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HISTORY'
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HISTORY
OF THE
GRAND LODGE
AND OF
FREEMASONRY
IN THE
District of Columbia
WITH
BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.
COMPUTED BY
W. BRO. KENTON N. HARPER,
NAVAL LODGE, NO. 4.
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE GRAND LODGE.
Washington, D. C.
R. beresford, printer.
1911.
Copyright, 1911
BY
KENTON N. HARPER.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION.
At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge, F. A. A. M., of the District of Columbia, held December 15, 1909, the undersigned Special Committee were authorized and directed to proceed with the publication of a Histor}^ of the Grand Lodge and of Freemasonry in the District of Columbia, prepared b}^ W. Bro. Kenton N. Harper, a Past Master of Naval Lodge, No. 4, this jurisdiction, and the Historian of the Grand Lodge especially designated and appointed for the purpose.
The Committee have had careful supervision over the subject matter of this History and in connection with the Historian have defined the scope and arrangement of the work.
The work, it seems to the Committee, is as complete a history of Free- masonry in the District of Columbia as it is possible to prepare from obtainable data, containing as it does all available facts of general import- ance and interest concerning the Fraternity, covering the period from long prior to the formation of the Grand Lodge in eighteen hundred and eleven to the year of its one hundredth anniversary.
The Committee have been mindful of the difficulties and embarrassments which the Historian has encountered in his work and have been more than gratified at the successful and pleasing outcome of his labors. Brother Harper has been painstaking and thorough in his quest for material and has gotten together a wealth of historical matter of incalculable value to students of our Masonic life and history, and interesting and instructive as well to even the casual reader by the skillful grouping and scholarly presentation of the rich fund of information he has succeeded in bringing together.
He has exercised good judgment in the selection of his material and accepted only such data as was of unquestioned authenticity and reliability.
That the Historian has well and faithfully performed the important and onerous duty assigned him the succeeding pages of this volume amply testify, and this chronicle of the life and activities of Freemasonry in our jurisdiction for more than a hundred years will ever stand as a lasting monument to Brother Harper's zeal, ability, and indefatigable industry.
LURTIN R. GiNN,
George E. Corson, Arvine W. Johnston,
Committee.
FOREWORD.
'■'■I look on that man a^ happy who when there is a question of success looks into his work for a reply, 7iot into the market, not into opinion, not into patronage.''' — Emerson.
hi presenti7ig the '•'•History of the Grand Lodge and of Freemasonry in the District of Coltmibia'''' the author., con- ceiving that a brief review of the several previous movements in this direction cannot fail to prove of interest^ not only as indicating in some degree the difjiculties of such an under- taking., but also as detnonstrating the importance the jnatter has always assumed in the minds of the leaders of our local Craft., premises his iiitroduction with the following historical facts :
As early as 18^'j Grand Master Whiting having recom- mended that a history be prepared " to rescue from the past the material facts and incidents connected with the introduc- tion., progress., and vicissitudes of Masonry within the District of Columbia^'' a committee to examine ijito and report upon the expediency of such an undertaking was appointed., consisting of Past Grand Master French^ D. G. Master Page., and Brother Rheese. This committee^ exceptionally well qualified^ reported in i8j8^ heartily favoring the project., and after touching upon the fact that there is in this section a Masofiic history anterior to the formation of the Grand Lodge., says : '•'•A history., to be co7nplete and one creditable to this Grand body., should contain all the action., of whatsoever nature., with which the Grand Lodge has had atty connection since its organization., and it can only be written after much investigation and much refectioji., and it will require inuch time and labor. "^"^
In spite of the fact that the committee urged the matter
VI HISTORY OF IfREEMASONRY
with great force it was lost sight of in the press of other 77iatters^ and was not revived until i8yi when Grand Master Stansbury^ in his annual address^ ijifluenced unquestio7iably not only by the palpable desirability of such a work^ but also by the repeated and insistent demands from other jurisdictions for light upon our local history^ ifivited consideration of the subject^ but no notice being takefz thereof he again^ in iSy^^ earnestly renewed his recom7nendatio7t^ sayings in part : '"''Every year''s delay will make the recovery of the details of the early history of our lodges 7?iore and more difficult.''''
