Western Star Lodge #2

The Arkansas Territory was formed in 1819 and the Territorial Capitol was established at Arkansas Post on the banks of the Mississippi River. In 1820 the Little Rock site was surveyed and the Little Rock Post office was established. The following year, (1821), the capitol was moved northwest to where "the southwest trail crossed the Arkansas River at the 'point of rocks'", because of the swampy areas around Arkansas Post.

The "point of rocks" were 2 geological formations named La Petite Roche, and La Grande Roche. La Petite Roche was used as a riverboat landing on the western bank of the Arkansas River. Most of this formation has since been excavated by the railroads to install a bridge over the Arkansas River. La Grande Roche was a huge formation of rock up river, most of which has since been quarried away.

During this time of our nations westward expansion, the tiny river boat town of Little Rock had an estimated population of between 200 and 300 people, and consisted of according to the Arkansas Historical Society, the population stayed close to this level for many years.

By June of 1836, when Arkansas became the 26th state to be admitted into the Union, there was still no Masonic presence in Little Rock. Several weak attempts were made as early as 1834 to establish a presence in Little Rock, but these met with no success. This began to change in the late summer of 1837 when enough men with Masonic backgrounds had migrated into Little Rock to petition for a charter to establish a lodge in the town. Unfortunately a fire destroyed all of the Louisiana Masonic records that existed before the year 1850, so the exact date of establishing Western Star "under dispensation" is not known. What is know is 10 men, (Nicholas Peay, Charles L. Jeffries, Thomas Parsel, R. F. Finn, James S. Hunt, Wyatt Harrison, Guy C. Watterman, Thomas E. White, Alden Sprague, and Edward Cross), petitioned the Grand Lodge of Louisiana on September 11, 1837 for a Masonic Charter.

According to tradition a "dispensation to work" was granted sometime in October 1837. Edward Cross served as Worshipful Master while Western Star was still under Dispensation. Lodge Records show that the Grand Lodge of Louisiana granted Western Star Lodge #43 an official Charter on February 12, 1838. Alden Sprague, (of whom no photo exists), a Little Rock physician, served as Worshipful Master in 1838.

In November of 1838, the Four existing Arkansas Lodges, (Washington Lodge #83, at Fayetteville, Tennessee Charter; Morning Star Lodge #42 at Arkansas Post, Louisiana Charter; Mount Horeh Lodge, Washington, U.D., from Alabama; Western Star #43, at Little Rock, Louisiana Charter), met in convention. The representatives of these four lodges voted unanimously to adopt and accept a constitution for the formation and government of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas.

The delegates of Western Star #43 reported the results of the vote to the membership and on December 7, 1838 the Lodge voted to surrender her Louisiana Charter, elected officers for the year 1839 and adjourned. The new Arkansas Charter was formally dated December 13, 1838, however, on December 8, 1838 the brethren met for the first time as Western Star number 2.

Legend has it that the numbers 1 through 4 were placed in a hat and drawn to identify the lodges chartered under the newly formed Grand Lodge of Arkansas. Washington Lodge in Fayetteville drew number one, Western Star at Little Rock drew number 2, Morning Star at Arkansas Post drew number 3 and Mount Horeh at Washington drew number 4. At one point Washington Lodge number 1 had a brief period of inactivity thereby giving Western Star the ability to claim to be the oldest lodge in continuous service to the brothers and citizens of Arkansas.

While Western Star celebrates her 165th year of service to God and man, the brethren of the lodge are mindful to offer our thanks to the many men who have gone this way before them. Many notable men have been members of Western Star over the years. Among their numbers are included the names of Albert Pike, (1809-1891) who received his degrees in 1850 and went on to write "Morals and Dogmas" in 1871 and serve for thirty-three years as Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite (Southern Jurisdiction). and Fay Hempstead, (1874-1934), writer/historian/poet, who was named Poet Laureate of Freemasonry in 1908.

A total of 12 members of Western Star have served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in Arkansas, including William Gilchrist, the first Grand Master of Arkansas Masons.