A Storied Past
Military Township No. 14 — Tully — is divided into 100 lots of approximately 600 acres each as bounty land for Revolutionary War soldiers. The land that will one day hold 13 State Street sits on Lot No. 39.
FoundationHenry F. King arrives in the Village of Tully from Suffield, Connecticut, during a period of rapid settlement in the former Military Tract lands of central New York. He would become one of the village's most prominent citizens, serving as postmaster for over thirty years and as town supervisor in 1831–33 and again in 1838.
ArrivalThe building at what is now 13 State Street is constructed as the private residence of Henry F. King & Mary King on Lot No. 39 in the Village of Tully. It would serve as the King family home for nearly a century.
ConstructionHenry F. King plants a row of sugar maple trees in front of his residence, carrying them from the woods on his back ; a detail recorded in the published town history that confirms the home was already well-established by this date.
HomesteadThe home serves as the King family residence through three decades of village growth. Henry King raises eleven children with his wife Mary E. King. He serves as postmaster, town supervisor, and a prominent citizen of the community. The surrounding lots are bordered by neighboring houses of other King families.
FamilyHenry F. King writes his last will and testament in a fine copperplate hand; a fragile two-page document that survives to this day. It names his wife, all nine children, and details his property holdings, including bequests of thousands of dollars, household goods, and a gold watch valued at $125 left to his son Lucius "as a keepsake from his father."
Primary SourceHenry F. King passes away, marking the end of the building's founding era. The property passes to his family. His son Ellis V. King becomes the long-term occupant, and the home becomes known locally as the "Ellis V. King residence."
☽ PassingEllis Vial King, Henry's son, went on to serve as Tully's town supervisor. By this point, the home had become firmly identified as the Ellis V. King residence. His brother Horace K. King would later follow in the role during 1870–71, carrying the family's civic legacy well into the post-Civil War era.
Civic LifeDr. George Washington Earle, age 24, begins practicing medicine in Tully. Born in Truxton, working on Wisconsin farms by age twelve, he graduated Buffalo Medical College in 1872 with a diploma presented personally by former President Millard Fillmore. He would practice in Tully for fifteen years, and one day change the destiny of 13 State Street. Arrival
Dr. Earle serves as Tully town supervisor and coroner's physician. He marries Emmy Meyer, daughter of a leading Northwestern lumberman, and through his father-in-law becomes involved in the Wisconsin Land & Lumber Company at Hermansville, Michigan, where he would make his fortune. He departs Tully but never forgets it.
DepartureEllis V. King's estate is administered by the Trust & Deposit Company of Onondaga in Syracuse. After nearly a century of King family ownership, the building at 13 State Street is offered at public auction, closing the long, founding chapter of the property's history.
TransitionOn January 11, 1912, a group of brethren meet in the Odd Fellows Hall in the Tully Hose House to form a Masonic lodge. The Grand Lodge of New York grants Charter No. 896 on May 8, 1912. Frank A. Rathburn serves as first Worshipful Master, with James M. Slayton as Secretary, a man who would prove instrumental in the building's next chapter.
⊡ CharterThe Lodge votes to move to the Solvay Process Company store house on Onondaga Street. $1,200 is subscribed for new furnishings. The dedication on September 28, 1916, draws 250 brethren. The Lodge pays $150 per year in rent, a temporary arrangement, though no one yet knows what is coming.
⊡ Lodge LifeFrom Hermansville, Michigan, Dr. George W. Earle reads in the Tully Times that the Ellis V. King homestead is for sale. On August 5, he writes to Dr. W.H. Dwinelle proposing to buy the property and give it to the Lodge as a memorial. Four days later, he writes directly to J.M. Slayton:
The Lodge votes unanimously to accept. Dr. Earle rejects an alternative hotel property (likely Slayton Square), calling the King homestead "an ideal spot" , favoring its quiet dignity over commercialism.
The OfferDr. Earle sends his check for $5,200 to the Trust & Deposit Company on October 11, noting the deed is dated on his birthday, October 9. He drafts the deed language himself, including the designation "Dr. G.W. Earle Memorial" and a reversionary clause stipulating that if the property ever ceases Masonic use, title shall vest in the Village of Tully for public purposes. On November 16, he sends the complete package by registered mail to Slayton.
