The Masons, who had organized the area’s first Lodge in Eagleville in 1873, added a second story to the existing building and used it for their meeting hall for many decades.

A great number of Surprise Valley’s founding fathers were members of fraternal organizations such as the Masons; some social historians have speculated their isolation in the remote and sparsely settled region led to the rapid growth of groups such as the Masons, Oddfellows, Knights of Pythias and others that were once active in the valley.

When the Chases bought the building from the Masons in 1998, the windows were not only heavily draped and shuttered but boarded over with plywood. “It was pitch black inside!” remembers Bonnie. The ladies of the Eastern Star met in the downstairs room while the Masons held meetings in the space overhead. When they sold the building, they left several long, sturdy tables and green benches the Chases still use.

Today, the downstairs is a light-filled store where customers might not only shop for unique woven items and fiber art materials but where they can take lessons in knitting. Bonnie has a line of hand-dyed yarn she sells under the label Deep Creek Yarns. Warner Mountain Weavers also features local handcrafts such as pottery, jewelry, handmade knives, and a variety of soaps and lotions.

The shop has also become something of a meeting place and a center of information. “We feel good about sharing this historic old building with the community”, said Bonnie.