Local Freemasonry history deepens with Fergurson’s state position in Eastern Star group
By Ben Cox
Jacksonville has a long history with freemasonry. Harmony Lodge No. 3 in Jacksonville was chartered as part of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in 1840, though the formal charter would arrive and be dated in 1841. As one of the oldest chapters, it still has a thriving membership. The current history though is also deepening through an appendant body to freemasonry.
The Order of the Eastern Star was established in 1850 by Mississippi lawyer and educator Rob Morris. It was officially accepted as an appendant body in 1873 and now has chapters throughout the world. The order is based on some teachings from the Holy Bible but its membership is open to all religious beliefs.
Members of the Order of the Eastern Star are aged 18 and older; men must be Master Masons and women used to need to have specific relationships with Masons (however, that was changed in 2024 in an effort to grow membership). Originally, a woman would have to be the daughter, widow, wife, sister or mother of a Master Mason. The order now allows other relatives as well as allowing Job’s Daughters and Rainbow Girls to join.
Gene Fergurson says the seeds were planted for him to join the order in 1979 when he was initiated in his hometown of Greenfield. “There was a lady in the chapter in Greenfield where I was initiated who was in the Grand Line. For women, it takes four years to get to be worthy grand matron, and she was in that process of going through the chairs, going up to worthy grand matron, and it was my pleasure to drive her around to meetings all over the state,” Fergurson recalls.
“I guess the seed was planted back in those days. She would’ve been in office. I was initiated in 1979 and she was worthy Grand Matron in 1981. It was my pleasure to go around with her.” Fergurson has also advanced through the chairs and is currently the Worthy Grand Patron for the State of Illinois’ grand lodge.
The Order of the Eastern Star, like other fraternities and service organizations, is experiencing declining memberships. Attrition and age have caused many chapters to fold into other lodges. “There is no chapter in Jacksonville anymore. In my early days in Eastern Star, I would come up to Wilbur chapter, which was the name of the chapter here, and we met in the Masonic temple and enjoyed going to meetings there. Jacksonville had a worthy grand matron, I believe in 1996, Carol Garner was Worthy Grand Matron. Then, after that membership declined and they couldn’t get enough to fill the chairs and maintain the chapter here, they merged with Virginia. There’s a chapter there called Ada Robinson Chapter, and sadly that chapter has since merged with Chandlerville.”
Similarly, Greene County once had lodges in all of its towns, but they, too, have merged into Plainview in Macoupin County, which is where Fergurson holds one of his memberships. “I also joined Flower City in Springfield as a dual member because I worked in Springfield and it was easy to stay there for meetings,” Ferguson says. He finds that the mergers have caused some members to go inactive and may also deter people from joining due to the long drives to find a lodge.
Meetings. Symbols. Initiation. What’s it all for? For Fergurson, it has given him great insight into how fraternal organizations care for their members and their families. The order ran two orphanages and two highly-regarded long-term care facilities starting in the early 1900s.
Due to rising costs, one of the only remaining order-operated facilities is in Macon where the order’s Grand Lodge is located. “Of course with the cost of healthcare and wages and everything just being higher, ours is the only one of those that’s left. The Grand Lodge no longer has the home at Sullivan. It’s my understanding that from their endowment, they give people who need financial assistance a stipend [each] month. They help care for healthcare, but they don’t subsidize it by providing them a home. We in Eastern Star, because of the size of our endowment, still operate the home [in Macon]. I would say a little more than half of the members in our home, which numbers about 40, are members of the order. The others are members of the Masons, but they’re not an Eastern star member or they’re just private pay. Recently we’ve enjoyed a very good reputation and lots of people, especially in that area around the home, get on a waiting list. We have a waiting list of about a dozen people to get in.”
Recently, in order to further their mission but also to attract new members, the Grand Lodge has started a scholarship program Fergurson says, “Last year we awarded (66) $750 scholarships to traditional and non-traditional college students. They could be somebody who dropped out, got a GED, English [as second language] or just going back to school — it doesn’t matter. If they have the desire and they fill out the application and write a good response, then they get the money. So that’s our way of encouraging you.”
He says that work continues for their charitable events — like the Honor Flight program. This year, the Order is hoping to raise funds to sponsor an entire flight for the organization.
He says that also means the order continues to work alongside Freemasons as well. He says the coed organization is often “hired” by masons for events to provide dinners.
“One of the reasons the order was established was so that the wives, sisters, mothers, female relatives of Master Masons could enjoy social functions and the charitable work of Masons. It was intended to be as couples as possible. Worldwide, it’s the largest philanthropic organization to which both men and women can belong.”
For those interested in membership with the order, you can contact your local Masonic Temple, find the Order of the Eastern Star online at iloes.org or find them on Facebook at OES Illinois. He says if you know a member, all you have do to is ask and they can get you to the right place.
