FREEMASONS. CAPITAL CITY LODGE NO. 217 (ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA):

An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society

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HISTORY OF THE CAPITAL CITY LODGE

On April 7, 1895, nine men from St. Paul's West Seventh Street area met to discuss forming a Masonic Lodge. Eight of the men were employed by the Chicago, St. Paul & Omaha Railway Company's repair shop at Toronto and Randolph Streets.

In June 1895, the Masonic Grand Lodge of Minnesota granted permission to organize a Lodge, the 217th Lodge to be chartered in Minnesota. All the Lodge's new officers and most of the initial members were employees of the Omaha Railway Company. The Lodge became known as the Railway Lodge.

From 1895 to 1995, 1136 men joined the Lodge and 85 became Masters. Occupations included machinists, clerks, locomotive engineers, bridge foremen, draughtsmen (draftsmen), boilermakers and electricians.

For most of its existence, the Lodge was located near the Omaha repair shop. The first Lodge meeting was held September 11, 1895 on the third floor of a brick building known as the Hines Block at the corner of Toronto and West Seventh Streets, two blocks from the Omaha shops.

In 1901, larger quarters were needed and the Lodge moved to the third floor of the Enright building, which was located on West Seventh between Randolph and Bay. This building also was near the Omaha shop.

In October 1923, a lot at Edgcumbe and James Avenue was purchased for $1250 and $15,000 was allocated to erect a new building. The Lodge remained at this location for almost 65 years.

During the Depression, the Lodge's unpaid dues totaled $2,764. In December of 1936, the Lodge passed a resolution to put the Lodge into bankruptcy. A trustee was appointed and the mortgage was foreclosed. The building was sold to Macalester Masonic Lodge and Capital City Lodge then became the tenant.

Throughout the years, the Lodge funded and participated in many activities such as social events, collecting food for and donating to local families in need, donating glucose monitors to local schools, donating to the Masonic Home and the Shriner Hospital, and conducting Lodge educational events.

The Lodge's membership reached a high of 507 in 1957. There were 152 members in 1996 and less than 80 by 2001. With the decline in membership, Lodge members voted in December 2003 to disband and return the original charter to the Masonic Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

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SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE RECORDS

This collection contains 12 volumes of lodge minutes, 1895-1924, 1930-1972; a photo album of past Masters of the Lodge, 1895-1982, 1995; a roster of members for 1980; and a 100th anniversary commemorative booklet documenting the activities of a masonic lodge formed in 1895 by employees of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad living in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the location and box numbers shown below.

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