Lila B. Graser Chapter No. 159,
Order of the Eastern Star – Sussex
The principle fraternal organization for women in Sussex-Lisbon was the Sussex Order of the Eastern Star, an auxiliary of the local Masonic lodge. The Eastern Star was organized in Sussex in 1906. A “Worthy Matron” (leader) was chosen each year thereafter. Each succeeding Worthy Matron had to go through a series of steps to attain the sole leadership role. Normally the Worthy Matron served only one year, but in Sussex because of limited population, thus limited Star membership, the leadership role was conferred on the same person several times. At the 25th anniversary of the Order’s founding (1931), a portrait picture was taken of all the past Worthy Matrons of the Order of the Eastern Star. They were not only leaders of their club but also leaders in the Sussex area as well.
Left to right: with terms of office following their names are, front row; Nettie Howard – 1918, ’19, ’20 and ’21; Ella Campbell – ’06,’07 and ’08; Elizabeth (Libby) Harris – ’12, ’13 and ’14; Emily Evert – ’22 and ’23; Shirley Morgan – ’27; Second row; Meta Lingelbach – ’25 and ’26; Mary Stier – ’09, ’10, ’11 and ’15; Elma Munz – ’30 and ’31; Elsie Busse – ’24; Adella Evert – ’16 and ’17; Pearl Boots – ’29; and Alice Kraemer – ’28. Source: Fred H. Keller, Sussex Sun, Tuesday, March 29, 1977
Sussex women Masons celebrate 100th year
by Fred H. Keller, Sussex Sun Staff Writer
March 31, 2006
Friends, family, former members and 128 members showed up March 4 at Sussex Methodist Church to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Sussex Lila B. Graser Chapter 159 of the Order of the Eastern Star, the women’s branch of the Masons.
Sussex Village President Michael Knapp presented a framed village proclamation to the chapter’s namesake, Lila Busse Graser, who traveled from her retirement home in The Arboretum in Menomonee Falls for the centennial celebration of the club she has been a member of for 77 years.
The Lila B. Graser Chapter began its second century with 57 members.
Its first century began in September 1905, when nine Sussex area friends—Catherine Buck, Ella Campbell, Lulu Buck Gauthier, Helen Jones, Ida Small, Mary Stier, Jane Worthington, Richard Jones and John R. Small—went to Menomonee Falls in a one- horse shay to be initiated into Menomonee Falls Aurora Chapter 84 of the Order of the Eastern Star, and to look into starting a Sussex chapter.
The Aurora Chapter paid the $7 for the livery service. Mary Rowell and C.F. Henrizi were then the chapter’s worthy matron and patron. The grand officers who helped initiate the Sussex chapter in the ensuing months were Emily Evert, Dodelia Davidson, Ada Grogan, Elizabeth Harris, Mary Harland and Don Campbell.
The Sussex chapter charter was granted Feb. 21, 1906, for $20. The group charged $3 for initiation and $1 yearly dues.
Chapter 159 grew rapidly in its first years. It met in the upstairs hall over the Gauthier and Buck store, later Lees General Store (where the Piggly Wiggly Store on Main Street is today). The old building burned down in 1966.
The group raised money for supplies and equipment, including star chairs purchased at the local Malsch Furniture Store for 50 cents each. Each star-point officer painted a chair the color of her station.
During the World War I years, 1914-19, 36 people were initiated into the chapter.
The Ashlar Lodge built the current Sussex Masonic Temple in 1922 at a cost of about $9,200, with members donating much of the material and manpower. Emily Evert and Michigan Elliott were the first worthy matron and patron to serve as leaders of the Sussex Eastern Star chapter in the new building.
The group’s growth slowed considerably during the 1920s and ’30s, but it continued to stage entertainment after its meetings, which included card playing and dancing in the dining hall.
Members and visitors swung to polkas, the fox trot and waltzes. The chapter also staged local talent plays, such as “The Path Across the Hill,” “A Wild Flower of the Hills” and “The Wild Oats Boys,” charging 25 cents for admission.
Some other productions were a Lawrence Welk show in 1956, a hat parade in 1958, a Jack Parr show in 1961, School Days in 1964, Blue Buzzard Revue in 1965 and Sussexville Bringling Sisters Circus in 1966. Many of those shows were taken on the road to other chapters.
During World War II, the chapter sent boxes and gifts to those from the local Sussex-Lisbon area serving in the armed forces.
The Past Matrons Club was organized in February 1935 at Cora Wendt’s home, with 12 members present. The 97-year-old Lila Busse Graser, the chapter’s namesake, is the only member of that original group alive today.
Graser is a 77- year member of the Order of the Eastern Star in Sussex. In September 1957, she was installed as Grand Marshall of the Grand Chapter of Wisconsin. As the Sussex chapter’s first grand officer, it voted in 1961 to rename the local chapter in her honor.
From 1921 to 1974, new officers of the men’s Ashlar Lodge and the women’s Sussex Eastern Star were installed jointly. That changed after 1974 because of a change in the fiscal year by the men.
During that era, it was customary to have an annual bountiful oyster stew, made in a large copper wash boiler and served by the men. (For those who didn’t like oyster stew, sandwiches were also offered.)
Since 1980 there has been more involvement between the men’s and women’s branches of the Masons in Sussex.
The local chapter had its second state officer when Joy Zastrow-Mulcahy was elected grand marshal of the Grand Chapter in 1988.