Thus aroused the Grand Lodge authorized the Grand Master to appoint an Historian., directed the secretaries of subordinate lodges to afford him every facility for the collection of facts from their records^ and otherivise evinced its active interest in the project. In pursuance of the order the Grand Master at once appointed the late Brother Wm. R. Singleton^ for many years Grand Secretary.^ a7id a Maso7iic writer of world-wide reputatio7i^ who i77imediately set to work with his characteristic e7ithusiasm a7id thorougJuiess.^ and i7i a co77i- paratively short ti77ie reported that he had his 77ia7iuscript i7i shape for publicatio7i., but it is a 7natter of lasti7ig regret that the scarcity of Gra7id Lodge fu7ids duri7ig this period not 07ily prevented tJie pri7iting of this u7idoubtedly valuable historical work by that body., but led to the practical rejectio7i of a7i offer by Brother Siiigleto7i to assu7ne the greater part of the ex- pense a7id a lukewar77i attitude toward his later proposition to publish by subscriptio7t. The report of the Historian e77ibodyi7ig this latter idea zvas prese7ited ijt iSyg a7id co7i- tai7ied a prospectus of the proposed History., and the whole matter being thereup07i referred to a special co77tmittee., of which P. G. Master Sta7isbury was chair7}ia)t., that co77i77iittee the followi7ig year reported that the first seven chapters covered the pla7i co7itemplated by the Gra7id Lodge., but the remaitiing eight chapters '■''deal with degrees., orders a7id 7Htes of which this Grand Lodge as a body ca7i have 710 k7ioiv- ledge^'' a7id recof7i77ie7ided the publicatio7i of the first seve7i chapters by the Grand Lodge ^^as soo7i as the co7iditio7i of the
IN THE DISTRICT OE COLUMBIA Vll
treasury will perinit^'''' with the authority to include the rest of the matter within the same cover ^ provided it could be done zvithout expense to the Grand Lodge.
With the adoption of this discouraging resolution the chance of richly benefiti^ig by the many weary hours of imselfish toil given to the task by one so eminently fitted passed from the Grajid Lodge^ the most diligent search amofig the papers of the deceased Brother failing to bring to light the missing manuscript with the exception of a few sheets which.^ according to an introductory 7nemorandum^ were rewritten upon the discovery that a portion of the original draft had disappeared.
The approaching Centennial celebration of the birth of the Grand Lodge impressing the then Grand Master^ Lurtin R. Ginn^ with the desirability of having prepared ''''an accurate a7td comprehensive history of the Grand Lodge and of Free- masonry in the District of Columbia'''' as a feature of that evenly such a recommendation was incorporated in his address in igoj^ and^ ineeting with the approval of the Grand Lodge ^ was constcmmated by the appointment^ at the installation conununication of the satne year^ of the author hereof.
Coming thus along the Path of Circumstance ., as a duty from which there was no honorable escape^ the commission was accepted.^ in spite of a depressing sense of inadequate equip- ment for the task.^ and the leisure ho7irs of five years have been conscientiously devoted to research and the assembly of so m,uch of the accumulated data as appeared to be of sufficient historical value.
The author has endeavored to guard against the tendency of works of this character to degenerate into mere copies of records., burdened with ujtititeresting minutics of na7nes^ and dates., and trivialities of routine., and while sacrificing no i?n- portant event has aimed to presejtt a history at once concise., accurate., and readable. Chronological order has been pre- served in the plan as a whole., yet an occasional departure therefroin., in order to bring widely scattered yet closely related units together for the intelligent consideration of important movements covering periods of years., has been dee7ned essen-
VIU HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY
tial^ and is hoped will add to the interest and value of the book.
