| Lodge Secretary Evans Juneau 212 Beeson Rd Ball, La. 71405 318-613-6649 |
| Solomon Lodge No. 221, F&AM of the Grand Lodge of the State of Louisiana |
| Located In the City of Faith, Hope, and Charity At 638 Main Street Pineville, Louisiana, USA |
| To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men, but particularly on Freemasons, who are linked together by an indissoluble chain of sincere affection. To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with their misfortunes, to compassionate their miseries, and to restore peace to their troubled minds, is the great aim we have in view. On this basis we form our friendships and establish our connections. Illustrations of Masonry, Page 72, by William Preston, 1772 |
| OFFICERS FOR 2008 |
| Worshipful Master - Kelly R. Preston Senior Warden - Michael J. Huff Junior Warden - Israel M. Cabral Treasurer - Andy Pedneau, P.M. Secretary - Evans Juneau, P.M. Chaplain -Gary Penton Senior Deacon - Stewart West Junior Deacon - John J. Waller MC - James D. Marze Senior Steward - Jason Marze Junior Steward -Jacob Marze Tyler - Alfred Pedneau Jr., P.M. Lecturer - Jack Wainwright, P.M. |
| HISTORY OF OUR LODGE |
"Solomon Lodge No. 221 was chartered on February 13, 1874, in the community of Pineville, Louisiana.
George W. Bolton, John L. Walker, and Louis Abadie served as the first officers for the Lodge.
Solomon practiced an early form of daylight savings time in that the meetings were held at 7:30 PM
during the months of March thru April and 8:00PM for the remaining months At the conclusion of the
last meeting for the first year under the charter, the secretary made the following notation in the
minutes:
"The above meeting closed the work of Solomon Lodge No. 221 for the year 1874, the first year's
work under our charter, and while the Lodge has done but little work and has run in debt a small
amount during the year, still the members have cause to congratulate themselves in that they have a
neatly furnished Lodge Room and the bills against the Lodge are in the hands of its members. Above
all, while discord and corruption prevail around us, peace reigns supreme within the walls of the
Lodge."
On April 6, 1910, Solomon Lodge No. 221 merged with Oliver Lodge No. 84. Eleven years later, on April
7, 1921, Solomon Lodge was reorganized. A new charter was issued on February 7, 1922, and the old
number was reassigned to the new lodge.
In 1926, Oliver Lodge No. 84, Solomon Lodge No. 221, and Alexandria Lodge No. 398 formed the
Alexandria-Pineville Relief Bureau which provided concern and care for transient Masons and their
families and other charitable services to the area.
The Fraternity's membership statistics after WW II reflect a period of awakening of interest and
progress for all Lodges. In 1940, the Grand Lodge reported a total membership of 20,282 in 244
Lodges, an average of 83.1 members per Lodge. By 1964, the zenith of Masonic membership in the
state, the state recorded 512 members in 284 Lodges averaging 181.4 members per Lodge. The bulk
of that growth, a reflection of the rural to urban shift, was found in the urban areas.During that same
year, Oliver No. 84, Solomon No. 221, and Alexandria No. 398, all reported a total of 1201 members. On
February 26, 1926 Solomon Lodge gave Curtis T. Hines Lodge, of Tioga, the privilege of meeting in our
Hall for a rental fee of $10 a month. Our charter membership in 1922 was 125. We grew to, a
whopping, 321 members in 1965
Today our Lodge is 115 members strong and growing again. Thanks to help from our friends and
brothers at Curtis T. Hines Lodge No. 317 in Tioga, La. and Colfax Lodge No. 259 in Colfax, La. Proving
that brotherhood is still alive in Central Louisiana. Solomon Lodge No. 221, located at 638 Main Street
in Pineville, La., continues to meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:30 PM bringing "faith, hope, and
charity" to our community.
Obituary of a member of the early Lodge:
Shumake, Edward T. - Weekly town Talk, 24 May 1884
"Departed this life in Pineville, La., at the residence of his father-in-law, Mr. W. A. Griffin, at 5 AM, Tuesday,
May 20th, 1884. He was the son of Mr. H. and Mrs. K. Shumake, of Georgia. Both his deceased father and
his living mother have unblemished records as members of the Baptist Church. He was a native of Baker
County Georgia, and was born May 4th, 1844. He came to Louisiana some 20 yearss since. He was
married at Pineville, La., May 14th 1879, to Miss Nettie Griffin. For some years he had been an upright
member of the Masonic fraternity.
He was interred at his own request by Solomon Lodge, No. 221, F& AM, in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery, of
Pineville, La., at 5PM, May 20th, 1884.
