On October 15,1850, Luther Adams, Thomas Adams, James Hagen and sever other prominent citizens of Blanchester, Ohio were granted a Charter from the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ohio establishing Blanchester Lodge #191.
At the time, little could these Brethren have realized the scope and long lasting effect of what they had set in motion. Over the course of the last 157 years, through the good times and those not so good, the seed of that little country Lodge has grown and survives to this day. The hard work and dedication of hundreds of Masons over the years has kept the tenets of Freemasonry alive and viable as they have been taught and passed down from generation to generation. Some distinguished members of Blanchester Lodge #191 who have figured prominently in this task include: Two U. S. Representatives, as Ohio State Senator, nine 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Masons, two Grand High Priests and RWB Normand Lynn Lewis, Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Ohio and a Distruct Deputy Grand Master of the Eighth Masonic District. Now, as we celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Freemasonry in Ohilo, the members of Blanchester Lodge #191 collectively stand with one foot firmly planted on the strong foundation laid be those who came before us, ready to step forward into a future of great challenges and opportunities.
More History...
Blanchester Lodge, No. 191, F. & A.M., was charted by the State Grand Lodge, in session at Cincinnati, October 15, 1850. The lodge first met in Samuel Baldwin’s old frame hall, which they occupied until the fall of 1864, when they leased the hall, now known as the Ross Hall, of R. Goodwin. Here they remained until 1871, when they moved to their own hall in Trickey’s Block on Broadway Street near the railroad. The lodge is in a prosperous condition with a good hall nicely furnished and about forty members.