Western Crawford Lodge No. 258
Conneautville, PA


Western Crawford Lodge No. 258

Western Crawford Lodge No. 258 resides in Conneautville, PA, a rural farming community with a population of about 736. Located in Crawford County ‐ about 40 miles south of Erie ‐ the lodge has about 52 members.

Founded in 1852, the lodge is small, but mighty, said Brother Ryan Cottrell, Secretary, who along with Brother Douglas Carr, Worshipful Master, is working to grow membership back to what it was many years ago (about 100), when a lodge could survive on just dues alone.

"We're looking for men who are involved in the community, and men who we already know are of good standing in the community and deserve to be Masons," Ryan said.

The deaths of several senior members have impacted membership the most, said Ryan, 36. But with a bolstered social media presence and new efforts to boost visibility, that trajectory is starting to change.

"Even though we're small, we're getting new members on a regular basis and a lot of guys to fill the chairs," Ryan said. "We haven't merged with any other lodges. We've stayed on our own through the rough times. I think we're coming out of those times. I have two petitions for membership right now, and two more coming."

The lodge's Facebook page currently has more than 600 followers and 558 "likes." Ryan enjoys posting lodge news and personal achievements of members. For instance, four members will receive Grand Lodge awards this year, either Master Craftsman or Master Pillar. The lodge also hosts community fish fry dinners four times a year as a fundraiser, Doug said. This past March, they sold 230 pounds of fish and grossed about $3,800.

"This event gives us between $4,000 and $5,000 in revenue a year, which helps offset the lack of membership," he said.

Doug and his wife, Debbie, host a "trick or treat" night every Halloween at the lodge, where they hand out candy and toys to children. The event typically draws about 200 youth.

"In the past, we weren't getting members out to the fish fries and other events, and we were having trouble getting candidates to come in," Doug said. "I wondered if we were just spinning our wheels. Some of the
Western Crawford Lodge 258
senior members stepped up. We started calling members and asking them to help. Since that time, those people are still active. And we're getting younger members, too. Our Junior Warden's son is 18 and just joined. We're doing something right."

Some brothers from other lodges have become dual members of Lodge No. 258 because "when they visit, they feel a welcoming atmosphere and want to be a part of it," Doug said.

"People see that we take a lot of pride in our lodge and do good degree work," he said. "When people see that it's not all business ‐ that we're doing things in the community and getting together [to hang out] on our own, they want to be a part of it."

Ryan added: "We've gone back to what I call 'bare‐boned Freemasonry' ‐ we treat people the way we want to be treated. We encourage them to get involved, and we show them how. When you have active Past Masters and officers, it's easy to show the newer guys that it can be done. When we have a member who accomplishes something or becomes more knowledgeable, we recognize him at meetings or write something on Facebook about it. Everyone likes to be recognized."

As a youth, Ryan learned about Freemasonry from his uncle. He would ask about his Masonic ring and license plate. As he got older, Ryan worked in the service industry, fixing furnaces and doing plumbing for customers. That's where he met many of the brothers whom he serves with today.

"Other than marrying my wife and having kids, becoming a Freemason is the best decision I ever made," he said.

Long term, Ryan hopes to maintain a stable succession of officers and new members. Lodge No. 258 is one of six lodges in District 25, and all the lodges work together to help each other when necessary.

"When you're six hours away from Philadelphia, you can sometimes feel left out on an island, but the Grand Lodge doesa good job trying to support everybody," Doug said.

"If another lodge calls and asks us for help, we go," Ryan said. "If they need assistance with degree work or someone is learning the Masonic guidelines, we refer to one another and we network with each other. The more we educate ourselves, the better suited we are to approach potential candidates and answer their questions confidently. Then, they see that we're organized, and they want to be part of that."

Brothers like Ryan, who are young and enthusiastic, are great leaders for the fraternity, Doug said. "He has been Worshipful Master four times and has now taken over as Secretary," he said. "Being a first time Worshipful Master, he really helps me out."

Doug and his father, a 60-year Mason, live in Titusville, which has its own lodge, but choose to travel an hour to
Western Crawford Lodge 258
Lodge No. 258 in Conneautville, where they are members. In addition, his son, Billy, a third generation Mason, drives 90 minutes from Pittsburgh for lodge meetings.

"My dad grew up there [in Conneautville], and I petitioned the lodge," he said. "We are not members of the Titusville lodge, but we do attend meetings often. Although Titusville is my true home, Conneautville feels that way, too.

"When joining the fraternity 20 years ago, there was never a question as to where I wanted to join. It's a great way to spend time with my dad. We've had many great conversations in our travels, and we hope to have many more."