History found in Masonic Lodge cornerstone

DOUBLE SPRINGS - A moment of historical importance not just for the Town of Double Springs but for Winston County took place Saturday, Sept. 28, when a time capsule located behind the cornerstone of the Winston County Masonic Lodge No. 877 was opened after 72 years, revealing some surprising  contents.
Worshipful Master Adam Baker of the Free and Accepted Masons State of Alabama, Winston County Chapter No. 877 in Double Springs used a cutting torch to open the sealed copper box in the presence of not just other Masons, but others who had gathered outside the Winston County Archives in Double Springs.
The crowd stepped aside from the ongoing City Fest and approached the archives with curiosity, as the box was opened, revealing contents that had been frozen in time since the ceremony laying the cornerstone  within  the Masonic Lodge building foundation on May 17, 1952.
That  building, located off Highway 195 near Harrison Drugs, has fallen into disrepair, so efforts are underway to tear down the structure, resulting in the removal of the cornerstone and the time capsule found behind it, Baker explained.
“We’ve been needing to tear down our old lodge and build a new one for a long time,” said Baker. “I went ahead and removed the cornerstone. I knew there was supposed to be a time capsule in there.”  
Although the older structure, which is currently marked with No Trespassing signs, is being torn down, items found within the time capsule as well as the building’s cornerstone will be preserved, Baker assured.
Items found within the time capsule include a faded copy of the Winston County Times newspaper dated May 15, 1952, which had an article telling the cornerstone dedication would be the following Saturday.
Also found was a dispensation of the lodge dated March 26, 1946, the official charter of Winston County Masonic Lodge No. 877 dated Nov. 20, 1946, and a list of Masonic lodge officers for each year  from the charter in 1946 to the burial of the time capsule in 1952.
A small edition of the Holy Bible was found marked at Song of Solomon in the Old Testament, as well as some currency, including a 1946 quarter, a 1945 dime, a 1928 nickle and a 1951 penny.
Once these items were removed from the copper box, they were displayed inside the archives for the public to see.
Placed beside these items was a copy provided by the archives of the Winston County Times article about the cornerstone dedication ceremony on May 17, 1952, with the newspaper staff photo having made by Nit Adkins.
“People love this stuff.  People don’t get to see it every day,” Baker stated. “I want people coming by and seeing this stuff. It has been locked away since Korea was going on.” Baker was referring to the Korean War.
“The men who put (those things) in that capsule had probably been back from World War II for seven years,” Baker noted.
Baker added that knowledge of the Masonic forefathers made sure certain items of value would be preserved for future generations.
“It wasn’t just for history,” Baker said. “They planned on, if the lodge burned down or got hit by a tornado, we would have a copy of the charter, in case it got destroyed.  We would have a copy of the founding members’ names on there, in case  it got destroyed.
“Masonry is a fraternity. We are all fraternal brothers. Those are my brothers,”  Baker said about the men whose names are listed on the charter and membership lists. “A lot of them I have never met, but they left me a present.
“It’s like opening a present from a brother you have never met,” Baker continued.
Charles W. Thompson, a Mason the past 47 years, was born in 1953, one year after the cornerstone was dedicated and the time capsule  buried.
“Eleven months to the day exactly,” said Thompson.
Referring to the opening of the time capsule, Thompson added, “I know it doesn’t have much to do with world history, but it has a lot to do with this nation’s history.
“Our first elected president was George Washington,” Thompson stated. “He was grand master of the lodges in the State of Virginia.”
Thompson referred to the opening of the time capsule as “touching,” recalling special memories of the past and seeing names of those who have since passed away.
“They were doctors, lawyers,” Thompson said. “There have been plenty of sheriffs who have been master Masons with this lodge, plenty of lawmen and politicians.
“We’ve had plenty of preachers,” he added. “If you’re going to be a Mason, first you have to love God, and you have to know that He loves you, too.
Other qualifications to be a Mason are that the person must be at least 21 years old, have a clean past record and  profess a belief in God, he said.
Also on hand for the opening of the time capsule was Mike Boyles, grand master of Free and Accepted Masons State of Alabama-- one of three grand masters from Winston County, he said.
Boyles described the Masons as the largest fraternity or brotherhood in the world, representing good men trying to make the world a better place.
A Mason the past 32 years, Boyles described the present Masonic lodge  as “near and dear to my heart.”
“Prior to being grand master, I was district lecturer in Winston County and Cullman County.  The building is near and dear to me, but it’s beyond repair,” Boyles pointed out. “We’ve got to get a new building.”
Another emotional aspect of opening the capsule was seeing the names of those who had gone on or passed on to a different life, Boyles also said.
The newspaper picture, prepared by the archives, showed Masons in attendance at the cornerstone’s dedication in 1952, including grand lodge officers Sylvester Crittenden, Charles Stubenger,  Rev. A.T. Sprouse, John Preddy, Richard Cain and W. Lipsey Legg, who was grand master at that time.
The Winston County Archives proudly took part in the opening of the time capsule and displaying its contents, noted volunteer and Winston County Genealogical Society Vice President and Treasurer Treva Hood.
This marked the first occasion where a time capsule has been opened at the archives, since the archives building first opened in 2009, Hood confirmed.
“It was very exciting because it is part of the history of our town,” Hood stated. “That’s what the archives is about -  preserving history.”
Although the items from the time capsule were displayed at the archives, the Masons took possession of the items, with work underway to preserve  and display the items, Baker stated.
While the older lodge building has been in disrepair, the Masonic Lodge has rented the tire warehouse, where Taylor Oil was once located on Highway 278 in Double Springs for their meetings, Baker said.
Before the present structure was built in Double Springs in 1952, Masons met in the basement of the former location of First Baptist Church, which was located where the Winston County Baptist Association building is on Highway 195 in Double Springs, Thompson recalled.
“The grand master gave us a special dispensation to move our charter there,” Baker added. “We’ve been meeting in a warehouse basically with no heat, no air and no plumbing for almost two years now.”
Other Masonic lodges in Winston County include Haleyville, Addison and Arley, according to Boyles.
The Winston County Masonic Lodge chapter was formed, after the former Double Springs lodge and Houston lodge were closed, according to Thompson.