Townsend in Broadwater County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Valley Masonic Lodge No. 21
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2021
1. Valley Masonic Lodge No. 21 Marker
Inscription.
On December 5, 1875, Masons in Meagher County chartered Valley Lodge No. 21 (A.F. & A.M.) in Centerville, a farming community just north of present-day Townsend. The lodge moved to Townsend in 1884, shortly after the Northern Pacific Railroad platted the town. From 1884 to 1947 the Masons met in rented spaces, first over a store and then in the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Hall. U.S. entry into World War II delayed their plans to construct their own building. Believing that it was more important to maintain American Liberty than to consider our own comforts and pleasures, the lodge decided in January 1942 to invest the money it had saved for the building in defense bonds. After the war, Helena architect Herbert Jacobson designed the lodge in the Minimal Traditional style. More common to residences than public buildings, the style, which emphasized simplicity, grew out of the need for inexpensive but well-built homes. Although lacking the ornamentation seen on earlier Masonic temples, Jacobsons design did incorporate two quintessential Masonic elements: a cornerstone with the Masonic symbol and a second-story,
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windowless room where the Masons could perform rituals away from the public eye. Contractors, working with Masonic volunteers, completed the building for $30,000. They used up-to-date materials that exemplified postwar vernacular architecture, including asbestos shingles on the exterior and, on the interior, vertical knotty pine tongue-and-groove wainscoting and fiberboard (Homasote) and plywood paneling. Dedicated in 1948, the temple served Lodge 21 until 2017.
Location. 46° 19.148′ N, 111° 31.08′ W. Marker is in Townsend, Montana, in Broadwater County. It is at the intersection of South Spruce Street and B Street, on the right when traveling north on South Spruce Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 131 South Spruce Street, Townsend MT 59644, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally,
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2021
2. Valley Masonic Lodge No. 21 and Marker
this marker is in Gold West Country and in Greater Helena. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 24, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
