Brief History of Ocean Grove No.238
Brief History of Ocean Grove No.238
Written by Harris Goldstein
The charter members began to look for a suitable place to hold their meetings. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association offered the third floor of their building at 50-20 Pitman Avenue, which was an unfinished loft area.
A handful of interested brethren immediately began to prepare the offered quarters as a lodge hall. By May 5, 1922 when the Grand Master came to Ocean Grove to constitute Ocean Grove Lodge No. 238, and incidentally Spring Lake Lodge No. 239 the same day, the lodge hall was adequately equipped and met with the approval of the Grand Master and his committee.
As a selling point to justify it’s creation, in the days of penal jurisdiction the lodge proposed to hold regular stated communications twice a month during twelve months of the year to attract and accommodate visiting brethren vacationing at the seashore.
Having only one Past Master of its own, the lodge held a Visiting Past Master’ Night on January 22. 1923, at which time the Past Masters of the district occupied the various stations and places and exemplified the third degree. Eighty-six visitors were in attendance. This became an annual tradition until November 5, 1928 when the Lodge honored its own Past Masters.
In 1925 a committee was appointed to seek a site for a Masonic Temple. The committee recommended the purchase of the Massinger property, now the Ocean Grove Memorial Home, for $20,000. However the majority of the members voted against the proposition as being too costly.
The minutes of the December 28, 1925, indicate that the gas and water pipes had frozen. Members and visitors were instructed to keep their overcoats and hats on. A fire originating on the second floor occupied by a bedding concern gutted the lodge hall on Sept 8, 1926 destroying all the lodge paraphernalia and records stored therein.
Marcus Clayton, chaplain of the lodge for twenty years and Fire Chief in Ocean Grove, found the original Tyler’s door knocker in the ashes of the building after the fire. He retained it until his death when it was inherited by his daughter and presented to the lodge. Editors Note: This knocker is now on display in Ocean Lodge No. 89.
Through the courtesy of Asbury Lodge No. 142 and by dispensation of the Grand Master, Ocean Grove Lodge No.238 met in their lodge rooms in Asbury park for the next sixteen months.
In the meantime the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association was reconstructing their building at 50-20 Pitman Avenue and asked the lodge if they wished to return there. The first answer was no, but in August 1927 the trustees were again authorized to borrow money in order to furnish the lodge room, kitchen and dining room. Again the members started with an open type loft area.
The lodge grew quickly and by 1930 had 20 members. In 1932 an offer of $5,000 was made to the Camp Meeting Assoc. to purchase four corner lots at the corner of Lawrence and Stockton Ave. The two parties were $1,800 apart.
The year of 1944 was a busy one. There were 19 regular and 10 emergent communications: of these 26 were for the purpose of degree work. Forty-one candidates were raised that year.
In 1951 the lodge reached a membership of 300 members. The year 1958 ended with 359 members, the high point of the current 50 years.
The format of the lodge’s trestleboard was changed in 1950 for the first time. It has been changed several times since.
The year 1971 was unique as twelve different Past masters were called upon to close the lodge throughout the year; some for the first time in thirty years. It is felt that the lodge has been unique in that during its fifty years it has had only three treasurers and three secretaries.
RW Rowland C. Mauch, P.G.C
Editors Note: After renting space from Wall-Spring Lake No. 73 at our current location, Ocean Grove consolidated in 1987.
Thursday, 05 November 2009 13:04
Excerpts from the 50 year booklet, April 1972The charter members began to look for a suitable place to hold their meetings. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association offered the third floor of their building at 50-20 Pitman Avenue, which was an unfinished loft area.
A handful of interested brethren immediately began to prepare the offered quarters as a lodge hall. By May 5, 1922 when the Grand Master came to Ocean Grove to constitute Ocean Grove Lodge No. 238, and incidentally Spring Lake Lodge No. 239 the same day, the lodge hall was adequately equipped and met with the approval of the Grand Master and his committee.
As a selling point to justify it’s creation, in the days of penal jurisdiction the lodge proposed to hold regular stated communications twice a month during twelve months of the year to attract and accommodate visiting brethren vacationing at the seashore.
Having only one Past Master of its own, the lodge held a Visiting Past Master’ Night on January 22. 1923, at which time the Past Masters of the district occupied the various stations and places and exemplified the third degree. Eighty-six visitors were in attendance. This became an annual tradition until November 5, 1928 when the Lodge honored its own Past Masters.
In 1925 a committee was appointed to seek a site for a Masonic Temple. The committee recommended the purchase of the Massinger property, now the Ocean Grove Memorial Home, for $20,000. However the majority of the members voted against the proposition as being too costly.
The minutes of the December 28, 1925, indicate that the gas and water pipes had frozen. Members and visitors were instructed to keep their overcoats and hats on. A fire originating on the second floor occupied by a bedding concern gutted the lodge hall on Sept 8, 1926 destroying all the lodge paraphernalia and records stored therein.
Marcus Clayton, chaplain of the lodge for twenty years and Fire Chief in Ocean Grove, found the original Tyler’s door knocker in the ashes of the building after the fire. He retained it until his death when it was inherited by his daughter and presented to the lodge. Editors Note: This knocker is now on display in Ocean Lodge No. 89.
Through the courtesy of Asbury Lodge No. 142 and by dispensation of the Grand Master, Ocean Grove Lodge No.238 met in their lodge rooms in Asbury park for the next sixteen months.
In the meantime the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association was reconstructing their building at 50-20 Pitman Avenue and asked the lodge if they wished to return there. The first answer was no, but in August 1927 the trustees were again authorized to borrow money in order to furnish the lodge room, kitchen and dining room. Again the members started with an open type loft area.
The lodge grew quickly and by 1930 had 20 members. In 1932 an offer of $5,000 was made to the Camp Meeting Assoc. to purchase four corner lots at the corner of Lawrence and Stockton Ave. The two parties were $1,800 apart.
The year of 1944 was a busy one. There were 19 regular and 10 emergent communications: of these 26 were for the purpose of degree work. Forty-one candidates were raised that year.
In 1951 the lodge reached a membership of 300 members. The year 1958 ended with 359 members, the high point of the current 50 years.
The format of the lodge’s trestleboard was changed in 1950 for the first time. It has been changed several times since.
The year 1971 was unique as twelve different Past masters were called upon to close the lodge throughout the year; some for the first time in thirty years. It is felt that the lodge has been unique in that during its fifty years it has had only three treasurers and three secretaries.
RW Rowland C. Mauch, P.G.C
Editors Note: After renting space from Wall-Spring Lake No. 73 at our current location, Ocean Grove consolidated in 1987.