Mount Perry Masonic Lodge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Perry Masonic Lodge |
|
|---|---|
Mount Perry Masonic Lodge, 2009
|
|
| Location | Isabella Street, Mount Perry, North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900 - 1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1904 |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Masonic Lodge | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600765 |
| Significant period | 1904 (fabric) |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Mount Perry Masonic Lodge is a special old building located on Isabella Street in Mount Perry, Queensland. It's a type of building called a masonic temple, which is a meeting place for a social group called Freemasons. This lodge was built in 1904 and is now protected as a heritage site on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Contents
A Look Back at the Lodge's History
The Masonic Hall in Mount Perry was built around 1904. It looks grand from the front, even though it's a simple building. Back then, Mount Perry was a busy town because of its copper mines.
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is a worldwide social group with a long history. Its members, called Freemasons, often meet in special buildings called lodges. The first Freemason's group in Queensland started in 1859. As more towns grew, new lodges were built. These lodges were important for men living in isolated areas. They hosted social events, helped local charities, and gave business people a chance to meet. This all helped the town's community life.
Mount Perry's Mining Boom
Mount Perry is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Bundaberg. It became a town after copper was found nearby in 1869. Many people moved to Mount Perry, and by the early 1870s, there were 20 hotels! This shows how many miners, often without families, lived there.
However, the copper mine stopped working in 1877. It was hoped it would reopen once a railway was built. The railway linking Mount Perry to Bundaberg was finished in 1884. This made Mount Perry an important center again. The town had nine hotels, a courthouse, a hospital, and a School of Arts.
The Lodge is Built
After a period of growth, the town faced another decline. The mine closed in 1891 because copper prices dropped. But things got better when the Queensland Copper Company bought the mine in 1898. This brought new life to the town. By 1904, about 2,000 people lived in the area.
In 1902, a local Freemason's group called the Lee Bryce Lodge was officially started. In 1904, five men – Henry Yeoman, Robert McRae, George Hardlaw, Thomas Province, and Robert Scott – bought the land for the Masonic Hall. They were a cordial maker, a shopkeeper, graziers (people who raise livestock), and the postmaster.
The Town's Decline
By 1912, the demand for copper had decreased, and many mines closed. The mining operations in Mount Perry collapsed, and the smelters (places where metal is extracted from ore) closed in 1915. This caused the town's population to shrink. Over the years, many buildings were taken down or moved.
Even though the town changed, the Bryce Lodge No.142 of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Queensland still uses this hall today.
What the Lodge Looks Like
The Masonic Hall in Mount Perry is a single-story building made of timber. It has a rectangular shape. The sides and back of the building are now covered with a material called fibrous cement sheeting. The front of the building is at street level, but the back is raised on posts because the ground slopes downwards.
The roof is shaped like a gable (a triangular part of a wall at the end of a pitched roof). However, the front of the roof is hidden by a flat wall called a parapet. The front of the building looks like a classical temple, even though it's made of wood. It has a wide, triangular top part called a pediment. This pediment is supported by flat, column-like decorations on the corners called Tuscan pilasters.
Underneath the pediment, there are two double-hung windows. In the center, there is a main entrance porch. This porch also has a small pedimented roof and is supported by two round, freestanding columns.
In contrast to the fancy front, the sides and back walls are very plain. They are covered in the fibrous cement sheeting. There are three simple rectangular windows placed high up on both sides of the building, towards the back.
Why the Lodge is a Heritage Site
The Mount Perry Masonic Lodge was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it's considered an important historical place for several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed.
The Masonic Hall helps us understand how Mount Perry grew and how Freemasonry spread across Queensland as more people settled here.
- It shows what a typical building of its kind looks like.
The Mount Perry hall is a great example of a timber Masonic Hall in a country town. These types of buildings were often important parts of the streetscape and social life in many towns.
- It has special beauty and design.
People in the community value the building's look. It adds to the street's appearance and shows how prosperous (wealthy) Mount Perry was in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
- It has a special connection to a group important in Queensland's history.
The Masonic Hall in Mount Perry has a strong link to the Freemasons who lived in and around Mount Perry. It's also connected to the history of the Freemasonry movement in Queensland.
