• Article Photo. Masons were unable to find the expected time capsule behind the cornerstone of 1969 Lodge.
    Masons were unable to find the expected time capsule behind the cornerstone of 1969 Lodge.
  • Article Photo. The cornerstone will be on display at Ray House, where Masons meet and have a musuem.
    The cornerstone will be on display at Ray House, where Masons meet and have a musuem.
  • Article Photo. Keith and Kathy Ervin, Tom Boeckmann and Bryron Knupp discuss history at old Masonic Lodge.
    Keith and Kathy Ervin, Tom Boeckmann and Bryron Knupp discuss history at old Masonic Lodge.
  • Article Photo. Tom Boeckmann reads a history of the Masonic Lodge as 1969 Worshipful Master Byron Knupp listens
    Tom Boeckmann reads a history of the Masonic Lodge as 1969 Worshipful Master Byron Knupp listens

Remember the Benton County Courthouse Centennial celebration a few years ago, when the Masons removed the courthouse and opened the time capsule?

Well, the Masons were planning a similar celebration on a smaller scale this week at the former Masonic Lodge. 

They removed the cornerstone of the building that was significantly damaged in the flood of 2008. 

Mason Tom Boeckman said the group was expecting some surprises when they opened the time capsule which was left behind the cornerstone when the building was dedicated in 1969. 

"Well, the surprise was on us," Boeckmann told the Masons later that evening. "We could not find the time capsule."

Masons are now beginning to consult historical documents to find out for sure that there was a time capsule placed at the Lodge, and if so, where. 

Someone asked about the records from the old Lodge; Boeckmann said they floated to the Gulf of Mexico during the flood. 

Old Cedar Valley Daily Times news clippings contain a brief history of the Lodge. The Masons had used the upstairs area above what is now Nelson's furniture, until building the Lodge on West Fourth Street in 1969. The building was finished in July and officially dedicated in October. 

Only two current Vinton Masons, Bryon Knupp and Keith Ervin, were active in the group in 1969. Knupp served as Worshipful Master that year. 

The time capsule is believed to have a copy of the Daily Times, folded up as small as Masons could get it, coins from that year, and other items. 

Much of the history of the local Masonic Lodge was lost in the flood. The Masons now use the Ray House for their meetings. One room in that historic mansion is being converted into a small Masonic museum. One of the first items placed in that room is the chair of Governor Buren Robinson Sherman, a Vinton Mason who took his chair to Des Moines after being elected Governor. That chair was damaged in the flood, but has been restored. 

The building was sold after the flood and is now used as a warehouse with a small office.