OUR NAMESAKE

The petition of Daniel Clovis Moomaw was received by Mountain City Lodge No. 67 on August 5, 1912. He was elected to receive the Entered Apprentice Degree on September 2 and was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on November 4 of that year. Later he became Master of that Lodge but was killed in action in France during World War I. He was at that time a Professor at Washington & Lee University. In 1920, when the Commandery of Knights Templar was organized, it was in Clovis Moomaw’s name for whom it was dedicated. Moomaw Commandery is still active as a living memorial to Worshipful Moomaw.

FOUNDING LEADER

The principal advocate of the organization of Moomaw No. 27 was William A. Adair, one of the local Lodge’s stalwarts. He passed on September 27, 1945, with all appropriate resolutions to his memory adopted on November 5 of that year. He was the Commander both Under Dispensation and on the Charter.

CONNECTION TO LODGE BUILDING

Moomaw Commandery No. 27 and Rockbridge Chapter No. 44 co-existed in Lexington and the surrounding areas with Mountain City Lodge No. 67. On March 6, 1922, Mountain City Lodge appointed a committee, similar to what Rockbridge No. 44 and Moomaw No. 27 had established in order, “to look into the matter of procuring a Masonic Hall.” At this point, several attempts had been made by the local blue lodge to find a permanent home and it appears that the new York Rite brethren and bodies became necessary to the success of such an endeavor. These efforts resulted in the purchase of the “Robinson Building and the Harper and Agnor Lot adjoining the same.” This proposal was adopted unanimously by the Lodge on October 15, 1923, and ostensibly was consented or assented by Moomaw No. 27 and Rockbridge No. 44. This remains the home of Moomaw No. 27, to this day. Total cost of the Robinson building–$16,000. The Harper and Agnor Lot was acquired in 1925.

GRAND COMMANDERS

William Mosely Brown, of noted Masonic Fame, began his Grand Line journey as Grand Junior Deacon in February 1929. The Masonic bodies, including Moomaw Commandery No. 27, welcomed him with a homecoming thereafter, at which a large gathering of Brethren and their ladies were in attendance. He became Grand Master of Masons in February 1923. Additionally, he became Grand High Priest of Royal Arch Masons in Virginia in 1936. His other accolades and affiliations will be found in the Lodge history book.

In addition, and for our history purposes, Sir Knight William was the first of three Grand Commanders to come from Moomaw No. 27. He was an active member there, honorary member of Fredericksburg Commandery No. 1, Old Dominion Commandery No. 11, and Grice Commandery No. 16, all in Virginia. Also, he was an honorary member of the Grand Commanderies of Tennessee and North Dakota. He served as Grand Commander of Knights Templar in Virginia from 1935 to 1936.

Additional Grand Commanders from Moomaw Commandery were:

Moffett David Sensabaugh Sr. (1970-71)

Baldwin Gerard Locher Jr. (2000) Theme “Templar Unity Into Tomorrow”

Sir Knight Baldwin G. (Gerry) Locher, Jr. was born August 14, 1939, in Roanoke, Virginia, the son of the late Baldwin G. and Lawton Fox Locher, both of them setting a positive example of what a person should do throughout their life. He grew up near Glasgow, and now lives near Lexington. He is married to Elizabeth Aiken Locher, a native of North Carolina, and they have three children. After attending country schools and prep school, Gerry enlisted in the Marine Corps. Since 1959, he has worked in family-related businesses involving farming, real estate and mining.

Gerry is a member of Grace Episcopal Church, formerly R. E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church, and served as Lay Reader, Chalice, Lay Eucharistic Minister and Chairman of the Acolytes. He has been very involved with the Boy Scouts and served as Troop Committee Chairman Troop 29. Gerry is retired and has served as a member of the Committee for the Farm Service Agency, U. S. Department of Agriculture, as well as a member of the Executive Committee for 4-H. Among his other activities, he is a Past President of the Rockbridge Volunteer Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, and is also a Past Senior President of the Rockbridge Volunteer Chapter, Children of the American Revolution. An avid foxhunter and a Past President of the Rockbridge Hunt.

Brother Locher was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in Glasgow Lodge No. 233 in June 1961, and his son, Baldwin G. Locher III (Wynn), is a Master Mason and a member of both Glasgow Lodge No. 233 and Mountain City Lodge No. 67.

TODAY AND TOMORROW

Today, the Commandery membership has been rebuilding, beginning with bolstering our efforts at the Rockbridge Chapter No. 44 of Royal Arch Masons so as to have fertile ground for growth. Many of our Sir Knights are aging or are no longer with us. We miss all of them, such as Sir Knight Warren Schmid who ably chaired the Holy Land Pilgrimage for many years, who is unfortunately subdued with memory issues. However, young and old Sir Knights are committed to our future. in 2017 the Commandery voted to utilize the Cap and Mantle Uniform. In 2021, additional uniforms and swords are being priced to provide a full armory for all attending Sir Knights. Recently, one transfer petition and two new members were approved, and are slated to attend the September 15 Knightly Orders in Marion, with an additional Royal Arch member who has been in waiting.

We are proud to be associated in 5th Chivalric District with our Sir Knights from Stevenson No. 8 and Alleghany No. 23. Like many in the Commonwealth, “we couldn’t do it without them.” The friendships and education from their Sir Knights, Commanders, Recorders, and District Deputy Grand Commanders have been essential to our continued success and in this year’s (2021) Grand Commander’s Official Visit, we are each an equal participant and partner. Our several practices and organizational meetings this summer and fall were the basis for promoting the tenet of “FRATERNITY” established in that quarter by SK Peter Spring, Right Eminent Grand Commander. The District Deputy Grand Commander related FRATERNITY to the planning and execution of this Official Visit at each meeting and practice. Moomaw No. 27 now commits to opening in full form during each meeting, and when that is “commonplace” and well-known to our own Sir Knights, we’ll take the next steps in ritual education. While each member is already a Life Member of the Eye Foundation, and last year’s fundraising was up year over year, 2022 looks to be a year for further fundraising for all efforts.

We, like all bodies, continue to make sure we are offering a meaningful, differential, experience for Masons, based on Fraternity, Fidelity, Christianity, and Charity. As we continue our second hundred years, those remain the focus of the Sir Knights and we look forward to celebrating the Bicentennial with all.