The selection of the material and the method of presentation being the result of his personal judgment^ matured by long study and deliberation^ the author is fully alive to the certainty of criticism. He would say^ however.^ to his Brethren that in the prosecution of this work he has gone carefully through the Grand Lodge reports and detached papers ; has consulted the records of the subordinate lodges ; has read every work remotely bearing on the subject that came his way ; has dug atnong the newspapers of by-g07ie days ; has correspojided with or consulted such individuals from whom aid might reasonably be expected^ and^ in shorty has left no stone un- turned^ no clue unfollowed^ that gave promise of legitimate material.
An arduous task and yet full of compensations^ and if these chapters^ upojt which he has wrought with gladness^ heartfully^ shall meet with any measure of approbatioji that fact shall constitute an added reward to that already his cherished possession — the consciousness of having discharged this ditty to the best of his ability.
'i^^.^^^z.e^
Historiati.
CONTENTS.
FAGB.
REPORT OF Committee on PubIvIcations Hi
Foreword v
List of Illustrations xiii
I. — Whence Came We? — Theories of Origin — Grand Lodges of England — Introduction of Masonry Into the Colonies — Formation of Grand Lodge of Maryland — The Tradition of St. Andrew's Lodge, Georgetown i
II. — In the Beginning — Masonry at the Birth of the Federal City — First Lodge, No. 9, of Georgetown, Chartered — Cornerstone of the District — A Unique Dispensation — Formation of Federal, No. 15— Laying of Cornerstones of Capitol and White House il
III. — Between the Centuries — A Jurisdiction in the Making — Formation of the Earliest Lodges, Columbia, No. 19, Columbia, No. 35, Naval, No. 41, Potomac, No. 43, of Maryland, and Alexandria-Brooke, No. 47, of Virginia — Death of Washington — Side Lights on the Masonic Usages of the Time 23
IV. — Independence — The Birth of the Grand Lodge — Pioneer Officers — Form of Warrants Issued to Subordinate Lodges — Formal Notification to Other Grand Lodges 34
v.— In the Early Days — Union Lodge, No. 6, and Lebanon Lodge, No. 7— The Rise and Fall of the General Grand Lodge Idea— Quaint Constitutional Regulations— Notes.... 42
VI. — The First Decade— War of 181 2 — Annual Visitations Inaug- urated— Fraternal Correspondence— Public Appearances- Discipline — The First Constitution 5^
VII.— Dark Days and Bright— First Meridian— The Washington Monument — First Masonic Temple — Formation of Lodges 8, 9, 10, II, 12, and 13 — The Anti-Masonic Wave — Repre- sentative System — Cornerstones — Notes 62
VIII. — The Dawn of Prosperity— Closing Years of the Half Century — Cornerstones of Capitol Extension and Smith- sonian Institution — Lodges 14, 15, and 16 — Lodge of Mutual Benevolence — The Library — Public Functions— Notes 77
X HISTORY OF FREEIMASONRY
PAGE.
IX.— The War of the Rebelwon— Military Lodges— Union Lodge, U. D,, of Alexandria, Va. — Care of Sick and Wounded Craftsmen — Charters to Harmony, No. 17, Acacia, No. 18, and LaFayette, No. 19— Columbia, No. 3, Revived 87
X.— A Reawakening— Charters Issued to Lodges Nos. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 — Citizenship and Jurisdiction — Reception to Earl de Gray— Deaths of M. W. Brothers George C. Whit- ing, Benjamin B. French, Roger C. Weightman, J. E. F. Holmead, Charles F. Stansbury, and Brother James A. Garfield 97
XI. — The New Era — Dedication of Washington Monument — Charters to Lodges Nos. 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 — Deaths of P. G. Master Noble D. Larner and Grand Secretary William R. Singleton— Making a Mason " On Sight"— The Albert Pike Statue iii
XII.— The Latter Days— Centennial of Naval Lodge— Important Public Functions — The Washington Gavel — Deaths of M. W. Brothers George H. Walker, R. B. Donaldson, Jos^ Maria Yznaga, David G. Dixon, and E. G. Davis 126
XIII.— Meeting Places of the Fraternity— Where the Altars of the Grand and Subordinate Lodges of the District of Columbia Have Been Erected During the Century Preced- ing the Present Temple Movement 138
XIV. — The New Tempi,e — Tentative Propositions — Origin and Progress of Successful Plan — The Cornerstone-Laying and Dedication — Description of Building 154
XV.— The Lodges in Detail— Brief History of Each Blue Lodge, Living or Extinct, Under the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia 173
XVI.— Benevolences— The Subject in General— Early Methods— The Masonic Mutual Relief Association — St. John's Mite Association— The Masonic Board of Relief — The Masonic and Eastern Star Home , 254
XVII.— The Work— Gradual Evolution of Latter-Day Ritualism- Origin and Development of the Ceremonial in the District. 269
XVIII. — Capitular Masonry in the District of Columbia 280
XIX.— Cryptic Masonry in the District of Columbia, by George E. Corson, Recorder of Washington Council, No. i. Royal and Select Masters, for Tv,'enty-three Years ; Past Grand High Priest ; General Grand King, General Grand Chapter, U. S. A. ; Past Grand Commander K. T., D. C, and Past J. G. W. of the Grand Lodge 297
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA XI
PAGE.
