Warsaw Lodge No. 73

About Our Lodge

In 1849, a charter was granted to William Parks and fourteen other Masons to establish the F & A Masonry Lodge #73 in Warsaw. By 1864, the membership had increased to 69 members and were meeting in the Empire Block. A lodge was granted a charter in 1868 to form Lake City Lodge #371. After the Empire Block burned in 1871, the lodge met in the Wright building on the northeast corner of Buffalo and Center streets. The lodges consolidated in 1887 under the new name of Lake City Warsaw Lodge #73. The name once again changed to its current name Warsaw Lodge #73 was approved by the Grand Lodge on May 28, 1940.

The second story of the Saeman building served as the Masonic lodge until the early 1920’s and the light bar still remains today on the corner of the building. In 1924, a new lodge was constructed between High and Main streets. This lodge building was a three-story neoclassical brick Temple, which has an identical copy located in Elkhart. This building was vacated in 1988, and a couple of years later it was torn down to make additional parking space for the Warsaw Public Library. In 1987, the lodge was then moved to its current location in the Boggs Industrial Park, and used a set of plans supplied by the Grand Lodge which were pre-approved by the state. Brother Bill Batalis was the contractor and built the temple at cost. When the lodge was built, John Ladd, Temple Association President, worked out an arrangement with the city to use equipment and experienced city employees to pave the driveways and parking lot. Once completed, the construction project was completely paid for.

More recently, Warsaw Lodge #73 has consolidated with Sydney Lodge #579 in1990 and Mentone Lodge #576 in 2021.

There have been 177 different Worshipful Masters serving Warsaw Lodge #73 since it combined with Lake City Warsaw Lodge. In its history, Warsaw Lodge #73 has had one member serve as Grand Master of Masons for the Grand Lodge of Indiana. PGM J.C. Paxton, 33°. He served as WM of Warsaw #73 in 1979, and was Grand Master in 1986-87. PGM Paxton passed away unexpectedly in December, 2022.