As the 1990s began, the Ashlar Lodge and Eastern Star sponsored a joint baked potato booth at Sussex Lions Daze, becoming the two groups’ main fundraiser.
That booth has become something of a tradition now in the community as customers say, “We wait all year for one of your baked potatoes.”
The Sussex Eastern Star then went on to participate at Falls Fest in Menomonee Falls, as well.
A look at the historic Sussex Order of the Eastern Star
Posted: March 15, 2011,Living Sussex Sun
The photo that accompanies this feature was taken around 1931 when the Sussex Order of the Eastern Star was celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The club started as an offshoot of the Sussex Ashlar Masonic Lodge which traces its origin back to a charter meeting on June 10, 1874. While the Ashlar Lodge of Sussex was for men the Order of the Eastern Star was for women that were usually wives of Ashlar Lodge members.
Catherine Buck, Lula Gauthier, Ella Campbell, Helen and Richard Jones, Ida and John Small, Mary Stier and Jane Worthington made a horse and buggy trip from Sussex to attend as guests to the Menomonee Falls Order of the Eastern Star Aurora No. 84 meeting and inquire how the Sussex-Lisbon group could start an Eastern Star chapter in Sussex-Templeton and Lisbon.
The group later organized and held their charter meeting on Feb. 2, 1906. Ella Campbell served as its leader or Worthy Mason, Lula Gauthier as Conductress, Helen Jones as Associated Conductress, Richard Jones as the Worthy Patron and Jane Worthington as Associate Matron. The cost of the charter was $20, initiation fees were $3 and dues were $1 per year.
The Order of the Eastern Star is a social, fraternal and quasi-religious organization. When the Sussex chapter was formed it served as a social outlet for area residents.
The first meeting was held in the Sussex George Lees General Store’s loft which was located where the Piggly Wiggly is today.
After 1922, the Sussex Eastern Star met in the new Sussex Masonic Hall which still stands today on Main Street across from the 1937-built Lannon Stone Community Hall.
In September of 1957, Lila Busse Glaser of Sussex was installed as Grand Martha of the Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star of Wisconsin. She was the first Sussex chapter member to serve as a state grand officer. In appreciation and as an honor, on May 10, 1961, the name of the Sussex Order of the Eastern Star was changed to Lila B. Glaser Chapter No. 159 Order of the Eastern Star.
This photo was donated to the Sussex Lisbon Area Historical Society recently by Janet Bigus and Elaine Sherba (need Podolske). The photo was taken at the Chapman Studio in Hartland and pictured are the leaders of the Sussex Eastern Star from its inception to the 25th anniversary. Some pictured include: Nettie Howard who was a teacher at Sussex Main Street School. She was born Annette White in Brookfield and married Lisbon farmer Leo Howard from a Lisbon pioneer family.
Ella Campbell who was the wife of a local black smith who ran the Sussex Post Office. She later became the Sussex Postmaster serving from 1915-19.
Shirley Morgan was the wife of Ray Morgan and the step-grandmother of the photo’s donors Janet and Elaine Podolske. She ran a rooming house while her husband was the depot agent for the North Western Railroad from 1916-33. The depot was up on Maple Avenue and today it has been moved to downtown Sussex and serves as the Sussex Lisbon Area Historical Society’s museum.
Mary Stier was a granddaughter of pioneer Jeremiah Smith and is also related to Melinda Weaver the first woman settler in Lisbon. She married Fred Stier who can trace his family roots to Eisenhower and General Joe Warren who died as a general officer at the Battle of Bunker Hill. They had four sons. Their second son, Roy Stier, served as Fire Chief and Sussex Village President and was a founding member of the Sussex Lions Club.
Elsie Busse was the mother of Lila Busse Glaser, which the Sussex Eastern Star is now named after. Elsie and Charles Busse ran a butcher shop in Templeton for more than 50 years and Charles also served as Sussex Village President and as a representative on Waukesha County Board of Supervisors.
Pearl Boots was a Sussex teacher and later the postmaster of Sussex from 1926-34 and then again from 1940-54.
Alice Kramer became the owner of the Sussex Malsch Furniture store after her father died and left it to her.
Aug 23 at 8:53AM]]>
Hi Mike,
I did not forget about you, but Im finding it difficult to sit down and begin writing down my thoughts and memories of my involvement with Eastern Star.
Instead, I digitized the printed program from the 100th anniversary of the chapter, celebrated back in 2006, and am sending it along here. There is a lot of historical information in this booklet, so I hope this will be a good start to your gleanings. Perhaps more specific, personal recollections can spring from this summarization.
OK, one reflection that comes to my mind is about Ruth Lembke. As new members of the Chapter back in 1975, I can recall sitting on the sidelines with Sister Ruth that spring, getting to know her and discovering our commonalities: she had attended college in the same buildings I was then attending, at UWM; she was a licensed private pilot for which I was taking lessons to become; we were both new to the Chapter and eager to become officers the following term. Ruths first office in our Chapter was Chaplain. She then set her sights on becoming part of, as she put it, that elite group known as the Past Matrons club. And so she started into the line as Conductress and progressed to Associate Matron before becoming Worthy Matron in 1978-79.
The Past Matrons club was a very fun, social group!! During my years of involvement (and just prior) the ladies would go on an annual get-away weekend to some up-north location, e.g. Wabeno, Minocqua, Door County, and have a helluva good time! J
Joy Kuenzi, Past Matron
Lila B. Graser Chapter #159
Colgate, WI
Order of Eastern Star
