This year marks 175 years since Lawrence Lodge No. 198 Free and Accepted Masons was founded in Lawrence County.

During that time, thousands of Lawrence County men have been members, with a goal of making themselves a better man for their families, themselves and their community.

The lodge was originally chartered as Hanging Rock Lodge #198 in 1850.

“That was before Ironton really started to boom,” said Josh Fields, worshipful master of the lodge, said. “They moved down to Ironton. It was a booming town, one of the biggest iron providers in the country.”

In 1852, the lodge was renamed Lawrence Lodge No. 198 and moved to Ironton where they met in rented halls.

The Lawrence Lodge currently has 168 members.

Fields explained the Masons are a group of men who try to make each other better.

The Masons are one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the country and its members come from all walks of life and treat each other as equals, to respect a supreme being and to teach other lessons such as respect for a supreme being, respect for each other and themselves and to help in the community.

“Masonry is all about making a good man better,” Fields said. “Whether that is in his family life, his spiritual life, his business life. It’s about stressing the values that makes us better people.”

To celebrate the lodge’s 175th anniversary, Fields said they were blessed with a visit from the William Carter III, the Grand Mason of Ohio, also called the Most Worshipful Grand Master, for the ceremony on Feb. 8.

“It is a great honor,” Fields said. “He traveled a long way to be here.”

The event is called a reconsecration ceremony.

“It is like a rededication,” Fields explained. “We remember the importance of why we became a member and to reignite the enthusiasm to continue on.”

As part of the event, Field’s grandfather, Lawrence Fields, was presented with a pin and a certificate for being a Mason for 65 years.

“It was a very special moment for me,” Fields said.

The current four-story Masonic building at the intersection of Third and Center streets is the third lodge building in its 175-year history. It was built in 1917 after the previous two burned down.

“May have had something to do with all the ashtrays on the fourth floor of the building before they outlawed smoking,” Fields said. “I feel that they did a lot of smoking in the building.”

In 1871, the masons bought the Irvin property in downtown Ironton where the current masonic building is.

The first building was built in completed and dedicated on June 24, 1882. It was partially destroyed by a fire on Feb. 12, 1888. For eight months, they met in Knights of Pythias hall until their lodge was rebuilt.

In May 1915, the building burnt down again. A new one was built and completed in 1917 and still stands today.