Historical Markers
Choir performs in ornate hall with large pipe organ - masonic and fraternal halls

Self-guided · County in Iowa

Masonic and Fraternal Halls in Story County, IA

Masonic temples, Odd Fellows halls and grange halls near you, the meeting places of the old fraternal orders.

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Photo: Age Cymru on Unsplash

Story County is one of 99 counties in Iowa. Some of these sites are open to visitors, some are private, and some are ruins. All of them are on the record, and all of them can be seen from the public way.

Woman stands on piano addressing a large crowd - masonic and fraternal halls
Photo: Smithsonian on Unsplash
Red neon sign for masonic temple at dusk - masonic and fraternal halls
Photo: Matt Benson on Unsplash
A large stone building - masonic and fraternal halls
Photo: Abel Doñé on Unsplash

On the record near Story County, IA

The 12 nearest

15 listed sites on the record match masonic and fraternal halls within 120 miles of Story County, IA, out of 58 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles. 33 listed sites carry Story County as their county.

  1. Masonic Templeunder a mile from the center of Story County · Building · Ames · listed 2016National Register of Historic Places
  2. Champlin Memorial Masonic Temple14 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Boone · listed 1990National Register of Historic Places
  3. Masonic Temple of Des Moines30 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Des Moines · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  4. I.O.O.F. (International Order of Odd Fellows) Valley Junction Lodge Hall No. 60432 miles from the center of Story County · Building · West Des Moines · listed 2017National Register of Historic Places
  5. Masonic Temple Building52 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Stuart · listed 1996National Register of Historic Places
  6. Cedar Falls Independent Order of Odd Fellows69 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Cedar Falls · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  7. Osceola Masonic Block69 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Osceola · listed 2010National Register of Historic Places
  8. Chariton Masonic Temple72 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Chariton · listed 2006National Register of Historic Places
  9. Waterloo Masonic Temple73 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Waterloo · listed 2013National Register of Historic Places
  10. Odd Fellows Block75 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Afton · listed 2014National Register of Historic Places
  11. Elks-Rogers Hotel77 miles from the center of Story County · Building · Clear Lake · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
  12. Masonic Opera House77 miles from the center of Story County · Building · What Cheer · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Story County, IA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Fraternal Halls in Story County, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Story County, IA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Story County, IA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Story County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Story County, IA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Story County, IA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

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Fraternal Halls near Story County

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