He lived to know no enemies. His record is blotted with no intention of wrongs against his fellow man. He
not only enjoyed the warm affection of loved ones at home, but he was the object of appreciation by an
entire public. In his last hours he suffered much without impatience or complaint. He professed faith in the
Lord Jesus, and declared himself reconciled to die some weeks before his death. We laid him away
within the earthen walls of that chamber to which we commit the most sacred, and most beloved interests
of this life. There we must leave him, till we shall come forth amid
the celestial song of the eternal morning. His Friend."
His death was untimely early, but his life is enviable to those who don't know how to live.
George W. Bolton, John L. Walker, and Louis Abadie served as the first officers for the Lodge.
Solomon practiced an early form of daylight savings time in that the meetings were held at 7:30 PM
during the months of March thru April and 8:00PM for the remaining months At the conclusion of the
last meeting for the first year under the charter, the secretary made the following notation in the
minutes:
"The above meeting closed the work of Solomon Lodge No. 221 for the year 1874, the first year's
work under our charter, and while the Lodge has done but little work and has run in debt a small
amount during the year, still the members have cause to congratulate themselves in that they have a
neatly furnished Lodge Room and the bills against the Lodge are in the hands of its members. Above
all, while discord and corruption prevail around us, peace reigns supreme within the walls of the
Lodge."
On April 6, 1910, Solomon Lodge No. 221 merged with Oliver Lodge No. 84. Eleven years later, on April
7, 1921, Solomon Lodge was reorganized. A new charter was issued on February 7, 1922, and the old
number was reassigned to the new lodge.
In 1926, Oliver Lodge No. 84, Solomon Lodge No. 221, and Alexandria Lodge No. 398 formed the
Alexandria-Pineville Relief Bureau which provided concern and care for transient Masons and their
families and other charitable services to the area.
The Fraternity's membership statistics after WW II reflect a period of awakening of interest and
progress for all Lodges. In 1940, the Grand Lodge reported a total membership of 20,282 in 244
Lodges, an average of 83.1 members per Lodge. By 1964, the zenith of Masonic membership in the
state, the state recorded 512 members in 284 Lodges averaging 181.4 members per Lodge. The bulk
of that growth, a reflection of the rural to urban shift, was found in the urban areas.During that same
year, Oliver No. 84, Solomon No. 221, and Alexandria No. 398, all reported a total of 1201 members. On
February 26, 1926 Solomon Lodge gave Curtis T. Hines Lodge, of Tioga, the privilege of meeting in our
Hall for a rental fee of $10 a month. Our charter membership in 1922 was 125. We grew to, a
whopping, 321 members in 1965
Today our Lodge is 115 members strong and growing again. Thanks to help from our friends and
brothers at Curtis T. Hines Lodge No. 317 in Tioga, La. and Colfax Lodge No. 259 in Colfax, La. Proving
that brotherhood is still alive in Central Louisiana. Solomon Lodge No. 221, located at 638 Main Street
in Pineville, La., continues to meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:30 PM bringing "faith, hope, and
charity" to our community.
Obituary of a member of the early Lodge:
Shumake, Edward T. - Weekly town Talk, 24 May 1884
"Departed this life in Pineville, La., at the residence of his father-in-law, Mr. W. A. Griffin, at 5 AM, Tuesday,
May 20th, 1884. He was the son of Mr. H. and Mrs. K. Shumake, of Georgia. Both his deceased father and
his living mother have unblemished records as members of the Baptist Church. He was a native of Baker
County Georgia, and was born May 4th, 1844. He came to Louisiana some 20 yearss since. He was
married at Pineville, La., May 14th 1879, to Miss Nettie Griffin. For some years he had been an upright
member of the Masonic fraternity.
He was interred at his own request by Solomon Lodge, No. 221, F& AM, in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery, of
Pineville, La., at 5PM, May 20th, 1884.
He lived to know no enemies. His record is blotted with no intention of wrongs against his fellow man. He
not only enjoyed the warm affection of loved ones at home, but he was the object of appreciation by an
entire public. In his last hours he suffered much without impatience or complaint. He professed faith in the
Lord Jesus, and declared himself reconciled to die some weeks before his death. We laid him away
within the earthen walls of that chamber to which we commit the most sacred, and most beloved interests
of this life. There we must leave him, till we shall come forth amid
the celestial song of the eternal morning. His Friend."
His death was untimely early, but his life is enviable to those who don't know how to live.
| The following information came from the book, "Let There Be Light", by Dr. H. Glenn Jordan |
