Welcome – Officers & Committees – Notable Members – Our History
The Birth of Temple Lodge
Temple Lodge owes its existence to the vicissitudes of the Kitchener Masonic Temple Co. while developing the First Masonic Temple in Kitchener on the site of the present Cameron Heights Secondary School.
For 91 Years (1861 – 1955) the Masons of Kitchener had met in rented quarters first – in a building that stood on the northeast corner of Ontario and King Streets and then from about 1905 on the Third floor of the Huehn Block – where the Provident Book Store is now located – on the south side of King Street near Ontario Street. Many feeble attempts had been made to promote the ownership of their own premises.
In the spring of 1955, through the efforts of the late Bro. A. R. Kaufman, an opportunity to purchase the building and one and a half acres of land known as the Rumpel Estate on Cameron St. South from the Parks Board was presented to a group of Masons, two of whom V. Wor. Bro. Ron Little and Wor. Bro. Fred Capling were later charter members of Temple Lodge. Immediately a committee, composed of the Senior Wardens of the Lodges (Twin City and Grand River) and the corresponding officers of the other Masonic Bodies with power to add was formed. The late V. Wor. Bro Harold Shannon was added as a legal advisor and under his guidance the Kitchener Masonic Temple Co. was incorporated with Bro. Wm. J. Searson, (Master of Twin City Lodge in 1956) Chairman; Wor. Bro. Fred Capling, Vice-Chairman; Wor. Bro. Art Noxon, Secretary; Wor. Bro. Bill Robertson, Treasurer; Wor. Bro. Harold Shannon, Legal Advisor; Wor. Bro. Burt McNaughton, building advisor and four other executive members.
Great plans were laid including an elaborately planned financial campaign to raise $200,000.00 by minimum contributions of $200.00 each with a target date of October 1st, 1955. The campaign dragged, the contributions dwindled to a trickle. However, a number of enthusiastic members went forth because they had learned that during the war and immediately after it many Masons had moved in the area, some had served in the various offices in their home lodges but due to establishing their homes here had not affiliated and were unable to or were not disposed to contributing this sum of money. They however were willing to lend their moral support.
During 1956 at each of the Temple Board meetings, some reference would be made to the desire to solidify this enthusiasm of the core people (approximately 40) in each of the existing lodges with the resident past officers of other lodges who, as yet were unaffiliated by starting another Lodge. A new lodge had been proposed by enthusiastic newly-made Masons many times in and immediately after the War years but had been opposed by Past Officers, but the movement now gathered momentum. Wor. Bro. Harold Shannon made the first real step forward when he convinced Rt. Wor. Bro. George DeKleinhans that it would be the crowning glory of a long and distinguished Masonic career if he would be the first Master of a new lodge which would have as its chief objective the completion of Kitchener’s new Masonic Temple. In 1954 Rt. Wor. Bro. George had donated his honorarium as Secretary of Twin City Lodge as a nucleus of a building fund. George, a Past Master and life member of Grand River Lodge, Past D.D.G.M. of Wellington District, a founding Past Master of Twin City Lodge and its secretary for 42 years accepted the challenge.
On the first Sunday in December 1956, a few brethren got together to formulate a plan of action The following Sunday a number of brethren including all the directors of the Temple Co. who would come, met at the DeKleinhans home and it was agreed that all present would support the formation of a new Lodge and that Brothers Shannon and DeKleinhans obtain from the Grand Secretary the official forms of application. The group that met the first Sunday had chosen the name ‘The Builders’ but at the suggestion of the chairman of the Temple Board the name ‘Temple Lodge’ was accepted. A list of likely interested Masons to be approached, as Charter Members, was compiled.
