Lodge History 1923 – 1961

Beginning of Lankershim Lodge
(Now North Hollywood Lodge No. 542, F. & A. M.)

On April 24th A.D. 1922, a group of twenty-five Masons whose names appear below assembled at the home of Brother Clarence Clark Bowerman to consider necessary meas­ures for the establishment of a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the town of Lankershim (Now North Hollywood).

Those present were:

  • JOHN HERMAN FRITZ
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • CLARENCE BOWERMAN
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • CHAS. W. SHIREY
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • CHAS. OSBORNE
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • JOHN A. HUIZANGA
    Golden Sheaf Lodge No. 605, Iowa
  • FRED A. WEDDINGTON
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • ROSCOE W. BLANCHARD
    Geary Lodge No. 139, Oklahoma
  • WILLIAM KLUMP
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • FREDERICK STEVENS
    St. Paul Lodge No. 9, Washington
  • HARVEY E. OATMAN
    Liverpool Lodge No. 525, New York
  • RAY ENGLESON
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • CARL A. FRIEBURG
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • GEORGE NOLLENBERGER
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • BENJAMIN F. STEELE
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • HENRY D. MYERS
    Hollywood Lodge No.355 California
  • CHARLES C. COL WELL
    Jewel Lodge No. 309, Iowa
  • GUY WEDDINGTON
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • ISAAC MACATEE
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • BENJAMIN C. LEMBKE
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • CECIL J. SEELY
    St. Paul Lodge No. 500, Illinois
  • WALTER H. ROBERTS
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • GEORGE F. MORRISON
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • CHARLES S. MORRISON
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • GEORGE HENRY TAYLOR
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California
  • CECIL WILCOX
    Hollywood Lodge No. 355, California

At this meeting John Fritz was elected Chairman and Chas Osborne, Secretary. After a report by a committee appointed to select a name for the Lodge it was decided to call it Lankershim Lodge.

Upon motion Bro. John Fritz was elected Master, Clarence Bowerman, Senior Warden and Benjamin Lembke, Junior Warden.

A petition to Grand Master, Most Worshipful William Albert Sherman, was prepared, signed by the twenty-five brothers above mentioned, asking him to grant a dispensation to form and open a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons at Lankershim, California and to be called Lankershim Lodge.

On May 21st, 1922, the Chairman reported that Bro. Charles Lyndall has been appointed Inspector of Lankershim Lodge and was assisted by Bro. James A. Campbell, member of Hollywood Lodge.

On November 27, 1922, a dispensation was granted to Lankershim Lodge U.D. and signed by William Albert Sherman, Grand Master and John Whicher, Grand Secretary, and The Most Worshipful Grand Master invested the fallow­ing brothers with the jewels of their respective offices and they took their stations in the Lodge:

  • JOHN HERMAN FRITZ – Master
  • CLARENCE CLARK BOWERMAN – Senior Warden
  • BENJAMIN CHARLES LEMBKE – Junior Warden
  • HARVEY E. OATMAN – Treasurer
  • CHARLES OSBORNE – Secretary
  • CHARLES C. COLWELL – Chaplain
  • HENRY DEUPRES MYERS – Senior Deacon
  • WALTER HASLAM ROBERTS – Junior Deacon
  • BENJAMIN F. STEELE – Marshal
  • GEORGE F. MORRISON – Senior Steward
  • CECIL J. SEELY – Junior Steward
  • CECIL WILCOX – Tiler

Some of the highlights of the by-laws as adopted were as follows: Article III. The Junior Deacon may be appointed by the Senior Ward­en. The stated meetings of the Lodge shall be held on the second Thursday of every month at 7: 30 p.m. The sum of $55.00 shall be the fee required for the three degrees. The annual dues of each member shall be $5.00 payable quarter­ly in advance.

Presentations to the Lodge were as follows:

  • The HOLY BIBLE by Bro. Herman Bennett.
  • The JEWELS by The Hollywood Commandery.
  • GAVEL and ORNAMENTS by Bro. Thomas Hamilton.
  • DRAPES by the Lankershim Chapter Order of The Eastern Star.
  • PEDESTALS, PILLARS and ALTAR by the Hollywood Lodge No. 355.

On December 14th, 1922, ten petitions were received for the degrees and sixteen for affiliation. These were the first petitions to be received by Lankershim Lodge U.D.

