Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

This week at the heritage museum we accessioned into our collection items from the Royal Purple lodge and the Order of the Eastern Star that used to be here in Wetaskiwin. The items belonged to Vivian Stansberry who lived in Wetaskiwin throughout the 40s while married to William Stansberry. The items accessioned includes a Royal purple coat, badge, pins, and hat. We also received Vivian’s life membership certificate with the club in 1958. We also received items from her time with the Order of which we accessioned her mason’s apron, some pins, and her certificate for joining in 1924. The Order of Royal Purple is the counter part to the Elks of Canada. Unlike in the United States, this group was officially recognized by the Canadian Elk group and the OORP became an integral part of the group. Wetaskiwin was lodge number 26, however the lodge has been discontinued since then and no longer exists.  The Order of the Eastern Star was established in 1850 by Rob Morris with the intention of brining female relatives of mason masters to obtain the knowledge and self-improvement that freemasonry made available to men. The chapter here in Alberta was established in 1912 and is still holding sessions today. The Order has over 500,000 members worldwide composed of both men and women. Discover more about Wetaskiwin’s rich heritage at our museum during our hours of operation.