XX. — The Orders of Christian Knighthood in the District OF Coi,UMBiA, by Arvine W. Johnston, Grand Recorder of the Grand Commandery, K. T., of the District of Columbia. 307
XXI. — The Scottish Rite in the District of Columbia, by Wm.
Iv. Boyden, 33° Hon., Librarian Supreme Council, 33° 315
XXII — The Order of the Eastern Star in the District of
Columbia 323
Appendix — Biographies : The Life Story of Each Grand Master of the District of Columbia Jurisdiction and Other Brethren of Note 331
General Index 427
PERSONAL Index 435
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Indexed by facing page.
PAGE.
William R. Singleton Frontispiece.
Procession, laying of cornerstone U. S. Capitol i
(John) Valentine Reintzel 4
Union Lodge Room, Eleventh St., N, W.... 8
Alexander McCormick 12
Copperplate from cornerstone Union Hotel 16
Daniel Kurtz 20
William Hewitt 24
The Little Hotel and Lovell's Hotel 28
William W. Seaton 32
Samuel Burch 36
Former meeting places of Naval Lodge, No. 4 40
Tyler's Bill (1812) 44
Roger C. Weightman 48
Masonic Hall, Jefferson St., and Forrest Hall, Georgetown, D. C 52
William W. Billing 56
Marmaduke Dove 64
First Central Masonic Hall 68
Clement T. Coote 72
Robert Key worth 80
John Mason, Jr 84
Odeon Hall and Eastern Edifice Seven Buildings 88
William M. Ellis 9^
William B. Magruder 100
Homes of Hiram Lodge io4
Benjamin Brown French 112
Charles S. Frailey "6
Old Medical College Building 120
George C. Whiting 12S
Charles F. Stansbury 132
Second Central Masonic Hall 136
Yelverton Peyton Page ^44
James E. F. Holmead ^48
Masonic Hall, Thirty-second St., Georgetown 152
R. B. Donaldson 160
Isaac L. Johnson 164
Masonic Temple, Ninth and F Sts., N. W 168
EldredG. Davis 176
Horace A. Whitney 180
New Masonic Temple ^84
Joseph C. McCoy ^92
Noble D. Larner 196
XIV HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
PAGE.
