A Master Mason's Musings
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Joining Unity Masonic Lodge and becoming a Freemason is a six-step process. Its purpose is to acquaint your with the lodge and allow Lodge members to get acquainted with you. This step-wise approach addresses concerns you or your family might have about membership and it helps Lodge members learn about you before you submit a petition for membership.

The first step is to meet with a brother, generally for coffee, and hear the process explained in more detail, as well as what FreeMasonry both is and isn't.

A Master Mason can see details on Grand Lodge's Six Steps to Becoming a Freemason program by logging on to the Grand Lodge website at https://freemason-wa.org and going to the Resources page.
George Washington, Mason
The Grand Lodge of Washington governs the requirements of individual lodges and of candidates and of all Masons. To become a Freemason in Washington State you must.
  • Be a man
  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Be a resident of Washington State
  • Decide to become a Mason of “your own free will and accord”
  • Believe in a Supreme Being, in whatever form or name
  • Be determined to conduct yourself in a manner that will earn the respect and trust of others
  • Desire to help others through community service and universal benevolence
  • Be healthy mentally and physically
Painting by Thomas Palser (active 1799-1843), London, 1812
A meeting of Freemasons for the admissions of Masters

Regularly scheduled meetings are called Stated Communications.

North Bend Masons meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 P.M., except for July and August when the Lodge is dark.

Fellowship begins at 6:30. Dress is business casual.

 

Click the Location button at the right for directions to the Lodge Hall.

Centennial coin

On Saturday, August 17, 2013, members of North Bend Mason’s Unity Lodge celebrated a century of service to the Valley with a moment of renewal. North Bend Masons struck a special coin for the occasion.

The lodge had been deconsecrated and darkened before then Grand Master of Washington, Bruce E. Vesper, ceremonially rededicated it for another 100 years of service with a symbolic presentation of oil, grain and wine.

North Bend Masons sponsor the Masonic Bikes for Books program to encourage students to read. Each year North Bend Masons contribute bicycles to children participating in reading programs in local elementary schools.

Toward that end, North Bend Masons are happy to bring the Masonic Bikes 4 Books program to students in Snoqualmie Valley Elementary schools to establish a love for reading early in life. North Bend Masons sponsor the annual Bikes for Books program with the participation of Singletrack Cycles of North Bend.


Over the past 3 years, the Laptops for Students program of Unity Lodge gave public school youngsters a good start in learning and keeping up with technology for their school work - ultimately so that each will have their highest level of success in their educations and beyond. This program is an expression of the principles we learn in Lodge meetings.

The Lodge provided a free laptop computer to qualified families with school-age children who don't have a computer at home for schoolwork. This program focuses on elementary schools in the Snoqualmie Valley School District and provides a reliable and easy-to-use computer for computer-assisted learning. Since the beginning of the program in 2016 the program has gifted 117 laptops. As the school districts began providing devices for students in 2020, we phased out the Laptops for Students program.

Unity Lodge 198

North Bend, Washington

Contact us

To request general information about Unity Lodge or Freemasonry in general, send a message to info@unity198.org.

You can also direct a message to the Master of the Lodge.

Mailing address

PO Box 563
North Bend, Washington 98045-056

 

Feedback about the website

Contact the webmaster.

On Saturday, August 17, 2013, members of North Bend Mason’s Unity Lodge celebrated a century of service to the Valley with a moment of renewal. North Bend Masons struck a special coin for the occasion.

The lodge had been deconsecrated and darkened before then Grand Master of Washington, Bruce E. Vesper, ceremonially rededicated it for another 100 years of service with a symbolic presentation of oil, grain and wine.

Unity Lodge #198 officers for 2020
Unity Lodge No. 198 officers for 2020
Pictured, left to right: Chaplain: Bro. Chad Kilburn; Junior Deacon: Bro. Bryan Barker; Treasurer: Bro. Samuel McConnell; Worshipful Master: W Jaime Speicher; Senior Deacon: Bro. Joshua Coutts; Senior Warden: W Ken Hearing (not pictured); Secretary: W Dean Markley; Junior Warden: Bro. Michael Cramer
Unity Lodge No. 198 officers contact information
 Worshipful Master  W Jaime Speicher  master@unity198.org
 Senior Warden  W Ken Hearing  senior.warden@unity198.org
 Junior Warden  W Michael Cramer  junior.warden@unity198.org
 Secretary  W Dean Markley  secretary@unity198.org
 Treasurer  Bro. Samuel Allen McConnell  treasurer@unity198.org
 Senior Deacon  Bro. Joshua Coutts  senior.deacon@unity198.org
 Junior Deacon  Bro. Bryan Barker  junior.deacon@unity198.org
 Chaplain  Bro. Chad Kilburn

