Our Lodge
Who We Are
About Us
Rockingham Union Lodge No. 27 meets for its Stated Meeting on the 1st Monday of each month at 7:30PM.
RU27 was chartered on October 27, 1789. Rockingham County had been in existence for eleven years and the city of Harrisonburg was nine years old. Our Lodge met during its early years in the home of Brother William Cravens, but the location of his home has been lost in history. It appears that it was in Rockingham County, a short distance from the city. On July 14, 1796, the Lodge held its first meeting in a newly constructed, two-story log structure, located on the southwest side of East Market Street, just beyond Federal Alley. Our second temple was located at the corner of South Main and West Water Street with the cornerstone being laid on July 4, 1860, by representatives of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. On September 5, 1905, the Grand Lodge of Virginia laid the cornerstone of our present temple and the building was occupied in December 1906.
2025 Lodge Officers
Martin E. Eagleson
David S. Bates
Matthew R. Phillippi
| William Herring – 1789 | Benjamin Smith, Sr. – 1791 | Williams Cravens – 1792 | Asher Waterman – 1793/94 |
| Matthew Gambil – 1795 | John Taylor – 1796 | Asher Waterman – 1797 | William Smith – 1799 |
| Jacob Wyant – 1800 | Henry Gambill – 1801 | Samuel Chandler – 1807 | Henry Gambill – 1808 |
| Asher Waterman – 1809 | Henry Gambill – 1810 | Julius Foster – 1813 | Asher Waterman – 1814 |
| Asher Waterman – 1822 | Henry Welch – 1823 | Alexander McCartney – 1825 | Joseph Cravens – 1826 |
| Alexander McCartney – 1827 | William McCausland – 1828 | Thomas Clarke – 1830 | David Jones – 1832 |
| James Hall – 1833 | Hugh Bruffy – 1835 | Thomas Clarke – 1841 | Joseph Rohr – 1842 |
| Peachy Rice – 1843 | George Newman – 1844 | David Jones – 1845 | W. Gambill – 1846 |
| R. Stevens – 1847 | Henry Higgins – 1848 | George Bruffy – 1849 | Joseph Braithwaite – 1850 |
| Isaac Hardesty – 1851 | Quincy Nicholas – 1853 | Alfred Rohr – 1855 | William Wartman – 1856 |
| Henry Wartman – 1857 | Joseph Logan – 1858 | Philo Bradley – 1859 | Charles Sprinkel – 1860 |
| W. Plecker – 1861 | St. Clair Sprinkel – 1862 | William Price – 1863 | George Christie – 1864 |
| J.G. Sprinkel – 1866 | Philo Bradley – 1867 | Henry Shacklett – 1869 | Joshua Wilton – 1870 |
| H. Ritenour – 1871 | Joseph Shue – 1873 | O.A. Clary – 1875 | James Dwyer – 1876 |
| James Avis – 1877 | Frank Harris – 1879 | T. Rohr – 1880 | A. Sprinkel – 1881 |
| William Bucher – 1882 | W.S. Butler – 1883 | Philo Bradley – 1884 | James W. Blair – 1885 |
| C. Staples – 1886 | William Bucher – 1887 | H. Chandler – 1888 | John Burke – 1889 |
| John Logan – 1890 | John Bradley – 1891 | John Yancey – 1892 | S. Messerly – 1893 |
| S. Moffett – 1894 | G. Alexander – 1895/96 | William Dean – 1897/98 | C. Myers – 1899/1900 |
| T. Houck – 1901/02 | T. Callender – 1903/04 | L. Williamson – 1905 | William Keister – 1906/07 |
| Russel Bucher – 1908 | Charles Keezle – 1909 | Ernest Wilton – 1910 | Grattan Price – 1911 |
| Robert VanPelt – 1912 | Edward Conrad – 1913 | William Dutrow – 1914 | John Long – 1915 |
| B. Williamson – 1916/17 | Clarence Mason – 1918 | Charles Nicholas – 1919/20 | Charles Dundore – 1921 |
| Frank Blackburn – 1922 | Wade Menefee – 1923 | William Myers – 1924 | Marvin Renalds – 1925 |
| Vernon Harlin – 1926 | Raymond Dingledine – 1927 | Albert Lewis – 1928 | Stuart Ashby – 1929 |
| Frank Switzer – 1930 | Michael Harrison – 1931 | O. Miller – 1932 | Clarence LeHew – 1933 |
| L. Stanley – 1934 | H. Huffman – 1935 | Arthur Hamaker – 1936 | George Aldhizer – 1937 |
| Hershey McCauley – 1938 | Garold Myers – 1939 | D. Switzer – 1940 | homas L. Yancey – 1941 |
| A. Kersh – 1942 | Raymond Aldhizer – 1943/44 | S. Sencindiver – 1945 | Carl N. Priode – 1946 |
| J. Paxton – 1947 | Earl R. Smith – 1948 | L. Tourgee – 1949 | Mark McNeill – 1950 |
| Elmer Kaylor – 1951 | A. Jackson – 1952 | Norman Braithwaite – 1953 | Harry Cavendish – 1954 |
| Robert Kennedy – 1955 | Ralph Arey – 1956 | Ward Wenger – 1957 | Harvey Scott – 1958 |
| Raymond Benson – 1959 | Stuart Geil – 1960 | Robert Breen – 1961 | Bernard W. Stearn – 1962 |
| Leonard Hulvey – 1963 | Benjamin Bishop – 1964 | John Kline – 1965 | Carl Ritchie – 1966 |
| Ivan Carrier – 1967 | Marcel Shickel – 1968 | Jack Mason – 1969 | Robert Ritchie – 1970 |
| Donald Gault – 1971 | Frank Suter – 1972 | Edward Michael – 1973 | Victor Smith – 1974 |
| Phillip Stone – 1975 | Donald Myers – 1976 | Louis McInturff – 1977 | Henry Gray – 1978 |
| James Rowe – 1979 | Wellington Corbin – 1980 | Harry Clayman – 1981 | Perry Foley – 1982 |
| Randolph Maupin – 1983 | Donald Bosley – 1984 | Richard Presgrave – 1985 | John Hall – 1986 |
| Robert Meeks – 1987 | Allen Francis – 1988 | Mark Jefferson – 1989 | Herman W. Hale – 1990 |
| Donald Bosley – 1991 | Harry E. Drinkwater – 1992 | Harry L. Clayman – 1992/93 | Phillip A. Geisel – 1994 |
| Nelson L. Armstrong – 1995 | Keith L. Brewe – 1996 | James E. Rhodes – 1997/98 | Harry L. Clayman – 1999 |
| Wayne B. Wenger – 2000 | Larry Showalter – 2001 | Brian Bosley – 2002 | Gary Morrow – 2003 |
| Greg Adams – 2004 | Wayne B. Rothery – 2005 | Carl Wassum – 2006 | Ricky A. Ritchie – 2009 |
| Ray Hussey Jr. – 2010 | John S. King – 2011 | John D. Gira – 2012 | David F. Kennedy – 2013 |
| Russell E. Pence – 2014 | David T. Silcox – 2015 | Steve L. Knight – 2016 | Chris A. Neil – 2017 |
| Matthew P. Bentel – 2018 | Chris N. Walker – 2019 | Matthew R. Frakes – 2020 | Bradley Newcomer – 2021 |
| Matthew P. Bentel – 2022 | Matthew R. Frakes – 2023 | Russell E. Pence -2024 | Martin E. Eagleson – 2025 |
2025 OFFICER LINE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Meets quarterly by prior agreement. All members of Rockingham Union Lodge 27 are invited.