Grand Lodge of Iowa, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons
Grand Lodge of the Month - May 2009
On the first day of January in 1844, representatives of four Masonic lodges in the Territory of Iowa met in Iowa City, the Territorial capital, and formed the Grand Lodge of Iowa. Three years later, Iowa was admitted to the Union as the 29th state on December 28, 1846.
Masonry in Iowa predates statehood by as much as six years. The Missouri Grand Lodge issued dispensations for lodges to Des Moines Lodge No. 41 at Burlington and Iowa Lodge No. 42 at Bloomington, now Muscatine, in 1840 with Charters coming in 1841. These two lodges were joined by Dubuque and Iowa City lodges, which received Missouri Charters in 1843, to create the Iowa Grand Lodge. Iowa's Masonic roots can be traced back through Missouri, Tennessee and North Carolina to England, where modern Freemasonry began.
The first Iowa Masonic Library was constructed in Cedar Rapids in 1884. As the collection grew, an annex was added. However, by the late 1930s, the building was running out of space and was in need of more repairs than could be cost justified, so plans began for a new building. Construction on the present Iowa Masonic Library and Museum began in 1953 and was completed in 1955.
The Iowa Masonic Library is universally recognized as one of the top six Masonic libraries in the world, ranking with those in Boston; New York; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; and London, England. It began with a $5.00 appropriation by the newly formed Grand Lodge in 1845. The first book purchased was "Ahiman Rezon" by Laurence Dermott. Today, researchers from around the world regularly use the Library.
The building also houses the administrative offices of the Grand Lodge of Iowa.
Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M., of Iowa813 First Avenue, SE
P.O. Box 279
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406 http://www.gl-iowa.org/ voice - (319) 365-1438
