Butler Masonic Lodge, 100 South Broadway, Butler, De Kalb County, IN

Significance: The City of Butler was originally founded as "Norristown" in 1837 shortly after Indiana gained its Statehood in 1816. The name was subsequently changed to "Jarvis" and then "Butler Station." At this time, Butler station was a crossing center for three railroads, both passenger and freight. It was not until 1863 that the community became "Butler." The Butler Masonic Lodge was constructed in the (circa) 1870's over what was part of the original Butler Town Square. The square was at the intersection of the two main roads running east/west and north/south. The building was one of the first large structures in the community and was for many years the "keystone building." Its main function in the early days was as the meeting place for the Masons (men) and the Eastern Stars (female counterparts). Lodges were very popular in this era and it was common to meet in the upstairs of the building and rent the first floor out for commercial or civic purposes. In 1900, the "Oddfellows" organization built a similar type building in another part of Butler. The building continued to function as the Butler Masonic Lodge up until 1968 when members purchased a modern one story building in another area. Throughout the late 1800's and up until the 1970's the downstairs of the building was also used as at least three different grocery stores and finally a television appliance outlet. Because of the deteriorated condition of the building in the last three decades, the building has been a vacant health hazard for the past year.
Survey number: HABS IN-200