On April 5, 1923, the degree on Master Mason was conferred on Bro. Percy Clark Hickerson, it being the first time a third de­gree was conferred in Lankershim Lodge.

On September 13, 1923, the secretary reported that the Lodge had a total membership of 80.

  • 25 Charter Members
  • 23 by degrees
  • 32 by affiliation

From the secretary’s desk a footnote to the minutes “The lodge is free of all indebtedness and no one owes the lodge anything at this time.”

On September 13, 1923, it was ordered that Worshipful Master John Fritz be appointed as delegate to Grand Lodge and that he address a communication to the Most Worshipful Grand Master asking for a Charter.

Institution of Lankershim Lodge

On October 17, 1923, The Most Worshipful Grand Master Arthur S. Crites was present and with the assistance of the Grand Junior Deacon, Bro. Harcourt Harvey and other Past Masters acting as Grand Lodge Officers, Lankershim Lodge was duly instituted.

The Grand Master then installed the following officers:

  • JOHN HERMAN FRITZ – Master
  • CLARENCE CLARK BOWERMAN – Senior Warden
  • BENJAMIN CHARLES LEMBKE – Junior Warden
  • HARVEY EDWARD OATMAN – Treasurer
  • CHARLES OSBORNE – Secretary
  • GUY MOORE MCBRIDE – Chaplain
  • HENRY DEUPREE MYERS – Senior Deacon
  • WALTER HASLAM ROBERTS – Junior Deacon
  • BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STEELE – Marshal
  • CECIL JULIAN SEELY – Senior Steward
  • GEORGE MORRISON – Junior Steward
  • WALTER POTTER ROGERS – Tiler

Worshipful John Fritz served his lodge well for one year and was succeeded by Ben Lembke, Clarence Bowerman who Served as Senior Warden had to give up continuing in office.

Worshipful Ben Lembke served his lodge faithfully and well not only as Master but as officers’ coach for many years, until he moved away from this community.

The lodge continued in a very prosperous manner for several years with faithful and dedicated masters and officers.

In 1931 Worshipful Chalmer Lyon first instituted the custom of having sojourners visiting our lodge for the first time, introduced at the Altar by the Senior Deacon.

In 1937 Edward Solomon served as Master and during that year the task of renovation of the lodge room was undertaken. With the aid of many faithful members and members of the Eastern Star Chapter, the entire lodge room was painted, the pillars were redecorated, and the kitchen was made over. During that year a play ”Her Shop” was performed in the North Hollywood High School auditorium under the direction of Thurston von Rydingsward and with the help of advertising (which was al­lowed then) a sum of over $300 was turned over to the lodge.

The HOUR GLASS was started in 1931 under Worshipful Chalmer Lyon and consisted of 16 pages (mostly advertising) and the trestle board of the lodge along with the dates of meetings of other organizations meeting in the Masonic Temple. The Hour Glass had as its motto: “Masonry Builds Its Temples Among the Na­tions and In The Hearts Of Men.”

This year the lodge deposited $1,500 in the savings & loan association, being the first sav­ings which ultimately grew into a fund which enabled the lodge to build its temple at 5122 Tujunga Avenue in North Hollywood.

In 1939 after a casual conversation between Worshipful Ernest Coolidge and Past Master Edward Solomon, the idea of erecting a new temple was first thought of.

In 1939 a building committee consisting of Past Masters Harvey Oatman, Chalmer Lyon and Edward Solomon, Past Matrons of the East­ern Star, Genevieve Solomon, Ruth Levy and Bertha Minton and Beatrice Osborne, Maxwell Salter and Mamie Deupree from the Amarath were appointed. In November 1939, Edward Solomon, chairman of the committee made this report:

“Our lease expires in February 1942. Our present quarters are too small for the fast-growing lodge. Two types of buildings were considered: A one story building and the con­ventional two-story building. LOCATION -Several lots · are available at a small cost. COST: The total cost including the lot was estimated to cost not over $30,000” (the final cost was nearer $200,000).

On March 7, 1940, through the valued as­sistance of Brother Guy Axline, a set of by-laws was adopted and the North Hollywood Masonic Temple Association was formed. Article V of the by-laws provided that four of the directors shall be members of Lankershim Masonic Lodge, two from the Lankershim Eastern Star Chapter and one from San Fernando Valley Court of the Amaranth.

The first officers were Edward Solomon, president; R. W. Blanchard, vice president; Clarice Brohammer, secretary; Mamie Deupree, treasurer; Chalmer Lyon, Cora Graves and Ernest Coolidge, directors.

On Feb. 22, 1940, a George Washington’s Birthday Dinner was held at the North Holly­wood Woman’s Club house at which 350 masons and their friends were present. All the net proceeds were to be used to start the build­ing fund for the new temple.

Congratulatory telegrams were received from many organizations, including the North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, North Hol­lywood Kiwanis Club, North Hollywood Rotary Club, San Fernando United Chambers of Com­merce, North Hollywood Woman’s Club, North Hollywood Junior Chamber of Commerce, Universal Trowel Club and many others.

Following this auspicious beginning were ten years of hard work by dedicated members of the lodge, too numerous to mention. Day after day members of North Hollywood lodge and many sojourners worked with hammer, shovel, wheelbarrow and many other tools (some of iron) while their wives prepared lunches for the workers. Many campaigns were held to raise money which was one of the hardest of all the hard tasks.

The highlight of the whole job was one Sunday when over sixty men reported for work and we were to pour the cement floor in the dining room. Work began at six o’clock and with the aid of two gas carts, and fifty shovels, the cement was mixed and poured and com­pleted by noon. Bob Stowell who volunteered to supervise the completion of the building loaned all his power tools and gave all his time freely until the building was completed.

On September 8, 1951, was the climax of a decade of hard, unselfish work by many mem­bers of North Hollywood lodge. It was the occasion of the dedication of the temple by Grand Master of Masons in California, Arthur Paulson. Some five hundred Masons assembled in the dining room for a banquet and then went to the lodge room where they were joined by several hundred other Masons and where the temple was officially dedicated. William Neu­endorff, was Worshipful Master and Edward Solomon was named the principal architect, who with the assistance of Robert Stowell, pre­sented the working tools of the craft to the Grand Master.

On Sunday, September 23, 1951, open house was held in the temple and hundreds of Masons and their families visited the temple for the first time. Charles Osborne served his Lodge as secretary from its institution until 1951 when Clarence Ross, our present secre­tary was elected and installed.

Reginald Bunce, Past Master of North Hol­lywood Lodge was appointed Worshipful In­spector of the 545th Masonic District and has served with distinction since that date.

Our lodge has grown very rapidly in mem­bers and financially during the last decade and was now one of the larger lodges in members in California.

Our temple was free and clear of all encumbrances and since the erection of the building, we purchased an additional 50 feet of frontage which was used for parking purposes.

Since our former Hall Association by-laws were in operation, through Grand Lodge we were induced to adopt new by-laws in conformity to their policy and now the directors must all be members of North Hollywood Lodge. Five are elected from the floor and the Master and Senior Warden by virtue of their office are members of the Board.

The 1961 board was composed of Vernon Steen, president; Edsall Read, vice president; Edward Solomon, secretary; Carey Burch, treas­urer; Reginald Mitchell, W.M. Hugh Gregory and S. W. Roger Hotchkin. The Board controls the management of the Temple Building, has charge of the mainte­nance and repairs and takes care of all rentals by the tenants.

The 1961 tenants of the building are:

  • The North Hollywood Masonic Lodge No. 542,
    which meets every Thursday night.
  • The North Hollywood Chapter No. 403, Order of the Eastern Star,
    which meets on the First and Third Tuesdays of every month.
  • The Amaranth Court No. 75,
    which meets on the second and fourth Fridays.
  • Mission White Shrine No. 80,
    which meets on the second Tuesday of every month.
  • No. 764-Heritage Blue Lodge,
    which meets every Monday night.
  • Job’s Daughters, Bethel No. 110,
    which meets the first Saturday afternoon and the third Friday of every month.
  • Job’s Daughters Bethel No. 211,
    which meets the first Friday night and the third Saturday afternoon of every month.
  • The Order of Rainbow for Girls No. 134,
    which meets the second Saturday morning and the fourth Tuesday night of every month.
  • The DeMolay Chapter,
    which meets on the second and Fourth Wednesday night of every month.
  • North Hollywood Royal Arch No. 151,
    which meets every first and third Wednesday night of every month.