401 East Main Street
The Masonic Temple Building - Lodge No. 26 A.F. & A.M. was instituted December 20, 1907 and chartered September 2, 1908.
The block in which the Temple building was located was called ‘Mooney Block’ because in August 1906, William Mooney patrolled the lots at 4th and Main with gun in hand to keep invaders from Lander from appropriating his lots. Ground was broken for the building of the Temple in July 1917, the building was opened March 1, 1919, and the Grand Lodge laid the cornerstone on March 23, 1918.
The entire top floor of the building was used as a lodge room, the second floor was divided into office suites, the ground floor housed the Farmers State Bank of Riverton, a post office department, and public corridors, and the basement held the Masonic Club Rooms, and the barber shop.
Tidbit:
- The lodge first met in a one room cabin below the hill on South Federal Avenue.
