Lodge History

Building character since 1870, we strive to help our members become better versions of themselves.

History of Canopy Lodge No. 290 AF&AM

In 1870, eight Master Masons of the Oxford area, being desirous of sharing the principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth with their fellow men of this community, did institute this Canopy Lodge No. 290, A. F. & A. M.

They applied for and were granted their dispensation on June 27, 1870, by Grand Master John Scott. During their first year, they raised ten Master Masons.

July 1, 1871, was the grand occasion on which Special Grand Deputy of the Grand Master, T.S. Parvin delivered their charter.

Dispensation had been granted at the meeting of the Grand Lodge of Iowa on June 7th, 1871.

At that time, with only 18 members, hall rent to pay, and lodge furnishings to purchase, they were in hard financial straits and borrowed $200 at 10% interest and raised their dues from $2.00 to $4.00 per year.

In 1880, they moved into the building across the street, west of our present hall. This building was new, and the builders had designed an upstairs hall according to the specifications of the Masons, who then paid rent of $100 per year. If one looks closely, you can still see the Masonic emblem on the upper part of that building.

Seven years later, they purchased a rather extensive area upon which our present building now stands, for $1,750. South of the hall was a large storehouse with an upstairs hall. They moved into that hall on March 9, 1887. Eight years later, our present hall was built, and they held their first meeting on St. John’s Night Dec. 27, 1895. They borrowed $3,000 at 7% interest.

In 1909, they built the addition on the south of the temple, which was their dining room and a funeral parlor. They again borrowed $3,500.

By 1950, the lodge was finally out of debt and celebrated the event on our 80th anniversary. Soon afterward, the lodge again went into debt as remodeling was done at the store, post office, and funeral parlor.

On the night of April 30, 1992, a fire started in the tavern at the south end of the Mason’s property, and despite the heroic efforts of our local firefighters and those of the surrounding communities, all was nearly lost.

Luckily, the heavy wooden door leading from the temple to the dining room was closed, otherwise, the temple would surely have burned.

Possibly the greatest loss of all was the fine china that was stored in the kitchen. None of the records were lost as they were locked in the safe at the time.

Since that date, the lodge has been completely remodeled, including a new kitchen, bathroom, furnace, and air-conditioner. New carpeting was installed, and the south exterior wall was covered with stucco. All this was done without incurring any debt.

In 1993, a scholarship committee was formed, and the first two annual scholarships were awarded to Clear Creek Amana college-bound seniors. A scholarship fund has been established so that we may continue to offer financial awards every year.

Other philanthropic ventures include the local Fire Departments, First Responders, Boy Scouts, CCA Elementary Fun Fair, 4-H, FFA, July 4th Fireworks, senior meals, and others.

Since 2021, Canopy Lodge brothers have provided traffic control for the annual “Light up Oxford” event and since 2024, have been a food vendor at the annual Car Cruise In.

In 2023, Stellapolis Lodge was struggling with participation in their lodge. After looking at area lodges, the members of Stellapolis decided to merge with Canopy Lodge.

Stellapolis Lodge had multiple tenants in the lower level of their building and, after making significant donations to charitable organizations in the Williamsburg area, contributed the remainder of the receipts from the sale of their temple to Canopy Lodge.

The infusion of funds from Stellapolis Lodge accelerated the timeline for the tuckpointing and painting of the building exterior. The tuckpointing project was completed over several weeks.

While the work was happening on the outside of the building, several minor projects were completed by members of the Lodge, including the removal and repair of interior walls with the plan to create a library in the back room of the lodge building.

In 2024, the process was begun to form a legal corporation to obtain a 501c3 tax status to help us provide protection of our physical impression in the community and make good men better.