One last gathering. On June 7, 2012, Masonic Lodge No. 322 of Grand Marais gathered officially one last time to affirm its merger with Taconite Lodge No. 342 in Silver Bay. Signing was at the Grand Marais Blue Lodge. Signers were (L-R) Senior Warden Neil Hansen, Treasurer Paul Coe, Master Marland Hansen, Secretary Tom Westby and Junior Warden Al Barry.
It was the end of an era on June 7, 2012, when Masonic Lodge No. 322 of Grand Marais gathered at the Grand Marais Masonic Hall one last time to affirm its merger with Taconite Lodge No. 342 in Silver Bay. Taconite Lodge will complete the agreement at its next stated communication.
Present at the final ceremony for Masonic Lodge No. 322 were Senior Warden Neil Hansen, Treasurer Paul Coe, Master Marland Hansen, Secretary Tom Westby and Junior Warden Al Barry. The Blue Lodge has been in Grand Marais since 1925.
Master Marland Hansen said he and several other Masons had fought to keep the Grand Marais Lodge open, but he said it came to the point where there just weren’t enough members to keep it going. He said the Grand Marais Masons would now travel to the Taconite Lodge in Silver Bay twice a month for meetings.
The Grand Marais Masonic Hall, the blue building just north of North Shore Hospital, is being purchased by the hospital for $95,000. Hansen said the money from the sale of the building would go to the new lodge. It will be allocated to a fund managed by two Masons from Cook County and one from Lake County. That money will continue to be used for scholarships for graduates and the other good works the Masons have done in Cook County.
Such efforts will continue. Hansen said Masons have been involved in the Child Find Program, have granted scholarships to local graduates and have helped the Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts were derived from the Masons, said Hansen, adding, “Masons is still one of the finest organizations ever.”
To learn more about the organization and becoming a member, speak to any Mason.
Leave a Reply