Keith Thompson (left), Richard McClure (middle) and David Lueth load up furniture from the Sidney Mason Lodge to take to a Masonic Temple in Gulf Port, Miss.


A Mississippi Masonic Temple lost everything when Hurricane Katrina devastated that area a year ago.

Sidney’s Nisnabotna AF&AM Lodge No. 153 had lots of furniture it has accumulated over the years just gathering dust.

The answer to both problems was a simple one.

Friday morning, in a steady drizzle, members of the Sidney Masonic Lodge loaded up some of the excess furniture in a rented U-Haul. Saturday a group drove the truck containing the furniture 1,000 miles to Rectitude Prince Hall Association No. 323, a F&AM Masonic Temple in Gulf Port, Miss.

“It was a great deal for both of us,” said David Lueth of the Sidney Masons.

“We came up with the idea and then got the total support of the Grand Mason of the State of Iowa. In fact, they have a charity fund and we were able to get some money to help pay for the cost of the U-Haul.”

The furniture the Sidney Lodge sent to Mississippi came from former lodges in Shenandoah, Farragut, Riverton, Hamburg, Thurman, Essex and Randolph.

Those lodges, over the years, have combined with the Sidney Lodge.

“Our lodge had to take all the other lodges furniture and fixtures, as well as those lodge’s debts, when we went together,” said Lueth.

Two members of the Mason Lodge, Paul Beeler and Keith Thompson, drove the U-Haul the entire way. Two other members, Lueth and Richard McClure, flew down Saturday to help out.

“We’re just glad we can do something for those folks,” said Lueth.