Terre Haute Lodge No. 19, F&AM (Chartered September 13, 1821) is a lodge of Freemasons in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is the oldest existing organization in the city and in Vigo County with the exception of Vigo County Government.
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History
On March 10, 1819, thirteen Freemasons residing in the village of Terre Haute petitioned the recently formed Grand Lodge of Indiana for dispensation to establish a lodge, which was received on July 12, 1819. The officers were installed by Elihu Stout of Vincennes Lodge No. 1, with Peter B. Allen as its first Master, and the Lodge began its labors. It continued working under this dispensation until a charter was issued by Grand Lodge on September 13, 1821.
The Lodge predates the incorporation of Terre Haute as a town (1832) and as a city (1853). The oldest existing church did not organize until 1828, the first newspaper was not printed until 1823, and the oldest bank was not chartered until 1834.
Terre Haute Lodge No. 19 worked with several other Masonic bodies to create the Terre Haute Masonic Temple Association in 1911. This body erected the Terre Haute Masonic Temple in 1917, which has been the Lodge's permanent home since.
In 1912, Lodge No. 19 participated in the centennial celebrations of the Siege of Fort Harrison, it being the only surviving organization which existed when there was a Fort Harrison.
In 1919, the Lodge observed the 100th anniversary of its first meeting with a county-wide celebration.
At its peak in the early 1950s, Terre Haute Lodge No. 19's membership totaled over 1600.
Notable members
Over its nearly 200 year history, Terre Haute Lodge No. 19 has had a number of notable members, including