Valley Lodge #232 A.F. & A. M. - 308 East Erie #2, Missouri Valley, Iowa 51555

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY AND VALLEY LODGE #232

The oldest verifiable Masonic document is called the Regius Manuscript or Halliwell Poem. It is believed to have been written in the area near Germany in approximately 1390. The earliest existing Lodge minutes are from Edinburgh Lodge No. 1 in Scotland and are dated 1599. The Grand Lodge of England, from which most of the Grand Lodges in existence today have descended, was formed in 1717. The first officially warranted lodge on record in America is St. John’s Lodge of Boston founded in 1733.

The lineage of the Grand Lodge of Iowa is as follows. The Grand Lodge of North Carolina received its Charter from the Grand Lodge of England in 1787. The Grand Lodge of Tennessee received its Charter from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina in 1813. The Grand Lodge of Missouri received its Charter from the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in 1821 and the Grand Lodge of Iowa received its Charter from the Grand Lodge of Missouri in 1844.

Valley Lodge #232 Ancient Free and Accepted Masons was granted its charter by the Grand Lodge of Iowa on the Third day of June, 1868. The Lodge had two Worshipful Masters in 1868; P.D. Mickle and Robert McGavern.

The Local Eastern Star Chapter #26 is part of the largest Fraternal organization in the World. Both men and women can belong. Women must have a specific Mason affiliation to be a member. Many charitable groups are supported by the Eastern Star. Especially such charities related to children and research. The Masons and Eastern Stars are very supportive of each other.