Deed & CovenantDr. Earle receives sketches of the King house from Bro. A.H. Trussell and begins planning the major addition. He notes the building is "fortunately located being practically east and west", important for proper Masonic lodge room orientation. In a touching aside, he writes:
He is elected honorary member of Tully Lodge No. 896.
DesignIn his correspondence, Earle thanks Slayton for mailing him an old slate that once hung on his office door during his years of medical practice in Tully:
The return of veterans from World War I triggers an extraordinary membership surge. Thirteen new members are initiated in September and October alone at $35 each, swelling the Lodge treasury from $46 to over $270. On November 11, 1919, Armistice Day, one year after the war's end, two railroad cars of lumber arrive from Earle's Wisconsin Land & Lumber Company, valued at approximately $5,000. Construction of the addition begins.
⊡ ConstructionThe formal dedication of the Dr. G.W. Earle Memorial Masonic Temple takes place on a Wednesday evening. Past Grand Master William S. Farmer conducts the ceremonies under special dispensation from the Grand Lodge of New York. Lieutenant Governor Harry C. Walker delivers the principal address. Dr. Earle travels from Michigan and presents the Lodge with his check for approximately $14,000 to cover the entire building addition, bringing the total gift to approximately $20,000.
The new lodge room measures 40 by 30 feet, with Colonial windows, walls tinted in light tan with sloped ceilings to fifteen feet, brass-chained lighting with Masonic emblems, and oak settees upholstered in leather. The first floor features a Colonial stairway in mahogany finish, a 16-by-31-foot dining room, a fully equipped kitchen, and an auditorium. The Lodge occupies its new home free of all debt.
DedicationMrs. Florence Hall of Syracuse furnishes a 17-by-24-foot memorial room in honor of her husband, Dr. Earle's boyhood friend. The room contains mission furniture, a portrait of Mr. Hall, personal mementoes including a silver cup presented to him as Eminent Grand Commander, and a four-volume history of Masonry. Mrs. Hall provides $1,000 in her will for perpetual maintenance of the room.
MemorialDr. George W. Earle dies at Hermansville, Michigan, at the age of seventy-four. On October 14, 1923, Tully Lodge No. 896 is called to attend the funeral of their benefactor. The obituary confirms: "In 1920, Dr. Earle bought the former Ellis V. King residence at Tully and gave it to Tully Lodge, No. 896, F. and A.M., for a Masonic temple." He was building a mausoleum in Homer cemetery at the time of his death.
☽ PassingWhen the Tully school building is destroyed by fire in 1929, the Lodge opens its doors to the community, serving as a temporary elementary school while a new brick school is constructed. The building proves its worth as more than a lodge: it is a civic lifeline.
CommunityThe building serves as a temporary location for the Tully Free Library, reinforcing its role as a civic and community institution. In January 1938, the Past Masters Club is formed, with all living Past Masters present except one.
Civic LifeFor over four decades, the Masonic Temple serves as the beating heart of Tully village life, hosting meetings, dinners, charitable work, social gatherings, and community events. The building is never just a lodge; it is a gathering place for the entire community.
⊡ GatheringMasonic services are held for W. Ralph H. Wheeler, the last surviving Charter member of Tully Lodge No. 896. With his passing, the living link to the Lodge's 1912 founding is severed, though the institution he helped create endures.
LegacyDuring a Masonic meeting, member Roy E. Kruse passes away of natural causes inside the building, as documented by eyewitness accounts from those present. It is the only official recorded death within the walls of 13 State Street, a fact that would take on new significance in the building's later chapter.
☽ Documented DeathTully Lodge No. 896 remains active through the decades. The building continues to serve as both a working Masonic lodge and a public event space, hosting gatherings, functions, charitable efforts, and community events, fulfilling Dr. Earle's original vision of a permanent home.
⊡ ContinuityToday, the building stands as both the historic home of Tully Lodge No. 896 F.&A.M. and the Haunted Tully Lodge Experience. Over two hundred years of continuous use as a family home, a civic space, a school, a library, a gathering hall, and a Masonic temple have soaked into every beam and floorboard.
The question is no longer whether this building holds history.
The question is whether the history holds something more.