History of North Lodge #1 Part 1

                             History
                               Of
                    North Star Lodge #1
                             Part 1
                         1851-1952

       North Star Lodge #12 was organized by Right Worshipful Grand
Deputy R.H. Gleaves in 1851 in Ohio and operated in that state for a
year. Growing steadily in membership, they elected Brother Henry
Bradford as the first Worshipful Master. Moving from Ohio, North Star
continued to progress in membership in Illinois. Following North Star to
Illinois was J. T. Watson and Central Lodge; Watson Lodge situated in
Alton, IL and Central Lodge in Springfield while North Star set up its
headquarters in Chicago.

       Now these three lodges found it necessary to have a central body
and moved in the direction of setting up a grand lodge for the State of
Illinois. On February 15, 1867, Brother John A Crisup of North Star,
Brother I. H. Kelly of J. T. Watson Lodge, and Brother L. A. Coleman
representing Central Lodge, met in Springfield as a committee on forming
a Grand Lodge. All proper steps were taken and the convention elected
the following as the first Grand Lodge Officers of the Most Worshipful
Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F & A.M., of Illinois and its jurisdiction:

       B.F. Rodgers        of Springfield       Grand Master
       H.D. King            of Chicago           Deputy Grand Master
       E. White              of Alton               Senior Grand Warden
       W. L. Darrow      of Chicago           Junior Grand Warden
       I.H. Kelly             of Alton               Grand Treasurer
       C.L. Thomas        of Chicago           Grand Secretary

       North Star Lodge #12 F. & A. M., then surrendered the charter to
the Grand Lodge of Ohio and was re-chartered by the Grand Lodge of
Illinois in 1867, as North Star Lodge #1 Free and Accepted Masons,
designating its meeting as the first Friday night in each month.

       North Star Lodge #1 continued to progress in the State of Illinois,
maintaining the status as to the Mother Lodge of the Jurisdiction, taking
an active part in all endeavors of the Grand Lodge, and setting up projects
of their own to help foster the program of Freemasonry among the
Craft. Firm believers in the Masonic and Eastern Star home in Rock
Island, Illinois which it ably supported, the reception room was dedicated
to North Star Lodge #1, under the leadership of then Worshipful Master,
John G. Tyree.

       The Craftsmen’s Club was organized on September 20, 1920.
Although it went dark during the depression years, the club was
reorganized on March 21, 1946 and continued to grow by leaps and
bounds. The club became the gateway to many activities in the lodge,
working under the supervision of the Worshipful Master, Laws and
Edicts of the Grand Lodge, and taking its place as a club second to none
in the Jurisdiction. The club became a place of instructions for the
brothers to learn how to become better masons, and to know the how,
when, and where that all Masons should know.