Beginnings

W.B. Timothy R. Steiner, Grand Orator, gave the following remarks on the occasion of the Reconstitution of Unity Lodge #198 and its centennial celebration on August 17, 2013. The photo was taken during the construction of the Lodge Hall around 1914.

See links on the right sidebar under Unity Lodge History for a broad history of Unity Lodge and for brief biographies of a number of Masons of the valley. 

Most Worshipful Grand Master, Grand Lodge Members, Distinguished Guests, Friends, Brethren all. January 21st, 1912, one of the most important days in the history of Unity Lodge #198. This was the day that 10 Brothers gathered at the “Milwaukee Depot” in Northbend to discuss the future of Masonry in the Upper Snoqualmie Valley. They asked the good brothers of Fall City Lodge #66 to vouch for them in the formation of their own lodge in Northbend. This was as the history of the lodge reports, not done because of discontent with Fall City Lodge, but because as they put it “limited and time consuming transportation facilities of the day.” You see in 1912 the State had not yet completed what was to be the modern roadway being constructed through the pass. It was being constructed over paths built by the settlers and Native Americans of the region for horse and foot travel, so individual travel was difficult to say the least. In 1905, the first automobile had driven over Snoqualmie Pass, but the road was far from adequate, and frequently impassable. The road such that it was, underwent an upgrade in 1909 for the Alaska – Yukon Exposition in Seattle, and an automobile race across the pass was used to promote the event.But it wasn’t until 1915 that there was a new 2 lane roadway creating a permanent transportation route that connected Eastern and Western Washington called the Sunset Highway. Later in 1926 this highway was rebuilt on the abandoned Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way. Future improvements were made bringing us to the modern Interstate that we freely move east and west on. All this is just to make the point that when Unity Lodge was a lodge under dispensation in August of 1912 the 8.5 miles that currently stretches between Northbend and Fall City would have taken the Brethren hours by horseback or rail, and today is a simple 15 minute commute.

The Masons of the soon to be Lodge under dispensation presented a petition to Most Worshipful Brother Frank H. McCandless in August of 1912. The name of Unity was selected after some debate. A committee was put together to find a suitable place for the Brethren to meet. The brothers chose a building originally intended for the Eagles club, but never completed. It was decided that the lodge would share the building with the Odd Fellows Lodge, but that soon met complications, and the brethren went forward on their own. Finances were tight, but 12 brothers stepped forward to facilitate the completion of the building. A mortgage was taken out and work progressed on getting the lodge ready to perform the work of Mason’s. Timing was on Unity’s side. Clover Lodge in Tacoma was disposing of their lodge furniture, and for a nominal fee it was able to be procured. It only took 2 days to pack the furnishings and get them shipped to Northbend. Again an example of how much we take for granted today grabbing a U-Haul and a few people after work to accomplish such a task. At a ceremony June 11th, 1913, Most Worshipful Brother McCandless and the Brethren in attendance approved the Charter of Unity Lodge, and gave it the number 198. The 23 Charter members stood before the Grand Master and dedicated themselves to building a great tradition of Masonry in Northbend. They attested to the assembled members of Grand Lodge and to the brethren in attendance that they had confidence in the leadership of the Officers. Their faith was well founded.

 

Worshipful Master 2020

Worshipful Master Jaime Speicher


Jaime Speicher
Master for 2020-21
Unity Lodge #198

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Photos relating to the Lodge

Musings of an initiate - one who has not yet learned the basics of Freemasonry and who brings a lifetime of independent development from a variety of social and religious experiences. Not an outsider in spirit, but yet to become an insider in fact.

These comments may show simple ignorance as well as, possibly, important insights to sharing Freemasonry with our contemporaries.

This blog is written by a stubborn, opinionated and inexperienced Master Mason, who may sometimes be (unintentionally) disruptive.

In following posts I muse about the practices of Masonry as I have observed them over three years.
How to become a Mason Read more

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