On 1842 the 18th of September, permission for the founding of the Lodge in Lippstadt was granted by the National Mother Lodge Zu den drei Weltkugeln. The founders chose the name Zum Lebendigen Kreuz (literally "To the Living Cross"). The reasons for the name are not known, as the Gestapo later confiscated all relevant papers.

Founding Master of the Lodge was Friedrich Carl Freiherr von Schauroth (pictured on the left), whose house (pictured on the right) -  now known as the "Palais Schauroth" -   became the very first home of the Lodge . It is situated next to the  Dreifaltigkeits (Trinity)-Hospital and now houses a library.

Consecration was carried out on 22nd January 1843 by the Lodge Zum Hellen Licht ("To the Bright Light")  in Hamm. The membership register which can be enlarged (by clicking on the 4 left buttons) for 1947/48 contains

     

(many well-known names from Lippstadt. After a few years, the Lodge moved to the "Hotel Köppelmann" in Lange Straße. Master of the Lodge from 1846 to 1848 was  Ernst Wahlert (pictured on the right), who was headmaster of the Höhere Bürgerschule. In 1852 the Lodge descended into darkness. The reasons for this are unknown.
In 1855 under the auspices of the  Lodge Zur Bundeskette ("To the Union Chain") from  Soest a freemason´s union was founded in Lippstadt and resumed its work.
As early as 1933, all relevant documents about the freemasons in Lippstadt had been confiscated by the Gestapo. A small number reappeared after the reunion of West and East Germany and these are now the property of the Berlin Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz ( Prussian CultureTrust). A large Bijoux Collection (Bijou is the term for a Lodge Medallion or Jewel) was saved from the Gestapo, but was later lost through plundering in 1945. By the 16th January in  1934, all Lodges in Germany were forced to close.

After World War II a new warrant was presented by the Soest Lodge on 13th January 1951. The Lippstadt bank director Fritz Husmann (pictured on the right) became the Worshipful Master. The official consecration took place on 16th March 1952 in the Rococo Hall of Hotel Köppelmann in the presence of 71 brethren from different lodges throughout Westphalia. Our Lippstadt Lodge joined the Grand Lodge A.F.u.A.M..
By the 1st December 1952, a rental contract had been entered into to allow the Lodge to use the historic Metzgeramt (Butcher´s Guild Hall) here (pictured on the left). From January 1968 the Lodge had the complete renovated first floor for its exclusive usage.
This Metzgeramt in Lippstadt is the only one of its kind in Germany, having used its old rituals for the last 450 years since its foundation.

On 29th June 1974, a partnership agreement was signed with "Erasmus" Lodge in Brussels. The 25th anniversary of this was celebrated on 26th May 1999 with a gala festival in the Town Hall: in attendance were the Landrat (chief administrative officer) of the district of Soest and the Mayor of Lippstadt.

In 1992 the Lodge celebrated its 150th Jubilee. It started with an exhibition in the Town Museum entitled "The Brotherhood of Freemasons", which created great interest among the visitors and helped to reduce prejudice against freemasonry.
The Town of Lippstadt placed the Town Hall at the Lodge´s disposal for the celebration. Taking part there were the Dep. Grand Master VGLvD, Br. Kurt Schoof, the Grand Master of the GL A.F.u.A.M., Br. Gerhard Grossmann, the Grand Master of the GL BFG, Les Muise - an honorary member of our Lodge -  and the Provincal GM of North-Rhine-Westphalia. Also present were 135 brethren from 46 lodges from home and abroad. The visit of so many foreign guests was mainly due to the well known former Master of the Lodge, Otto Girke, who used to be the President of The International Freemasons League.

As a result of the 150th Jubilee, the charity "HUMANITAS" was founded. The well-known artist from Hamm, Bro. Otmar Alt, created a limited edition entitled An Acrobat in Lippstadt (left-hand picture -click it - or try "Virtuelle Loge"). This serigraphy was presented by the Lodge to the City. A further picture hangs in the Town Hall of Uden (Netherlands) the twin-town of Lippstadt. The charity "HUMANITAS" supports mainly charitable activities in the town of Lippstadt and the district of Soest, but also helps in national schemes such as Menschen für Menschen ("People for People") with Bro. Karlheinz Böhm, or the "Hammer Forum", where freemasons are engaged.

In 1994, with a heavy heart, the Lodge had to leave the Metzgeramt and find a new residence. The search for a suitable premises proved more difficult than anticipated. The Lodge had to move to a suburb of Lippstadt, Overhagen, where two brethren had bought a house for the purpose. The ground floor was  formerly a restaurant, the rooms of which, after months of hard restorative work, are now used solely by the Lodge. The upper rooms are rented out. After more than 30 years, we have not regretted the move here, quite the contrary, as anyone visiting us will confirm. Since 2010 the Lodge owns its rooms.

In June 2024 the Lodge in Lippstadt has 40 ordinary members and meets on Fridays.

(If you would like a tour of the rooms, please click on the front door)