First and second homes of Anacostia Lodge 200
Edward H. Chamberlain 208
Myron M. Parker 212
Present home of Hiram Lodge 216
Thomas P. Chiffelle 224
J. M. Yznaga 228
Present home of Anacostia Lodge 232
Jesse W, Lee, Jr 240
Harrison Dingman 244
Wm. R. Singleton and Stansbury Lodge Buildings 248
James A. Sample 256
Thomas F. Gibbs 260
First and third meeting places of M. M. Parker Lodge 264
Frederick G. Alexander 272
Landon Cabell Williamson 276
Naval Lodge Hall 280
Henry S. Merrill 288
David G. Dixon 292
George W. Baird 296
Matthew Trimble 304
Homes of Takoma and King David Lodges 308
Samuel C. Palmer 312
John H. Small, Jr 320
Completed Wing Masonic and Eastern Star Home 324
William G. Henderson ., 328
Harry Standiford 336
Malcolm Seaton 340
George H. Walker 344
The Albert Pike Monument 352
James A. Wetmore 356
Lurtin R. Ginn 360
Scottish Rite Cathedral (House of the Temple) 368
Walter A. Brown 372
Francis J. Woodman 376
Proposed Masonic and Eastern Star Home 384
Augustus B. Coolidge 388
Henry K. Simpson 392
George C. Ober 396
J. Claude Keiper 400
George E. Corson 404
Arvine W. Johnston 408
Kenton N. Harper 412
Ben W. Murch, Charles E. Baldwin, Thomas H. Young, and J. Russell
Verbrycke : 416
J. Henning Nelms, T. John Newton, Alexander Grant, W. W, Jermane,
and James W. Witten 420
Lem Towers, Jr., Joseph H. Milans, J. Harry Cunningham, Charles J.
O'Neill and Warren C. Bickford 424
Ibtstori? of ffreemasonri? m tbe District of Columbia*
MASONIC PROCESSION AT THE LAYING OF THE CORNERSTONE OF THE CAPITOL. SEPTEMBER 18. 1793
CHAPTER I.
WHENCE CAME WE?
THEORIES 0? ORIGIN — GRAND LODGES OE ENGLAND — INTRO- DUCTION OE MASONRY INTO THE COLONIES — FOR- MATION OE GRAND LODGE OE MARYLAND
THE TRADITION OE ST. ANDREW'S LODGE, GEORGETOWN.
" Traditions in histpry are but the circling wavelets which the magician's wand may raise on the stream of history, but the pearls of truth lie in the deep waters below, and can only be reached and brought to view by the plumb-line of investigation." — Anon.
The MOST profound mystery in the great system of morality we call Masonry is its origin. Back of the period of authentic recorded history stretch misty avenues of speculation, along which a host of brilliant delvers after the Truth have wan- dered, and from the warp and woof of world-old traditions woven many more or less fanciful and sometimes plausible and attractive theories of the birth and early life of this, one of the greatest forces for good the world has ever known.
Dr. Oliver would have us believe that Masonry was a living science in the days of the Garden of Eden, and Adam its first earthly exponent. Dr. Mitchell exploits the popular be- lief in its origin at the building of King Solomon's Temple. Dr. Mackey, more conservative, goes no further back than the College of Architects of the seventeenth century; and so on through a host of writers.
Interesting, beautiful, valuable withal, but not history, and the fact remains, from which there is no escape, that no man I
3 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
can lay his finger upon the time or country, the age or clime, when and where the chaotic elements, crystalizing into the Masonic creation, first heard the fiat: " Let there be light."
But while this is true there are today prehistoric evidences of a code or codes of morals, illustrated by symbols, in the far past ages nearly akin to our present system, and from these premises may be drawn certain logical and reasonable conclusions, and altho this work is intended to be a history and therefore has only to do with facts, yet the author conceives it to be perfectly proper as well as instructive to glance, in an introductory way, over this field and thereby gain, per- haps, what the artist would call the atmosphere of the whole subject.
It is susceptible of proof that before and after the dawn of history there existed in China a cult or institution using our present-day symbols in the same kind of service to which we put them, and this has ample verification in the " Book of History" of that ancient civilization, a work covering from the twenty-fourth to the seventh century before Christ, a period antedating King Solomon's time by 1500 years and stretching 200 years beyond.
Upon the stupendous piles of Masonry in the Valley of the Nile the traveler may today see the signs and symbols of Masonry sculptured thousands of years ago — the All-seeing Eye, the mosaic pavement, the blazing star, the square, the circle, the parallel lines, and many others. In Greece, also. are to be found traces of the same application of these well known symbols. These and many other evidences lead in- evitably to the conclusion that from the earliest ages there have existed associations more or less similar in their general aim and finding natural expression in the same simple em- blems. But there is no reason to believe that there is any closer relationship than a natural similarity of expression between the ancient mysteries with their blood-curdling rites and the Masonry of which we have recorded history.
