ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR

by Virginia Ericksen

Entry T44 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Mullen Masonic Temple O.E.S

       Winifred Chapter #292

On January 18, 1922, by request of the
Worthy Grand Patron, H.H. Andrews, of the
Grand Chapter O.E.S., of Calloway, NE, 10
petitioners met at Mullen for the purpose of
instituting an Eastern Star Chapter; there
were 3 petitioners unable to attend. He was
assisted by Assoc. Grand Conductress, Kath-
ryn Mann of Hyannis, acting as Marshal, and
other officers appointed from the Seneca and
Hyannis Chapters. Sarah V. Perkins took the
oath of office as Worthy Matron, Carl
Stickley as Worthy Patron and Chloe Pickett
as Associate Matron. Other petitioners were
appointed to fill the various stations and
Winifred Chapter (Under Dispensation) was
opened, meeting nights were set for the
second and fourth Thursdays of each month,
and a committee was appointed to draft the
Constitution and By-laws. Fourteen peti-
tions for membership were received and for
the benefit of this new Chapter, Jim Clary,
Worthy Patron of Sunshine Chapter of
Seneca initiated Nelson A. Drake into the
Order.

Winifred Chapter received its name in
memory of the daughter of the first Worthy
Matron. Winifred Perkins taught school at
Red Cloud, Minden and Omaha and graduat-
ed from Peru State Normal with a life
certificate in 1912 and was a member of the
faculty of this college from 1913 to 1917. She
graduated from the Univ. of Nebraska with
a B.A. degree in 1918. Feeling an urgent call
to serve her country in the time of the World
War I, she entered its service at Blackwell
Island City Hospital Training School in New
York City in September, 1918 to take nurses'
training. She died from acute influenza on
April 2, 1919 in this hospital.

By March 23, 1922, the By-laws were
presented and the first printing made in
August. Our Charter, dated May 10, 1922, is
signed by 32 members as follows: Clara F.
Adams, Pearl Burnett, Callona H. Dietrich,
Nelson A. Drake, Lincola S. Groat, Clara C.
Humphrey, Charles Jeffords, Nona L. Lay,
Eva D. Lowe, Marjorie I. McCully, Aura A.
Mehaffy, Watson B. Perkins, Chleo E. Pick-
ett, Myrtle M. Senk, Elsa Stickley, Amelia
Tschauder, Louisa Burnett, Alma Coble,
Anna L. Dutton, Verda O. Gruenig, Lucy
Jeffords Gibson, Mary Jeffords, Mary E.
Kudrna, Lillie C. Lowe, Mary A. Lowe,
Thomas L. McCully, Leslie M. Perkins,
Sarah V. Perkins, Paul A. Ritchey, S.A. Senk,
Carl Stickley and Althea Wigent. Winifred
Chapter #292 was constituted and the offi-
cers duly installed by Deputy Grand Officers
from Hyannis and Seneca Chapters June 13,
1922.

At the January 10, 1924 meeting, Clara
Humphrey announced she would like to see
an O.E.S. Kensington started and invited
members to her home January 23rd to talk
it over.

In the 1920's the meetings were held at the
Odd Fellows and Masonic Hall located over
the Citizens State Bank and Post Office. On
January 14, 1935, an agreement was made to
share expenses with Mullen Masonic Lodge
#282 and Mullen IOOF Lodge for the use of
the hall known as the J.E. Lowe Hall and
meetings had been changed in 1932 to the
first Thursday of each month. In June of 1967
we moved to the new Masonic Temple built
on the corner of 2nd and Lincoln Ave.

In May 1968 Lloyd Buchfinck honored our
Chapter by being installed Worthy Grand
Patron of the Order of Eastern Star of
Nebraska and in May 1987 Roberta Phipps
was elected Grand Conductress for Nebras-
ka's Grand Chapter. Several members of our
Chapter have served as Grand Representa-
tives, Grand Supervisors, and in various
other Grand Offices. We are proud of each
who were so honored.

Past Matrons and Past Patrons of this
Chapter are: Sarah Perkins, Carl Stickley,
Chloe Pickett, Clara Humphrey, Thomas L.
McCully, Althea Wigent, Aura Mahaffy, A.G.
Humphrey, Myrtle Senk, Erik P. Eriksen,
Mary Kudrna, John Kudrna, Eva Lowe, John
E. Lowe, Sr., Lillie Lowe, Leonard E. Eriksen,
Elvira Wood, Chester R. Johnson, Zoe Wie-
gardt, Mildred Rayfield, A.J. Gragg, Beryl
Cox, Lucy Gibson, Enore Blakely, Lelah
Barnebey, Laura Eriksen, Elsie Eivins, Mary
Lowe, Anna Folk, Theodore, Folk, Pearl
Harding, Mildred McDuffee, Myrtle Coates,
Marie Roseberry, John Lowe, Jr., Marguerite
Simonson, Eva Hager, Ross Hager, Mabel
Crain, Paul T. Roseberry, Jean Harding,
Bessie Zachry, Dalla McIntyre, Wilamene
Cox, Erik Ericksen, Arlene Jones, Laurence
Jones, Virginia L. Eriksen, Mabell Ericksen,
Bernice Crews, Vivian Miller, Percy Miller,
Ruth Barnebey, Charles Barnebey, Glenna
Buchfinck, Lloyd Buchfinck, Nellie Johns-
ton, Marjorie Dutton, Neal Dutton, Ida
Evans, Laura Simonson, Wm. E. Simonson,
Frances Munn, John Munn, Kathryn Sween-
ey, Virginia R. Ericksen, Wilbert Ericksen,
Ruth Anderson, Betty Lou Long, Joan
Saults, Joe Saults, Doris Coble, Harry Coble,
Roberta Phipps, Richard Phipps, Marlene
Jones, Iva McCully, Glenda Tuton, Gary
Tuton, Donna Kennedy, Cleve Kennedy,
Linda Tucker, Mildred L. Starr, Thomas L.
Starr, Nancy Beitel, and Carol Manchester.

Our Chapter supports the Masonic Eastern
Star Home for Children at Fremont, NE; The
Nebraska Masonic Home for the Elderly at
Plattsmouth, NE; scholarships for religious
training as well as loans for other students;
heart and cancer research; and the Knights
Templar Eye Foundation. Our members
strive to live the teachings of our great Order.