In July 2019, The Madill Record reported about the plight of the Kingston Masonic Lodge #287. The lodge’s charter was pulled in July, which led to the doors being padlocked on July 31. The Grand Lodge temporarily pulled the Kingston Lodge’s charter due to accusations of the mismanagement of funds and embezzlement.
When The Madill Record asked Grand Lodge grand secretary Bobby Laws about the future of the lodge, he retorted that nothing would be decided until the vote during the Grand Lodge’s annual meeting on November 9. That vote came and went, and things did not look up for the Kingston Masonic Lodge. Their charter was not reinstated. In fact, when The Madill Record reached out to the Grand Lodge, the only information the paper was privy to was the fact that the charter was pulled.
The future of the Kingston Masonic Lodge might have ended at the Grand Lodge vote in November. However, the future of the building is still going strong. The Kingston Order of the Eastern Star chapter 289 now uses the building for their meetings and activities. Angela Beck of the Kingston Order of the Eastern Star said they held their first meeting in the new building on January 7. She also stated they held their monthly First Saturday of the Month Breakfast, and plan on holding one every month.
The chapter depends on fundraisers like First Saturday of the Month Breakfast and the Indian Taco Sale to fund their charitable activities.
The Order of the Eastern Star was created by Dr. Rob Morris, a Master Mason, in 1850. The organization was only adopted and approved as an appendant body – an organization that is part of the Fraternity of the Freemasonry, but runs with their own government and terminology.
The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world, and welcome both men and women. There are a few requirements to join; the men must be a Master Mason, and the women must have an affiliation to a Mason.
Even though the chapter moved locations, they will still host their fundraisers – the monthly breakfasts and the Indian Taco Sales.