Iowa Masonic Lodges

About Freemasonry in Iowa

A deep look at Masonic history, the oldest lodges, the admission process, and notable Freemasons connected to Iowa.

History of Freemasonry in Iowa

Freemasonry came to Iowa with the earliest American settlement of the territory. The first lodge in what would become Iowa was Des Moines Lodge No. 41, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri in 1840 (note: this was located in present-day Burlington, on the Mississippi, which sat in the original Des Moines County). Iowa Lodge No.

42, also chartered by Missouri, was located in Bloomington (today's Muscatine). A third Missouri-chartered lodge, Dubuque Lodge No. 50, served the lead-mining community on the upper Mississippi. With these three lodges in place and Iowa about to be admitted as a state, delegates met on January 8, 1844, in Iowa City and organized the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Iowa.

Iowa was admitted to the Union in 1846, and Masonry spread quickly with the wave of agricultural settlement that pushed across the prairies through the 1850s and 1860s. The Civil War era saw Iowa Masonry strengthen, and Reconstruction brought continued expansion as railroads opened the state. The famous Iowa Masonic Library, established in Cedar Rapids in 1844 (originally just a small collection within Iowa City Lodge), grew over the decades into one of the largest Masonic research libraries in the world, with hundreds of thousands of volumes documenting global Masonic history. Theodore Sutton Parvin, the legendary Grand Secretary of Iowa for over half a century, built the library and made Iowa one of the most respected Masonic jurisdictions in the world for scholarship and ritual.

The 20th century brought membership peaks above 100,000, followed by the long decline familiar across American Masonry.

Oldest and Most Historic Lodges in Iowa

Iowa's oldest still-operating lodges trace back to the territorial period. Des Moines Lodge No. 1 in Burlington, originally chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri in 1840 as Des Moines Lodge No. 41, is the senior lodge of the state.

(The 'Des Moines' name refers to the river and old Des Moines County, not the modern capital city.) Iowa Lodge No. 2 in Muscatine, originally Iowa Lodge No. 42 of Missouri, was the second lodge chartered. Dubuque Lodge No.

3, originally No. 50 of Missouri, served the upper Mississippi lead-mining region. Iowa City Lodge No. 4, established as the territorial capital began to grow, became central to early Iowa Masonic life and was for years the home of the original Masonic library.

Davenport Lodge No. 37 grew alongside the river city. Trinity Lodge No. 208 and other mid-19th century lodges expanded into the prairie counties as railroads opened up the interior.

Mosaic Lodge No. 125 and Crescent Lodge No. 25 are among the older central Iowa lodges. Each of these early lodges holds substantial archival material, and the Iowa Masonic Library in Cedar Rapids is an exceptional resource that goes far beyond any single lodge's holdings, with collections rivaling those of national Masonic libraries.

Iowa Masonic Lodges by the Numbers

The Grand Lodge of Iowa is a substantial mid-sized Midwestern Masonic jurisdiction. It currently oversees approximately 275 to 325 constituent lodges across the state, with combined membership estimated in the 17,000 to 24,000 range. Iowa is divided into a number of Masonic Districts, each led by a District Deputy Grand Master. Lodge concentrations exist in the Des Moines metro, the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor, the Quad Cities region (Davenport/Bettendorf), Sioux City in the west, and Waterloo/Cedar Falls.

The Grand Lodge office is in Cedar Rapids, alongside the Iowa Masonic Library. The official website at grandlodgeofiowa.org maintains the current lodge directory, district maps, calendar of events, and information for prospective members. The Iowa Masonic Library is internationally recognized as one of the great Masonic research collections, with holdings going back centuries and serving researchers from around the world.

How to Become a Freemason in Iowa

To become a Mason in Iowa, you must be a man at least 18 years old (some lodges follow 21 with parental consent rules in some cases), of good moral character, and a believer in a Supreme Being. The standard process begins with an informal visit to a lodge near you. Most Iowa lodges welcome interested men to dinner before a stated meeting. To formally apply, you submit a petition signed by two Master Masons in good standing of that lodge.

The petition is read in open lodge, an investigation committee is appointed, and committee members will typically visit you and your family at home for an interview. The lodge then takes a secret ballot which must be unanimously favorable under the Iowa Masonic Code. Fees in Iowa lodges generally range from $150 to $400 for the three degrees combined, with annual dues commonly between $75 and $200. From petition to becoming a Master Mason typically takes six months to a year, including time to study and pass the proficiency examinations between degrees.

Iowa has a particularly strong tradition of careful ritual proficiency, partly thanks to the legacy of Theodore Sutton Parvin and the state's emphasis on scholarship. The Grand Lodge of Iowa A.F. & A.M. is the sole authority for chartering lodges and conferring the three Symbolic Lodge degrees in the state under the mainstream system.

The Iowa Masonic Library in Cedar Rapids is open to members and to qualified researchers, and many new Iowa Masons take advantage of its enormous collection to deepen their understanding of ritual, symbolism, and history. If you are relocating into Iowa from another mainstream jurisdiction, the demit and affiliation process is straightforward, and Iowa lodges typically welcome experienced brothers from out of state.

Notable Iowa Freemasons in History

Iowa has produced many notable Freemasons across nearly two centuries. Henry Wallace, U.S. Vice President under Franklin Roosevelt and Secretary of Agriculture, was an Iowa Mason. James Harlan, U.S.

Senator from Iowa and Secretary of the Interior under Lincoln, was a Mason. Samuel Kirkwood, Civil War-era Governor of Iowa and U.S. Senator, was a Mason. Grenville M.

Dodge, Civil War general and chief engineer of the Union Pacific transcontinental railroad, was a Mason from Council Bluffs. Senator William B. Allison, who served Iowa for over 35 years in the U.S. Senate, was a Mason.

Herbert Hoover, the 31st U.S. President from West Branch, Iowa, was famously not a Mason despite the historical interest in his presidency. Theodore Sutton Parvin, the long-serving Grand Secretary and founder of the Iowa Masonic Library, deserves recognition as one of the most influential American Masonic scholars of the 19th century. Many Iowa governors, U.S.

Senators, federal judges, university presidents (including several at the University of Iowa and Iowa State), and agricultural and industrial leaders appear in lodge records across two centuries.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Iowa

Prince Hall Masonry in Iowa has a long if quieter history relative to larger jurisdictions. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Iowa was chartered in 1881, putting it among the older Prince Hall Grand Lodges in the Midwest. The Prince Hall presence in Iowa has been concentrated historically in the larger industrial cities: Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo, and Sioux City. Waterloo in particular developed a substantial African American community linked to the Illinois Central Railroad and the meatpacking industry through the Great Migration era, with Prince Hall Masonry playing a central role in community life.

Notable Iowa Prince Hall Masons have included civil rights leaders, educators, ministers, and pioneers of African American business in the state. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Iowa is headquartered in Des Moines. Mainstream-Prince Hall recognition between the Grand Lodge of Iowa and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Iowa was achieved in 2002, putting Iowa among the early Midwestern states to achieve formal recognition. The two bodies now maintain mutual recognition, inter-visitation rights, and cooperative civic relationships.

The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Iowa also oversees the parallel structure of Eastern Star, youth orders, and Scottish Rite and York Rite bodies serving the African American Masonic community.

Frequently Asked Questions about Masonic Lodges in Iowa

Sources & Further Reading

• https://grandlodgeofiowa.org/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Lodge_of_Iowa
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Sutton_Parvin
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Masonic_Library