TROY — The Franklin Lodge No. 14 Free and Accepted Masons will open its doors to the public for a special event, Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Area residents will have the opportunity to tour the lodge’s ornate chapels and see elaborate, stained-glass fixtures. Local historian and Miami Valley Veteran’s Museum curator Terry Purk will present to the lodge members and visitors the story of Asa Coleman, the Franklin Lodge’s founder.
Lodge Master Bruce Ball is enthusiastic for the public to know more about Coleman and his affiliation with the city’s history.
“When Asa Coleman came here from Connecticut, he was already a Mason,” said Ball. “He and others were meeting in Urbana and Dayton. It was quite a way to travel for them back then, but there was no place to meet here. They got permission from the Grand Lodge of Ohio to begin a lodge here. The Urbana and Dayton lodges were this lodge’s sponsor when it began in 1812. That’s even older than the city. Asa Coleman was one of the founding fathers of Troy also, helping with its layout and all of that.”
Ball hopes the event will encourage a positive perspective of the lodge throughout the community.
“We just want the public to know who we are,” Ball said. “We hope that they’ll see us as vital members of the community. The public can expect some history on the lodge. It’s also our potluck night. We’ll have food downstairs, and people are welcome to fellowship with us.”
The Franklin Lodge, at 107 W. Main St. in Troy, has been at its downtown location since 1908.
Doors to the lodge open at 6 p.m.
For information on the lodge, visit www.masonpost.com/oh/franklin14.
