Description: The Masonic Temple was completed and dedicated in 1928. Its sits along the great Miami River, and occupies around eight and a half acres. Original construction cost around 2.5 million, which is estimated to be equal to approximately 30 million dollars today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F08_039_1
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Temples; Societies and clubs; Fraternal lodges
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Taken by photographer Louis Baus, this photographic reproduction shows the rooming house in Zoar where hired hands stayed who were not members of the Society of Separatists of Zoar, 1896. In their later years the Society employed non-members to work in their communally owned fields and businesses. Led by Joseph Bimeler (sometimes spelled Bäumeler) in 1817, a group of Lutheran separatists left the area of Germany known as Wurttemberg and eventually established the small community of Zoar in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. The community of Zoar was not originally organized as a commune, but its residents had a difficult time surviving in 1818 and early 1819. As a result, on April 19, 1819, the group formed the Society of Separatists of Zoar. Each person donated his or her property to the community as a whole, and in exchange for their work, the society would provide for them. Additional modifications to the society's organization were made in 1824 and a constitution established in 1833. In the decades following the establishment of the Zoar commune, the Separatists experienced economic prosperity. The community was almost entirely self-sufficient and sold any surpluses to the outside world. In addition to agriculture, Zoar residents also worked in a number of industries, including flour mills, textiles, a tin shop, copper, wagon maker, two iron foundries, and several stores. The society also made money by contracting to build a seven-mile stretch of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal crossed over Zoar's property, and the society owned several canal boats. The canal traffic also brought other people into the community, who bought Zoar residents' goods. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the community was quite prosperous. After Bimeler's death in 1853, the unity of the village declined, and by 1898 the Zoarites disbanded the society. The remaining residents divided the property, and the community continued to prosper in Zoar. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00866
Subjects: Zoar (Tuscarawas County, Ohio); Society of Separatists of Zoar; Laborers; Lodges; Communal societies
Places: Zoar (Ohio); Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: The facade of the Worthington Masonic Museum in Worthington, Ohio. The historic marker placed outside the site states "Worthington was the center of Masonry for the central Ohio area in the early years of the nineteenth century. New England Lodge, with its original charter from the Grand Lodge of Connecticut dated 1803, is the oldest lodge in continuous existence in Ohio. This building, erected in 1820, is the oldest Masonic Temple west of the Allegheny Mountains." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07040
Subjects: Lodges; Freemasons; Worthington (Ohio); Historic buildings--Ohio
Places: Worthington (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Masonic home, Springfield." This is a photograph of a Masonic Home in Springfield, Ohio. The home is in the distance and is surrounded by trees and landscaping. This structure was probably home to a Freemasonry group in Springfield in the 1930s and 1940s. Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. It now exists in all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F05_005_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Temples; Societies and clubs; Masonic buildings; Freemasonry; Monuments--Ohio--Springfield; Fraternal lodges; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "The Ohio Masonic home. Springfield." This is a photograph of the Ohio Masonic Home, located in Springfield, Ohio. There is a couple sitting on a bench in front of the building. The Ohio Masonic Home currently serves as an assisted living facility to care for elderly Free Masons. The facility also served as a children’s home from 1897 to 1956 in addition to its retirement home. A total of 740 children lived at the home during this time period. It differed from a traditional orphanage as the children came when a parent passed away or couldn’t support them properly. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F06_029_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Temples; Societies and clubs; Masonic buildings; Freemasonry; Monuments--Ohio--Springfield; Fraternal lodges; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)