Two and a half years and $1 million after a blaze nearly destroyed the Winslow Masonic Lodge, the Masons rededicated their building May 27 by placing a new cornerstone and holding a ceremony welcoming members back.
Oct. 10, 2014, is a day many Winslow residents will never forget. That Friday morning, three young men, Chad LaPointe, Steven Gonzales and Erick Nelson, set fire to historic buildings throughout town. The first to be set ablaze was Clarke’s Cleaners on Second Street, a dry cleaning and laundry service that had been in business in Winslow for generations, followed by the Masonic Lodge on Kinsley Avenue an hour later and finally, the former Woman’s Club building at Kinsley and Cherry Streets.
Firefighters worked through the day getting the fires under control. Though each building was completely destroyed, no one was harmed. The three suspects were apprehended and arrested on charges of burglary, criminal damage and arson, and are currently serving prison sentences, with LaPointe due to be released in 2021, Nelson in 2020 and Gonzales in 2019.
While the Masonic Lodge was unoccupied when it was burned, many important and historical items were lost. Damage was estimated at approximately $4 million, but most of the items and relics lost were irreplaceable. Those priceless items included regalia from the 1800s, as well as regalia from the Order of the Eastern Star and Commandery of Knights Templar.
Those items will never be replaced, but firefighters were able to save many archives and records from the lodge, as well as photos, and a display of first edition Bibles.
The Winslow Masons formed the lodge in 1896 and moved into the building on Kinsley in 1923.
Following the fire, members of the lodge vowed that they would rebuild, and that they would continue their charitable projects and scholarship programs.
With the support of the community and Elks Lodge No. 536, which allowed the Free Masons to hold their meetings in the Elks building during the reconstruction, they did just that.
Rebuilding of the structure began almost immediately following the blaze and is finally complete. The work was done by architect Loren Sadler and BMJS Contracting, LLC, at a cost of approximately $1 million.
