous vote. The first hospital trustees were then appointed and were R. W. Holly, W. B. Peters, and W. N. Botts. The purchase was made with a verbal agreement between the two parties and the Deed was not transferred until March 12, 1926.

Appalachia Lodge No. 229 operated the hospital with great success until August 22, 1932. At which time the hospital trustees recommended to the members to either lease it or sell it because of insufficient funds for its continued operation. The members discussed the motion and passed it, giving the trustees permission to lease or sell the hospital. During these depressed times it was hard for them to find someone to take it over. A couple of years passed, and Doctor Handy and Doctor Peters, who were members of Appalachia Lodge, leased the hospital.

The hospital was later sold to a group of doctors, which consisted of Dr. Handy, Dr. Peters and Dr. J. J. Porter. The hospital building still stands.