In 1843, President Tyler deeded this property to Livingston County. In 1857, the First Christian Church bought the lot for $40.00 and built a small church for $2,000.00 that was also used by the Baptist Church. In 1894, Lone Star Chapter #30 of the Masonic Lodge purchased the property for $1,600.00, and in 1895 the Masonic Temple Association began construction of a three story building under a contract with Richard's [sic] and Atwell for $11,975.00; the building was completed in 1896. In 1931, the first floor was converted into the Ritz Theatre and served as a motion picture theatre until the 1960's. In 1996, the Watt Mizer Distributing Co. formed a group to buy the property and donated it to the City of Chillicothe, Mo. In 1997, the City of Chillicothe created a park on the site.
