Paola Lodge A.F.& A.M. #37 - Paola, Kansas - Masonic Temples on Waymarking.com

The old Lodge at 101 E. Miami Street has been torn down to make way for the new county jail. This building has been procured for meetings and as the new Lodge for the Masons and for Eastern Star. The Lodge was Chartered in 1862, one year after Kansas Statehood.

Surrounded by his fellow Masons in front of the Paola Masonic Lodge on Friday morning, Richard Sobek stared at the large excavator looming nearby and began to speak about his childhood.

“I’m reminded of Dec. 4, 1964,” Sobek said. “My mother packed us all up, and as we drove off, I looked back and saw them bulldozing our home to make room for an apartment complex.”

Sobek paused as he studied the Masonic building where he had spent so many Monday night meetings during the past several years. The cornerstone left of the entrance prominently proclaimed the building’s construction completion date — 1953.

“This is a bittersweet day,” Sobek said.

The Masons were gathering Friday morning for a makeshift funeral to say goodbye to their lodge, which recently was purchased by the county so that it could be demolished to create space for more parking for the soon-to-be-built Miami County Jail.

Mason Randy Cornelius said the building has had an interesting past. The foundation was laid sometime between 1940 and 1941 with plans of it being the first Paola hospital, but war broke out, and the building remained unfinished.

Meanwhile, the Paola Masonic group, which was chartered in 1862, had been saving for a new building since 1920. After meeting for several years in the old Sellers building where the Miami County Administration Building is now, the group purchased the existing lot in 1950, Cornelius said.

At that time, the group had more than 500 members. Now, 65 years later, the group has about 50 members, and they once again are searching for a new home. They had plans to move into the former Rockers Pharmacy building on the northeast corner of Park Square, but those plans fell through, and they now have decided to renew their search in September since many of the Masons can’t meet as often during the summer, Cornelius said.

Before the demolition crews went to work Friday morning, the Masons got the opportunity to walk throughout their lodge one more time. Cornelius found an old poster advertising a Mason promotion in which they were giving away a miniature Model-T, and Mason Bob Paulsen asked if he could keep it because a family member of his ended up with the prize.

The building has extra special meaning for Paulsen, as his daughter was married there.

After the walkthrough, the Masons gathered out front for the service led by Sobek. Before the excavator was given the OK, Sobek placed a white piece of Mason apron and a piece of evergreen into the building’s front mail box. The white apron represents innocence, and the evergreen represents a grave, Sobek said.

Then, fighting back tears, Sobek said his final words, and the brothers all shook hands and said goodbye to their lodge. Sobek said the focus now turns to recruiting new young members so that the lodge can have new life.

“We can start like we did in 1862 and build a new memory,” Sobek said. “It’s time for a new chapter.”

- Miami County Republic May 6, 2015

Alternate Name: Commercial Building
Historic Function: Commerce/Trade
Subcategory: Specialty Store
Historic Function Remarks: First appears on the 1891 Sanborn with a billiard hall in the main level.
Present Function: Social
Subcategory: Meeting Hall
Present Function Remarks: Masonic Lodge.
Residential/Commercial/Religious Style: Italianate
Physical Description/Remarks: 80'L x 30'W, ornate cornice and hood molds. Second level balcony. brick red in a running bond pattern.
Plan Form: Rectangle
Commercial Building Type: Two-Part Commercial Block
Roof Form: Flat with Parapet
Stories: 2
Condition: Excellent
Principal Material: Brick
Architect/Designer/Builder: Unknown
Year of Construction: 1890
Certainty: Estimated
Date Notes: Between 1884 & 1891, according to Sanborns.

- Kansas Historic Resource Inventory

MASONIC LODGES: LODGE GRAND MASONIC LODGES: Not listed Other: Not listed

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