Appalachian History Series
What it is
On the east side of Main Street in Wheelwright, Kentucky, the Wheelwright Masonic Lodge building rises in brick with a pedimented doorway, a semicircular window above the entrance, and brick quoins at the corners. The structure was designed by architect Leland Becker and dates to 1942. It is a contributing resource inside the Wheelwright Commercial District, whose federal nomination describes the lodge’s classical facade and places it among sixteen buildings that formed the planned commercial heart of this coal camp.
A company town planned in brick
The National Register nomination calls Wheelwright “the largest, most intact” coal camp in Floyd County and one of the few unaltered examples in the region. It emphasizes how company planning gave Main Street a consistent brick vocabulary with classical detailing, which in turn reflected the tight planning typical of early twentieth century coal towns. The district’s continuation sheets list the buildings on each side of Main Street, with the Masonic Lodge noted as item 9 on the east side.
Wheelwright’s story follows the arc of Appalachian industrialization. Elkhorn Coal established the camp in 1916. Inland Steel purchased the operation in 1930, paved streets, installed utilities, and modernized the town. The Kentucky Housing Corporation later acquired much of the town in 1979 amid changing ownership and declining coal markets.
The lodge in its streetscape
The nomination records the lodge’s exact setting: “located behind the Senior Citizens center,” within the commercial core. The district’s verbal boundary expressly “encompass[es] the Masonic Lodge Building,” which confirms that the lodge sits inside the protected historic area.
Contemporary and mid-century visuals help place the lodge on the ground. Russell Lee’s 1946 photographs document Main Street and daily life in Wheelwright during the very period the lodge stood new, providing first-hand visual context for the commercial block where the lodge is located. A present-day photo of the Wheelwright Masonic Lodge on Wikimedia shows the building at Hall Hollow Road and Main Street, and notes its inclusion in the National Register district.
A living fraternal hall
The lodge hall speaks to more than architecture. It represents the civic life that paralleled the coal economy. Local newspapers carried lodge notices and references across decades, evidence that Wheelwright Lodge No. 889 remained active in its community. For example, Floyd County Times issues from the 1950s and later include regular Wheelwright Lodge announcements and mentions.
The Grand Lodge of Kentucky’s published Masonic Home Journal likewise lists Wheelwright Lodge No. 889 with its meeting schedule and address, showing continuity into the twenty-first century. Recent issues (2013 to 2024) record meetings at 65 Shop Fork Road on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., with changing officers over the years.
Why it matters
Wheelwright’s commercial core shows how a company town balanced work and community. The lodge building is a tangible marker of fraternal life, social networks, and mutual aid that helped sustain families in a remote coal camp. Its classical vocabulary aligns with the district’s broader design language, and its 1942 construction date ties it to Inland Steel’s modernization of the town. Together, the district and the lodge capture how planning, architecture, and civic institutions intersected in Appalachian coal country.
National recognition
The Wheelwright Commercial District is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places with Ref. No. 80001527 and a listing date of November 19, 1980. Federal and state indices confirm the entry and place it on Main Street, Wheelwright, Floyd County, with classical and colonial revival influences noted for the district as a whole.
Sources and further reading
National Register of Historic Places nomination, Wheelwright Commercial District (continuation sheets for Items 7 and 10 include the lodge description and district boundary). National Park Service. NPGallery
National Register single-property index, Kentucky: entry for Wheelwright Commercial District, Ref. 80001527, listed Nov. 19, 1980, Main Street, Wheelwright, Floyd County. National Park Service. Amazon Web Services, Inc.
Russell Lee, 245-MS series: “Main street of Wheelwright, Kentucky …” Sept. 26, 1946. National Archives. Context for 1940s Main Street and commercial core. Wikimedia Commons
Floyd County Times: multiple contemporaneous references to Wheelwright Lodge No. 889, F. & A.M. (meeting notices, obituaries, community items), e.g., 1952 and 1954 issues and later decades. Fayette County Public Library+2Fayette County Public Library+2
Masonic Home Journal (Grand Lodge of Kentucky): recurring listings for Wheelwright Lodge No. 889, including address and meeting times, 2013 to 2024. grandlodgeofkentucky.org+2grandlodgeofkentucky.org+2
ArchiveGrid/OCLC: Russell Lee: Wheelwright, KY Photographic Collection (University of Kentucky Special Collections). Collection summary confirming 65 photographs from the mid-1940s. OCLC
Wikimedia Commons: present-day image, Wheelwright Masonic Lodge building, at Hall Hollow Road and Main Street, noting inclusion in the NRHP district. Wikimedia Commons
https://doi.org/10.59350/mdp2n-ezk56
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