MOUNT VERNON — There have been Freemasons in the Mount Vernon area since 1810, if not before. The Masonic Hall on Public Square was home of the Mount Zion Lodge since 1887 and served the Masons well until just recently when the Masons decided to move.
Charles Brenneman said it was with mixed feelings that the building was sold. Declining membership was a factor in the decision to move from the facility, he said. That much space was no longer needed.
The average age of the members, 65, also contributed to the determination to move. Brenneman said the new facility, the Glenn A. Gallagher Centre at the Ohio Eastern Star Home, allows easier access for the older members.
“A couple of weeks ago,” he explained, “we gave a 65-year award to a member who is a survivor of Pearl Harbor. He came in a wheelchair, and he would not have been able to get that award in person if we had presented it in the building downtown.”
Jennifer and Michael Farmer have purchased the historic building on the Public Square.
“It’s a neat building,” Jennifer said. “It’s in pretty good condition and we are still in the planning stages on it. We’d like to do something to protect the historical character of it, and perhaps offer a public venue for wedding receptions, parties and/or plays.”
