UNION — The year 1872 was an important one in Union’s history.

The Oregon Legislature in 1872 passed a bill allowing a local election to be conducted in 1874 that resulted in the Union County seat being moved from La Grande to Union. That same year Union’s Masonic lodge, Grande Ronde Valley Lodge 56, was founded.

Today, the county seat is no longer in Union following a 1904 election that moved it back to La Grande. However, Grande Ronde Valley Lodge 56 is still alive and vibrant, and its legacy will be celebrated on Friday, Sept. 29.

A ceremony commemorating the 150th anniversary of Grande Ronde Valley Lodge 56 will be conducted in its building at 125 W. Center St., Union, at 6 p.m. Prior to the ceremony, the building will be open to the public beginning at 3 p.m., and refreshments, including finger foods and soft drinks, will be available at 5 p.m.

The celebration was originally set for 2022, the year the Masonic lodge turned 150, but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to David Moore, the historian for Grande Ronde Valley Lodge 56.

Building history

The building the celebration will be conducted in has been occupied by Union’s Masonic lodge since it was built in 1898.

The first floor of the lodge building now houses the Union Post Office. It is a tradition of Masonic halls to rent out the lower floor to a business. When the lodge was first established, the Townley-Gale Mercantile occupied the lower portion, according to a story in a 2007 edition of The Observer.

Occupants of the building’s first floor between 1898 and 1968 included the American Red Cross, Moore said. The U.S. Postal Service has occupied the first floor of Grande Ronde Valley Lodge since 1968.

Grande Ronde Valley Lodge 56 was based in the Odd Fellows International Hall building in Union prior to moving to its present home. The Odd Fellows building is now a portion of the Union County Museum building complex, Moore said.

Throughout its history, Grande Ronde Valley Lodge has been involved in community service. Presently, much of the money it raises at events, including community breakfasts, goes toward scholarships and the organization’s flag project. For many years, Grande Ronde Valley Lodge has provided all of Union Elementary School’s first grade students with small American flags on pedestals.

Moore said that many people join the Grande Ronde Valley Lodge because it gives them an opportunity to give back to the community.

“Almost all we talk about at our meetings is how we can help out,” Moore said.