A Brief History of Hesperia Lodge No. 411
On the 5 th day of October, A.L. 5864, Hesperia Lodge No. 411 A.F. & A.M. received its Charter, and two weeks later, on October 19 was regularly constituted by Most Worshipful Bro. Thomas Turner, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Illinois.
The preliminary meeting which led to the formation of Hesperia Lodge No. 411 A.F. & A.M. was held in the hall of Cleveland Lodge No. 211, A.F. & A.M., then located on West Randolph Street in Chicago, Illinois, on May 15, 1864.
The meeting was presided by Bro. N.W. Huntley and Bro. A.M. Bennett acting as Secretary. On motion at this meeting the name Tuscan was decided upon as the name of the new Lodge, unless a majority of the Brethren should thereafter decide otherwise. On motion, Bro. Huntley was appointed as the first Worshipful Master, Bro. A.M. Bennett as the first Senior Warden, and Bro. Henry Sweet as the first Junior Warden.
The next matter of record found was that the first meeting of Hesperia Lodge, Under Dispensation, was held on Wednesday evening, July 13, 1864. No record has ever been found of any intervening meeting being held, or action taken, leading to the changing of the name of the new Lodge from Tuscan, as originally proposed, to that of Hesperia. We may not know how the name of our Lodge was chosen but we can speculate that our Brethren looked up to the Heavens for inspiration. Let me explain. In Latin, Hesperia is the feminine noun of “Hesperius”, which derives from the ancient Greek hésperos. And in Greek mythology, it indicates the Western Star or Evening Star, known today as the Planet Venus. It is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon. As bright and as brilliant as it is, the ancients did not understand why they could not see it at midnight like the outer Planets, or during midday, like the Sun and Moon. It outshines the planets Saturn and Jupiter, which can be seen all night, but it soon disappears. It can be seen in the western evening sky for about 1 hour or so after sunset, but never during the darker hours of the night.
The first petitioner to Hesperia Lodge for degrees and membership was Mr. E.C. Hubbard, 21 years of age, by occupation a clerk. On August 10, 1864, at the fifth regular meeting of Hesperia Lodge, Under Dispensation, Mr. E.C. Hubbard was elected, and the Entered Apprentice degree conferred upon him.
From these early records of the Lodge, we find that the manner in which candidates progressed through the several degrees was different than that experienced by any of the present membership. No doubt it was in conformity with the Grand Lodge requirements of those days. It appears that an application for advancement to the next degree was required and on each degree a ballot was taken of which the results determined the progress of the candidate. At a meeting held on August 24, 1864. Brother Hubbard, an Entered Apprentice, having complied with the requirements of that time was passed to the degree of Fellow Craft and at a regular meeting held on August 31, 1864, in like form, the Brother was raised to the degree of Master Mason. Brother E.C. Hubbard had the honor of being the first to be initiated, passed and raised and was able to sign the by-laws of Hesperia Lodge by such right.
During the early years of Hesperia Lodge the first Masonic Temple in Chicago was erected at the southwest corner of Randolph and Halsted Streets. Hesperia became a stockholder in this new home and membership began to grow. Our Lodge moved its location four times from 1895 to 1970. In 1970, the Lodge moved from the Logan Square Masonic Temple to the Jefferson Masonic Temple, here on Gale Street, where we currently hold our regular stated meetings.
In 1922 the Lodge attained its greatest membership of approximately 900 members. In 1939, on the 75th Anniversary of Hesperia, the commemorative book stated, “The Radio -Automobile – Movies and other forms of amusement, together with changed economic conditions, appear to have lessened interest in Free Masonry.” The advent of men returning from World War II saw a resurgence in membership not only of Hesperia, but of Masonry in general. In 1959 Reliance Lodge No.1164 was consolidated with Hesperia Lodge resulting in another influx of membership.
In 1964, on the Hundredth Anniversary, the commemorative booklet stated: “As was the case after World War II, we found the young men and our membership migrating to the suburban areas, with the result that today most of our members, especially the younger ones, have moved out to the suburbs. The majority of our petitions coming in are from that area and is in direct competition with the suburban Lodges.”
Today that trend has reversed and most of our members live within the limits of the city of Chicago. We have a total of 143 active members and their age ranges from 24 to 93. Throughout the years, Hesperia Lodge has had many notables in its membership. Mayors of Chicago, many Judges, City and County officials, and many prominent men engaged in civic and business life. We look back with pride to these men. At the same time, we recognize that no man is more or less important than his fellow Brother, and salute each of the Brethren who have contributed to Hesperia’s long and exalted past.
In 2014 we celebrated our 150th Anniversary and Lodge Re-Dedication Ceremony, and then again in 2024 our 160th and Re-Dedication Ceremony at which times the MW Grand Master of the State of Illinois and his line of Grand Lodge Officers performed the solemn ritual.
Today we are proud to lay down four Holy books on our altar, representing the four major religions of our members, but we also recognize our Brethren who do not identify with any of those religions but profess their belief in Deity. We are stronger because our membership includes men of every nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and economic status. Here in our Lodge as it should be all over our world, all Brothers are equal and men are judged by the quality of their hearts.
In today’s Digital Age, Hesperia Lodge is computerized, and we have achieved instant communication with a worldwide audience. During the mandatory lockdown in our homes due to COVID, we were able to communicate via our computer and phone screens and stay in touch through social media apps. Still, it is the simple fellowship of Masonry that we find our greatest fulfillment, and to Masonry we now bring those new technological advances. Our primary source for obtaining potential new candidates is our website, our social media accounts, and the Grand Lodge of Illinois website. We communicate with our members by email and the OLP app, a useful tool that helps to make a positive impact on Membership Retention by allowing our Lodge Officers to communicate events and activities and empowering all Brethren to connect with one another using an updated, secure, and private centralized platform.
Now, we can only guess what life will be like in the upcoming future. Given the incredible technological advances of Artificial Intelligence, we may be soon exploring the far reaches of our solar system and those of our own humanity. That Masonry will be there at that time we have no doubt. We were already in Space, when on July 20, 1969, astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., an honorable Mason, stepped on the Moon. The commitment to Masonry comes from the heart, and as Masons are traveling men always in search of Truth, they take the spirit of Masonry with them wherever they go.
As Hesperia Lodge welcomes its new members into the Fraternity, we do so with a renewed vigor and a heightened awareness of where we have been and where we are going. Our Lodge benefits both from the experience of our elders and the enthusiasm and vision of our younger members. We are confident in the future of Masonry because we are confident in the future of our Lodge. For as proven here, Masonry brings otherwise diverse and distant men to the same Temple, under God, and binds them in a Brotherhood that is not tied to the specific time or place they live in and is carried on within our ancient masonic institution.
Enjoy a few photos from the 160th Lodge Re-Dedication Ceremony courtesy of RWB Milan Vydareny.
