ABOUT

On October 8, 1841, Independence lodge no. 35 was granted a charter from the Grand Lodge of Missouri. After small break inactivity, the lodge has reissued a charter on October 14, 1846, as Independence Lodge no. 76. There are no records from the early days of the lodge, due to the first-minute book being lost to a fire.  The lodge was originally located on the 200 block of West Maple Ave and was built by Brother freemasons in 1849. Independence saw lots of hardships during the civil war, as most of the nation did, yet the war was never mentioned in a lodge meeting. On October 22, 1864, that changed when a brief record was added in a minute book that reads: “There is no meeting on account of two hostile armies occupying the town.” On December 9, 1867, the brothers of Independence Lodge no. 76 motioned to present Brother J.D. Hines with an apron as a token of esteem for his “kind attention to the wants of the Brethren” for two years of service as Worshipful Master. The motion was passed, and that tradition remains alive today inside of Independence Lodge no. 76. In 1873, with the country in a depression, Independence Lodge no.76 considered surrounding their charter to the Grand Lodge of Missouri due to lack of membership but luckily was able to remain an active lodge. Since then, Independence Lodge no. 76 has been an active lodge with over 450 active members. Independence Lodge no. 76 remains dedicated to the same Principal Tenets of Freemasonry of Love, Relief, and Truth as it always has been.