We may even accept the theory that the mysterious vail of Isis curtained the cradle of our Order, to the extent that in
IN THE DISTRICT OE COLUMBIA 3
the exercise of such rites the habit of association for definite purpose may have originated and gradually germinated into the great moral forces of later ages, yet absolutely and con- sistently refuse to trace our ancestry to such sources except in the most general sense.
Following this train of thought we may readily suppose that in Palestine, at the building of King Solomon's Temple, the mysteries of Egypt and Greece were reconstructed, the old mythological divinities and pagan rites forsaken, and an en- tirely new Order, consecrated to the true God, formed. The same marks of the craftsman are on the ruins of the Temple that may be seen on the Masonry of Egypt and Greece. Here perhaps was the first union of symbolic fraternity with the religion of the Hebrew, but it was not the foundation of Masonry; neither was it the superstructure. The alliance be- tween primitive Christianity and the mystic orders was close and intimate, many of the rites of the early Church showing a striking similarity to and connection with those of the secret organizations of that age.
With the completion of the Temple and the dispersion of the great host of architects and builders to the four corners of the earth the rites and symbols of these fraternities may well have found lodgment in the virgin soil of many countries.
With Christianity Freemasonry, let us now call it, was in- troduced into Europe and Great Britain, where there may be seen on imposing cathedrals the identical signs and symbols described as appearing on the ruined temples of Egypt, Greece, and Jerusalem. Attractive as this line of speculation must be to the student of Masonry its further pursuit is forbidden by the limited scope of the present work, and we leave it to trace our genealogy by more authentic tho very meager data.
Freemasonry in some form, we have every reason to believe, existed on the continent of Europe and in England, Scotland, and Ireland in the middle ages, and was probably identical with the building corporations and guilds known to have existed at that period. The consensus of opinion of the best
4 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
writers is that the present society of Freemasonry is plainly the outgrowth and lineal descendant of those ancient associa- tions of builders, and while documentary evidence is meager and confusing yet the conclusion is logical and acceptable.
The first authentic, or reasonably authentic, organization for the government, regulation, and protection of Masons in their labor came into being in York, England, A. D. 926, by a charter obtained from King Athelston by his brother, Prince Edwin, who was a patron of Masonry, and continued to exist, it is claimed, for a period of more than 800 years. From this so-called Grand Lodge of York there is no evidence that any charters ever issued to American lodges.
About 1685 in Great Britain, under direction of the then Grand Master, Christopher Wren, other than operative Masons commenced to be received into the Order, and the change from operative to speculative began, but the symbols and phrases of operative were retained in illustrating specu- lative Masonry and the elucidation of the great truths of the now rapidly developing system.
The change was a gradual one but was practically complete by the beginning of the eighteenth century, but the thorough reorganization which took place upon the formation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 radically changed the form of government and polity of the institution, and has well been characterized as a revolution. The spirit, funda- mental laws, and traditional customs of the ancient Brother- hood, even the technical expressions, well suited to the sym- bolic architecture of the Temple, were retained, but only figu- ratively and with a higher significance.
This British speculative Masonry was directly and indi- rectly transplanted into the American Colonies about two centuries ago.
Prior to 1717 any number of Masons — Dr. Oliver says not less than ten — met as lodges and acted without other au- thority than their " inherent right," the word " lodge" at that time having a broad enough meaning to include a meeting as well as an organization. Subsequent to that year, however, the
(JOHN) VALENTINE REINTZEL, Grand master. 1811.
(Picture discovered on eve of publication.)
IN THE DISTRICT OF COI^UMBIA 5
*' inherent right" method of lodge formation was considered illegal, altho practiced to a degree for many decades after- wards without subjecting its adherents to excommunication. Lodges became continuing organizations by charters from a Grand Lodge, and Freemasonry as we know and practice it today may therefore be said to date from the year 1717.
