Rising Sun Lodge 29

Rising Sun Lodge 29 F. & A. M. is a Masonic Lodge located at 1 Walnut Street NE in Decatur, Alabama.
History
On Sunday, March 20, 1966, The Decatur Daily published a full page article entitled Masonic Lodge No. 29 Looks Back 139 Years from the Then... and NoW section authored by John Knox . The article has been transposed into an easily readable .pdf document (available on request to any reviewer).
The following information contains excerpts and summaries from this article as well as photos and links to books and other sources documenting the history of Rising Sun Lodge No. 29.
Chartered in 1827, Rising Sun Lodge #29 was organized in Decatur Alabama, with Brother William Francis Dancy as the first Worshipful Master. A Masonic Hall was built in 1834, the lower floor being used for church and school purposes.
Lawrence Slaughter Banks (1803-1881) is buried within the Decatur city limits in Rhodes Cemetery. He was Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge in 1860.
During the Civil War the Lodge was destroyed November 25, 1864 by United States troops. Prior to the early 1870’s, it is not known exactly where meetings were held. It has been discovered that meetings were held in several different places, most likely ranging from individual members homes, to other buildings as they became available. Records do reveal that sometime around 1873, however, a Lodge was built on the northwest corner of Bank Street and Pond Street, (Pond Street is now Wilson Street), and this is where regular meetings occurred until approximately 1878, when that building caught fire and burned to the ground.
After this original Lodge burned down, Rising Sun Lodge moved it’s location to a two-story building owned by Brother R. P. Baker, which was just down the block on the corner of Bank Street and Market Street. This building was closer to the river, and served as Rising Sun’s designated Lodge for several years. With the rapid growth of Decatur during this time, on June 28th, 1890, the Grand Lodge of Alabama issued a dispensation for another Lodge, naming it “New Decatur” Lodge #491. With this development, Rising Sun Lodge #29 moved into the J. T. Banks building (now called the McEntire Building) on the corner of Oak and Cain Streets.
By vote of the citizens, in 1916 New Decatur was renamed to Albany, respectively changing the Lodge name to Albany Lodge #491. The following year proved tragic, however, when Rising Sun’s building caught fire, and burned once again. From there, Rising Sun moved into the “Knights of Pythias” Building, which was located between Church and Wilson Streets on the west side of Bank Street.
The Keller Memorial Bridge, over the Tennessee River at Decatur, was inaugurated March 6, 1928, and the Masonic Temple, home of Albany Lodge #491, was host to a banquet for 300 that evening.
In 1934, Rising Sun moved to the Masonic Temple on Johnston Street. This building was owned by Albany Lodge #491. On May 3rd, 1935, Albany Lodge #491 and Rising Sun Lodge #29 were consolidated. Upon agreement, both Lodges were now one, fully chartered as the original Rising Sun Lodge #29.
Today the building, officially named "The Masonic Building" and located at 1 Walnut Street NE, is home of Rising Sun Lodge 29, Decatur York Rite Bodies and the Mizpah Chapter 19 and Mary Lou Dancy Chapter 320 of the Order of the Eastern Star .
It is the second largest lodge in Alabama in membership slightly behind Helion Lodge #1 just 20 miles away in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Alabama Lodge of Research has many informative articles and a very well documented history of Freemasonry in Alabama on their website.
The Grand Lodge of F. & A. M. of the State of Alabama has a wealth of information including the 1st Edition of their semi-annual newsletter "The Masonic Messenger" on their website
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Cotaco Opera House - Built in 1890 , the Cotaco Opera House was the first opera house constructed in the state of Alabama. The Opera House was built on a 100 by 140 foot site that ran south from Johnston Street and fronted on the east side of 1st Avenue. It was built by the Cotaco Opera House Company, which was incorporated on September 16, 1889. In later years, it became the Masonic Lodge, Masonic Theatre, the Payne Theatre and more. Located at 115 Johnston Street, SE in historic downtown Decatur, Alabama. Presently there are several tenants, among them Curry's Restaurant & Catering. It was placed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Riverboat with passengers at Lock "A" on the Tennessee River, 20 miles west of Decatur, Alabama. The passengers are on a trip sponsored by the Masonic Lodge on May 17, 1895. The photo is in the Digital Archives Collection of the Alabama Department of Archives And History.
1902-03 New Decatur Lodge #491 Officer Installation Ceremony at Lock "A" on the Tennessee River.
Rising Sun Lodge No. 29 is included in the list of Alabama lodges in 1858
Awards
As 1 of 18 nationwide recipients, Rising Sun Lodge 29 has been awarded the 2011 Masonic Service Association of North America's Mark Twain Award [http://www.msana.com/twainaward/downloads/mta%20logo-2012@300.pdf LOGO] for Masonic awareness in the lodge and in the community.

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