Free and Accepted Masons of Arkansas
300 Main Street, Huntsville AR
P.O. Box 1082
Huntsville, Arkansas 72740
Masonry is one of the most sublime and perfect institutions that ever was formed for the advancement of happiness, and the general good of mankind, creating, in all its varieties, universal benevolence and brotherly love.
Duke of Sussex
The History of Huntsville Lodge No. 364 actually begins with the formation of an earlier Lodge in Huntsville, Odeon Lodge No.
44. The demise and short history of this Lodge will result in the formation of Huntsville Lodge No. 364 in 1879.
Five years after the formation of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Arkansas in 1846, the first Lodge in Madison County-Odeon
Lodge No. 44 was chartered on November 6, 1851, having been dispensed earlier that year. The name "Odeon" comes from the
Greek and refers to any public hall to be used for entertainment, particularly musical or dramatic presentations. It is not known
where the Lodge originally met for the first two years but may have met in the barn of Evan S. Polk or John Sanders, both barns
seeming to be meeting places in the early history of Huntsville. A substantial 2-story building was erected some-time between July
1853 and December 1854 on the NW corner modem day Main and Hughes Streets. The land was purchased from Evan S. and Jane Polk on
July 11, 1853. (The first court ever held in Madison County was in the barn of Evan S. Polk). The Lodge was to meet in the upstairs
and a newly formed college was to meet in the downstairs.
"We represent a fraternity which believes in justice and truth and honorable action in your community... men who are endeavoring to be better citizen...[and] to make a great country greater. This is the only institution in the world where we can meet on the level all sorts of people who want to live rightly."
Bro. Harry S. Truman
List of Past Masters: 1879 - 1966
James Gilliland '79 - '80
Charley K. Polk '81 - '82
John Proctor '83
William A. Gage '84
P.W. Newton '85
John Bowen '86
Charles B. Sanders '87
Monroe F. Knight '88,'10
J.R. Berry '89
J.E. Plummer '90
William A. Gage '91
W.C. Roberts '92 - '93
F. M. Coger '95
H.A. Reynolds '96
J.H. Guinn '98
Elmer Polk '99
Z.T. Reynolds '00
W.T. Brooks '01
W.G. Cannaday '02 - 04,'19
J.P. Hamilton '05
Neal Dorsey '07
Fred Youngblood '08 - '09
John L. Phillips '13 - '14
C.L. Fritts '15
Alfred Hawn '16 , '20
J.H. Guinn '21
J.F. Moore '22, 25
Omer Basham '26 - 30, 39,41
John Gaskill '31 -'32, '42 - '44
Loy Hawn '33, '40
Wade B. Anderson '34, 36 - '38
Herman Richardson '35
Harold P. Teague '45
Ellis Garrison '46
Frank Dillahunty '47
Norman D. Heathman '48
Hugh Hargis '49
Freeman Shuster '50
Ewell Boyd '51
Glynn Dillahunty '52
Otto Grubbs '53
Lester Keck '54
Douglas Stroud '55
Taylor Hubbard '56
Cecil Leatherbury '57
J. Lee Smith '58
Wayne Keck '59
Jack L. Sharp '60
Fred E. Northcross, II '61
Milton D. Thompson '62
Charles P. Everett '63
Jasper 0. Northcutt '64
Dallas E. Parks '65
Lionel D. Vaughn '66
List of Past Masters: 1967 - 2023
James E. Tipton '67
Thomas W. Steelman '68
Jack L. Sharp '69
Arvil L. Hatfield '70-71
Herbert H. Napier '72
W. Q. Hall '73
James A. Todd '74
Fred E. Benefield '75
Douglas E. Dobbyn '76
Sumner Brashears '77
Jack R. Scott '78
Bill D. Jones '79
Richard W. Brink '80
Kevin L. Hatfield '81
Lee P. Holt '82
Elmer L. Moore '83
Johnny Cannon '84
Mark S. Melson '85
Lealend Lamberson '86
Alvin A. Schmidt '87
Douglas J. McLoud '88
Larry D. Garrett '89
Carl D. Garrett '90
Charles J. Swanner '91
Jimmie M. Glisson '92
Tommy H. Hawkins '93
Melvin V. Fisher '94
Jack L. Sharp '95
Jack Stiffler '96
Douglas E. Dobbyn '97
Edwin Tolle '98
Phillip McGarrah '99-00
J.W. McLendon '01, 04
Jarred Rogers '02
Jeff Cline '03
Clifford Madewell 05
Max Norris '06 - 87th Master
Sumner Brashears '07
James Eaton '08 - 88th Master
Alvin Lievsay '09 - 89th Master
Robert Bilyeu '10 - 90th Master
Darrel Summers '11 - 91st Master
Marty Abrahamsen '12 - 92nd Master
Jason Holt '13 - 93rd Master
Keith J. L. Todd '14 - 94th Master
Robert Johnson '15 - 95th Master
Robert Johnson '16
Eric Blocker '17 - 96th Master
Bryon Speller '18 - 97th Master
Michael Foster '19 - 98th Master
Austin Campbell '20 - 99th Master
Shawn Ellis '21 - 100th Master
Rodney Fry '22 - 101st Master
Wesley Ellis '23 - 102nd Master
Whether or not one could refer to the events of January 10, 1863 as a massacre, one thing for sure is that the events of that fateful day would remind all that war, and its atrocities, are not limited to famous places like Antietam and Gettysburg. History quite often reserves itself to record only the big events. Many people, especially rural people, are left to believe that history and its accompanying events happen to other people in other places; that in certain respects, they are not a part of the grand scheme of things. More often than not, isolated rural people believe that their thoughts and actions do not contribute as much to the American fabric as others. To the people of Huntsville, war would leave a mark that would forever dash the dreams and visions of a small rural Arkansas community as several well known citizens, fathers, brothers, and cousins were sacrificed in the name of war. Whether or not this event fits the definition of a massacre is purely academic as that was the term most often applied to the event by the people of Huntsville. One of those who died was a trustee of the recently created Masonic college in Huntsville; one was a Baptist minister; one was a farmer and had been appointed a deputy U.S. Marshal in 1860. By some accounts, there may have been as many as nine citizens executed shortly before sunrise on a cold, frosty Saturday morning on January 10, 1863.
To learn more about the massacre, you may view a pdf file of the Power Point presentation on line by clicking on the following link; View a pdf file of the original Power Point Presentation
A pdf file of the article by Joy Russell and Dr. Kevin Hatfield