The story of the formation of the Grand Lodge of England has been so often told that it suffices here to give the briefest outline. At the beginning of the eighteenth century Masonry was at such a low ebb in that country that only four lodges had survived, and these four, together with a number of un- attached brethren, met in convention at the Apple Tree Tavern in Charles Street, Convent Garden, in February, 1717, when it was resolved to revive the periodical conventions of the officers of lodges, which had long been omitted, and to choose a Grand Master, and accordingly, on St. John's day, 1717, the Assembly and Feast of Free and Accepted Masons was held at the Goose and Gridiron, in St. Paul's Churchyard. Mr. Jacob Sayer was selected and installed as Grand Master, and the Grand Lodge of England instituted. At the communi- cation of St. John's day, 1718, George Payne, Esq., was elected Grand Master of Masons, and his administration is especially notable as being the one in which the old Regula- tions were given definite form. These Regulations, which had existed long prior to this period but in scattered documents, manuscripts, rituals, etc., were collected and compiled for the first time in 1720, and approved by the Grand Lodge in 1731. This work may well be considered as having the most important bearing on the stability and future prosperity of the institution, and was one of the great revolutionary features of the transition period.
Before many years had passed serious trouble arose in the fraternity in England, mainly through the persistence of cer- tain brethren in organizing and exercising all the functions of lodges under the old system of inherent right and in con- tempt of the constituted authority of the Grand Lodge, and this rebellious element attained such strength that by the
6 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
middle of the eighteenth century a new Grand Lodge was formed under the title of " Ancient York Masons/' a body entirely separate and distinct from the so-called " Grand Lodge of York," previously alluded to, and which had been reorgan- ized in 1725, and continued in existence until 1792. The new Grand Lodge, claiming, without warrant, a direct descent from the original York lodge, styled itself " Ancient," and applied the term " Modern" to the Grand Body of 1717, and these terms, misleading and perhaps incorrect in the strictest equity, clung to the two bodies throughout the period of separate existence and have been a source of confusion to Masonic students ever since. After nearly a century of rivalry the two bodies united in 1813 under the title of " The United Grand Lodge of England," and now constitutes one of the strongest and most prosperous of Masonic organizations.
The Ancient and Modern Grand Lodges both established lodges and provincial Grand Lodges in this country in the eighteenth century, the majority, perhaps, by the former, and further accessions to the lodges of that period were had by charters from the Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland.
In the new country Masonry, appealing to the very best citizens, flourished with expansive vigor, and it is a pardonable digression to note that in our struggle for independence the greatest names of the period belonged to members of the mystic tie. Washington, Randolph, Payton, Franklin, La- Fayette, Hamilton, Paul Revere, practically all the general officers of the Continental Army, fifty-two of the fifty-five signers of the Declaration of Independence, and a host of others prominent in that history-making epoch are known to have been Master Masons.
The claims of seniority of the various jurisdictions in the United States in the matter of first lodges has presented a field for disputation which has been greedily seized by many Masonic writers but has no place in the present work except so far as it affects the uncovering of the origin of Free- masonry in the District of Columbia.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 7
Prior to July 10, 1790, the date of the final passage of the act fixing the seat of the Federal Government on the Potomac, the territory now known as the District of Columbia was a part of the State of Maryland, and while the original District embraced a tract of ten miles square lying on the Virginia as well as the Maryland side of the river, yet inasmuch as the retrocession by the Federal Government to Virginia in 1846 of its original contribution to the site left the metes and bounds of the District as we know them today, it is deemed proper in this early retrospect to pay especial attention to the introduction of Masonry into our parent State of Maryland, the history of that introduction necessarily being our own.
Schultz's History of Masonry in Maryland says : " Ma- sonry was introduced into Maryland during the Colonial period from three sources, viz: by the Grand Lodge (Mod- erns) of Massachusetts; Grand Lodge (Moderns) of Eng- land, and the Grand Lodge (Ancients) of Pennsylvania. Traditions indicate that it was also introduced here from Scotland and Germany."
