Take the opportunity to learn about the history of Mount Hood Lodge 32 and those who made it possible for us to be together at this Lodge. This 114-page document is made available to you as a pdf file here: History of Mt Hood Lodge
Early History
The minutes of the first meeting held on May 3rd, 1879, reveal that Bro. henry C. Morrice was elected to serve as Worshipful Master while the fledgling Lodge was under Dispensation. Robert Pollock was elected Senior Warden and Jacob Thompson, Junior Warden. The Brothers then voted to petition the Grand Lodge of Washington to form a new Lodge in Vancouver. Several names were suggested for the Lodge and the name “Mount Hood” was finally unanimously chosen. Each of the Brothers then contributed $6.25 toward the $50.00 Dispensation Fee. The Petition and the Fee were both sent to Washington Lodge with the request that they sponsor the new group, and forward the Petition and Fee to the Grand Lodge, which was done on May 7th, 1879.
First Petitions for the Degrees of Masonry were received by the Lodge on September 13th, 1879 from Fred H.E. Ebstein and John A. Kress, and also a Petition for Affiliation from James T. Goss. Ebstein was the first candidate to have a Degree conferred upon him in Mt. Hood Lodge, being initiated an Entered Apprentice Mason at a special meeting on October 22, 1879. Three days later at the stated communication on October 25th Kress was initiated as an Entered Apprentice Mason. Kress then became the first to receive his Fellowcraft Degree on November 22nd, and on December 23rd he was the first Master Mason to be raised in Mt. Hood Lodge. Ebstein was passed to the Fellowcraft Degree on January 10th, 1880, and was raised a Master Mason on January 24th.
Past Meeting Locations
During the years Mt. Hood has met in ten different locations. First was the hall of Washington Lodge at Fifth and Franklin. In January 1880 the Lodge moved to the hall of Vancouver Lodge No. 3, Independent Order of Oddfellows at Fourth and Washington, remaining there for 26 years. Because the Oddfellows raised their rent to $6.00 a month in 1907, in January of that year Mt. Hood moved into the Masonic Temple built by Washington Lodge in 1884, at Eight and Main, where it remained for 57 years except for the year 1925-26 while the Washington Temple was being enlarged and a third floor added.
For that temporary period, the Lodge moved to St. Helens Hall of St. Luke Episcopal Church, then at Ninth and C Streets. In 1965 Washington Lodge sold its Temple building at Eighth and Main, and in January 1966 Mt. Hood Lodge and all of the Concordant Bodies moved into the Minnehaha Grange Hall at 4905 St. Johns Blvd. They remained there for slightly over three years, until the new Masonic Temple being built by the Vancouver Masonic Temple, Inc. was completed in 1969. The final move into the new Masonic Temple was made in February of 1969. Mt. Hood had the honor of being the first Body to meet in the new Temple.
After the decision to sell the Masonic Temple, Mt. Hood initially met at the local Vancouver Elks Hall, before moving to the Heathman Hotel for many years. The disruption of Covid in 2020 caused the Lodge to meet virtually and has recently settled our newest meeting location at the Barberton Grange hall.