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The Junior Order United American Mechanics, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia Webmaster

Berkeley Springs Council #117

The Junior Order United American Mechanics was founded in 1853 in Germantown, PA. the first meeting of this fraternal organization was held in the quaint Concord School which still exists today. The principles of the group were Virtue, Liberty and Patriotism. These basic principles are apropos in today's society making each member better men and women, truer citizens, stronger patriots and true believers in a Supreme Being, our Creator. Our code is one of fraternal brotherhood, our conscious is shaped by the laws of God, our conduct is governed by the laws of our nation, and our foundation is a love for both. As an organization, we promise to love one another, to help those in need, to pledge our true allegiance to our country and to emulate our belief in a Supreme Being.

Our Berkeley Springs Council #117 was chartered on December 8, 1894. At that time, there were 33 chartered members. Many of those original 33 surnames are still recognized in Berkeley Springs today; such as, W. H. Young, G. W. Biser, J. D. VanGoshen, W. T. Buser, W. R. and G. T. Yost, T. S., D. L., and C. L. Lutman, H. D. Miller, R. Hunter and J. W. Silvers are but a few of the 33 chartered members. Originally this group met in the building on Fairfax Street where the Masonic Lodge is now located. In 1946, the Juniors relocated to the Ambrose building located on North Washington Street (today the Smith Nadenbush Insurance Agency is housed there). In 1955, they started holding meetings in the Old Annex School and began looking for a site to build there own Lodge Hall. In 1959, they bought the property where the Lodge Hall is located today. The property was purchased for $401.75. Construction started on the building in 1959 and according to the memories of those members the first meeting was held in September 1959. In 1982, they added onto this new building.

Today our Council meets every Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Lodge Hall on Harrison Avenue. Initially the Junior Order members were men only. Family has always been important to the Juniors as has community projects, allegiance to our country and a belief in God. In 1999, the National Council voted to accept women as members and after State ratification of the constitutional changes, women started joining. In 2003, our Berkeley Springs Council #117 gave the degree of Virtue to the first women members. Today this Council has 212 members and is continuing to grow, ranging in age from 17 to 94.

They are an active group that is very mindful of their principles of Virture, Liberty and patriotism in today's ever changing society. They are interested in helping with many community projects whether it be for an individual, a family in need, a school project or some other community endeavor. The group starts their fundraising projects in January and continue these throughout the year. Working together to achieve the Council's goals makes it all worthwhile. The breakfasts, spaghetti dinners, ham sandwich sales all go to support donations to students, senior ceitizen programs, scholarships, the Christmas angel program and many other worthwhile programs. While working together to achieve these organizational and community goals each year, they have fun and enjoy the time spent with their second family.