1922

On October 8, 1893, on a farm situated only a mile east of Broad Ripple, there was born to Stanton G. and Dolly Compton Dawson a son named Charles McKinley Dawson. It is of particular interest that during his entire life, Charles lived on the farm where he was born.

He attended the Broad Ripple grade school and later entered the High School of the same community. Following his graduation, Charles attended the Central Business College at Indianapolis. While attending school, he spent his summers on his father’s farm.

He was married to Esther Leona Minturn to which union three sons were born: Charles Howard, Robert Louis, and Joseph Stanton.

Until the year 1922 he was engaged in farming his land, which practice he abandoned when elected Trustee of Washington Township. Having been reelected in 1926, he served in this office continuously for eight years. In 1925 he was elected President of the Forty-Second Street State Bank, which title he held until 1931. During this time he had charge of the bank’s Insurance Department, and following severance of relations with this institution, operated his own agency. In 1934, he was again elected Township Trustee and served his third term. He later served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Indiana Township Trustees’ Association.

Brother Dawson was Initiated into Masonry by Broad Ripple Lodge on February 12, 1915; Passed, February 26, 1915; and Raised, March 12, 1915. He later received the degrees of Royal Arch Masonry in Broad Ripple Chapter and served as its High Priest in 1928. He was also a member of Calvin Prather Council, R. & S. M., and of the Scottish Rite. Brother Dawson served as Worshipful Master of Broad Ripple Lodge during the year 1922.

Lodge events of 1922

The ladies of the Auxiliary of the Broad Ripple Chapter of Eastern Star presented the Lodge with a mirror for the ladies’ room. And thus began a series of useful and valuable gifts from these ladies to our Lodge for which we have always been and still remain sincerely grateful.

In February, an appropriation of $75 was made by the Lodge to the Order of DeMolay which was then being sponsored and largely financed by the Scottish Rite.

The custom of presenting jewels to our Past Masters had been in effect for some time but not from the beginning of the Lodge. At the February Stated Meeting the motion to present jewels to all who had not previously received them was passed, and the presentation later made.

An addressograph was purchased in October of this year and over the years proved to be a most valuable piece of equipment, saving our Secretary many hours of labor in addressing mail to the membership.

It is of interest that we note that the town of Broad Ripple was annexed as a part of the city of Indianapolis at 10:00 A.M. on October 12, 1922.

The year 1922, marking the twentieth anniversary of Broad Ripple Lodge, found the organization in a most healthy condition and with a total membership of three hundred seventy brothers.

Those receiving the Master Mason degree in 1922 were:

Those members added by affiliation: