ERNEST W. LYON No. 107
W.M. Jeremiah McMiller
Worshipful Master
Worshipful Master’s Address
An ancient tradition in Masonry, exercising tolerance for differing religious and political views, allows men of many different belief structures to work together. Masons call each other brothers because they believe they are all equal and work to make “good men better”. Through our Masonic bonds, we reaffirm our dedication and unity to become involved citizens who have a strong desire to make the world a better place to live
R.W. Charlie Mack
Lodge Deputy
Lodge Deputy’s Address
Masons are good men who choose to make themselves better. To uphold Masonic principles symbolized by the Square and Compasses, Masons are expected to act with kindness, courtesy and compassion towards others, be considerate and honest at home and in business, and to be dependable… when they give their word, they are expected to uphold it. In short, Masons are committed to being good citizens
ABOUT OUR LODGE
Lodge 107 was named after Ernest W. Lyon. The Lodge was established on September 8th, 1957 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. It is the first and oldest lodge in Maryland’s 12th Masonic District (Europe). Ernest W. Lyon Lodge #107 was one of the first three lodges making up DISTRICT TWELVE-EUROPE. This lodge supported the military community in Sembach, Germany.
History of Ernest W. Lyon
Ernest Lyon (1860–1938) was an African American minister, educator, and diplomat. While there are few accounts that Lyon was born in Honduras, most sources have him being born in Belize City, British Honduras. Lyon immigrated to the United States in the 1870s. He received an A.B. degree from New Orleans University and became a Methodist Episcopal in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1901, he became professor of church history at Morgan College and was among the founders of Maryland Industrial and Agricultural Institute, a school for African American youth. The civil rights leader Booker T. Washington recommended Lyon to President Theodore Roosevelt, who appointed him U.S. Minister and Consul General to Liberia in 1903. He served in this capacity until 1910. Following his diplomatic service, he returned to Baltimore to become the minister of Ames Methodist Episcopal Church.
Lyon had a D.D. degree from Wiley College and an L.L.D from the University of Liberia. Lyon was a “member committee” for the Negro Historical and Industrial Association which “invited President Woodrow Wilson to deliver the address on the opening day of 50th-anniversary exposition and celebration of emancipation at Fort Lee, Virginia.” Lyons was one of ten people to represent the intellectual contributions of African Americans in an international lecture course hosted by the Maryland State Department of Education in Baltimore.
On June 17, 1893, Lyon married Clara F. Bacchus of Wilmington, Delaware. He was married for a third time on March 28, 1912, to Marie Wright of Baltimore. Together they had four children, Maud Amelia, Annie Belle, and Ernest Harrison Monroe. In 1915, Lyon resided in Laurel, Maryland. He died of lobar pneumonia on July 17, 1938, at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also taught at what is now Morgan State University. When Lyon died in 1938, some 5,000 persons attended his funeral, many standing in the rain on Baker Street outside the West Baltimore church.
Brother Lyon was a member of the American Academy Political and Social Science, West African Society, a Knight of the Order African Redemption (Liberia) and a 33° Mason
Thursday each month
Building 520
Sembach, Germany