The first signatures were signed on the application forms in Wor. Bro. Shannon’s office on Sunday, January 24th, 1957. Temple Lodge was constituted on March 23, 1957, Rt. Wor. Bro. John Marr, the District Deputy Grand Master of Wellington District, and Temple Lodge U. D. became a reality. Due to the fact that Wor. Bro. Burt McNaughton was unable to attend as he was still in hospital having been severely injured in an automobile accident Wor. Bro. Bill Serason acted as Mentor and occupied the I.P.M.’s chair – (the rest of the officers are listed elsewhere). By the time the secretary was ready to send out the notices for the second meeting, Rt. Wor. Bro. DeKleinhans had coined the motto that adorns the front of our notices ‘A Vision Realized’. On the day before this meeting was held, Rt. Wor. Bro. George was called ‘Home’ by the Great Architect and Rt. Wor. Bro. Allan Mason assumed the position of Master. The first candidate was Brother Ralph Sprung who at that time was articled to Wor. Bro. Shannon, as a law student. At the annual communication of Grand Lodge in July of that year, our warrant of constitution was granted and the Lodge was numbered 690 G.R.C.
On Friday, October 25th, 1957, on a beautiful Autumn day, in a duel ceremony presided over by Most Worshipful Brother Harry Martin the refurbished and altered mansion built by Waterloo County’s first sheriff was dedicated as a Masonic Temple and Temple Lodge was consecrated.
During the ceremony, when the officers were read out because R.t. Wor. Bro. Allan Mason was to be the Wor. Master and also the Treasurer, the Grand Master stopped the ceremony as no one person can hold two offices. There and then, Rt. Wor. Bro. Mason appointed Wor. Bro. Searson, who was acting as Mentor (I.P.M. in established lodges) to the position. The appointment being confirmed by a show of hands the ceremony proceeded. Brother Searson served without signing a cheque until the new slate of officers were installed in January. Wor. Bro. Bill was the installing Master at that ceremony and some 46 fellow members of Temple and other lodges of the district were present and helped in the ceremony of installing (Very) Wor. Bro. Harold Shannon as the First Master of (consecrated) Temple Lodge No. 690 and eligible for the title of I.P.M.
Temple Lodge and its members have been intimately connected with the building and maintenance of the former Temple as well as the present K-W edifice. Candidates 4 and 5 were Wor. Bro. Don Henderson and Wor. Bro. Milton Schwindt, at the time employees of the Dunker Construction Company, both made a great contribution to that Temple. Wor. Bro. Schwindt engineered and supervised the first addition of a large banquet hall. Wor. Bro. Henderson was chairman of the Temple Co. when the City of Kitchener made overtures to them to purchase the property for a school site. It was probably due more to Brother Don’s foresight and ability to negotiate that enables the present temple to be built from funds realized from the sale of the former site in 1967 than to any other single factor.
The Charter of Temple Lodge is an Honour Roll to the dedicated Masons who established and developed the first Masonic Temple in Kitchener and guarded its well-being until the sale and the amalgamation with Waterloo Temple to build the present building. Temple Lodge definitely earned its name and had lived up to it ever since –A vision Realized — Yes! Two of them.
Early History
The first regular meeting of Temple Lodge U.D. was Saturday, March 23, 1957 in the Huehn Block on King St., Kitchener. June 19, 1957 was the last meeting at this location. After the summer recess the Lodge was invited to hold meetings in the Waterloo Temple on Princess St. in Waterloo (now Princess Cinema), due to the renovations of the new Temple on Cameron Street in Kitchener being incomplete. Two regular meetings (September-October) were held at this location. The first meeting of Temple Lodge U.D. in the new Temple on Cameron Street was Friday, October 25, 1957. This was for the purpose of dedicating the Kitchener Masonic Temple and the Consecration of Temple Lodge No. 690 by the Grand Master, M. W. Bro. H.L. Martyn. The lodge meetings were held at this location until June 1, 1966; the Cameron Street property was sold to the Waterloo County Board of Education and where the Cameron Heights High School is now located.
September 21, 1966 the Lodge again moved into the Waterloo Temple on Princess Street in Waterloo and remained at this Temple until Wednesday, April 5, 1972. During these years at the Waterloo Temple, the Kitchener Masonic Temple Co. and the Waterloo Masonic Temple Co. were dissolved with the Kitchener-Waterloo Masonic Temple Co. being formed. This new Temple Co. purchased the property at 440 Weber St. North, Waterloo and built our present Temple. The ceremonies of dedication of this new Temple were held of Friday, April 7, 1972 under the direction of the Grand Master, M. W. Bro. W. K. Bailey. Temple Lodge’s first meeting in this Temple was on Wednesday, April 19, 1972.