Prior to the formation of the Grand Lodge of Maryland in 1783 we find the existing lodges in that State springing from the sources enumerated above, but immediately upon the close of the Revolutionary War a convention was held, June 17, 1783, by representatives from five lodges located on the Eastern Shore to form an independent Grand Lodge, and as these lodges were all warranted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania it was deemed necessary to obtain a warrant from that body, which itself was a subordinate of the Grand Lodge (Ancients) of England, before consum- mating their purpose. A strong element, however, claimed the inherent right to form a Grand body independent of the permission of Pennsylvania, and when after negotiations with that authority covering a year no satisfactory results were obtained, and when for various reasons the matter had lain in abeyance for three years longer, a convention of deputies from the various lodges met at Talbot Court House April 17, 1787, and organized, or as is claimed, reorganized the
o HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
Grand Lodge of Maryland, which from that date to the present has enjoyed a continuous and prosperous existence.
Thus was formed the parent Grand Lodge of Maryland, the third independent Grand Lodge in this country, if we accept the date, June 17, 1783, as the true one, being preceded by Massachusetts in 1777, and Virginia in 1778. The fact that the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania on Sep- tember 25, 1786, declared their independence of Great Britain and at once formed a Grand Lodge doubtless had much to do with bringing the dormant movement in Maryland to life in the following year.
With the gradual absorption of the other lodges of the State and the chartering of new ones outside of our bailiwick we have no direct interest, but before entering upon the history of those bodies in our own territory warranted by this Grand Lodge and of authentic record, let us briefly examine the field of tradition and record for any evidence of organized Masonry in the section subsequently known as the District of Columbia prior to 1789, the date of the first known charter, and the difficulty of such an examination will be made more understandable when the fact is stated that it Was the custom of the early days, especially during the Revolutionary War, to keep the records of lodges on slips of paper which were, after so long a time, destroyed, to prevent the possibility of their falling into the hands of profanes, a custom peculiarly aggravating to the modern historian.
There is at the present day in the possession of Potomac Lodge, No. 5, of this jurisdiction, an old Bible published in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1754, with the following inscription in beautifully rounded characters on the fly-leaf : " A present from Mr. Colin Campbell to St. Andrew's Lodge, the 30th January, 1773, Bladensburg," the last word being on a separ- ate line. It has also been asserted — but of the fact there is no available evidence — that the late Rev. Brother Thomas Balch. of Georgetown, had in his possession a diploma showing that his great-grandfather. Col. James Balch, was made a Mason in this Lodge as early as 1737. Diligent inquiry among the
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IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 9
descendants of the Rev. Balch, however, fails to bring to light the missing document, which would afford incontrovertible evi- dence of the existence of a lodge of that name at that period and in this section, but on the contrary unearths an old letter from a nephew of this Col. Balch who states that he never knew his uncle was made a Mason in Georgetown, but was always under the impression that he had received the degrees in France according to the Scottish Rite.
On this Bible and diploma is predicated the theory that a Lodge, called " St. Andrew's," existed in the settlement which, in 1751, was laid out as Georgetown, at an even earlier date than 1737. That such a conclusion is a natural one we admit, but is not proven by the evidence at hand. That no lodge was chartered by either the Grand Lodge of Scotland or the Grand Lodge of England is shown by the following com- munication to the author in reply to a request for information:
Grand Lodge of Scotland,
Freemasons' Hall, Edinburgh, 12th May, igo6.
Grand Secretary's Office- Mr. K. N. Harper,
201 E Street, Northwest,
Washington, Dist. of Columbia, U. S. A. Dear Sir and Bro. : In reply to your letter of 25th Apr., I have made a minute search of our records but cannot trace any lodge having been chartered in Maryland so far back as 1730-40. I have also made enquiry at the Grand Lodge of England, but they have failed to trace the chart- ering of any lodge in Maryland about that time.
It is of course possible that there may have been such a lodge as that to which you refer, but it would probably be an unconstitutional one, as has been found to be the case with many lodges about the period named and even at a much later date.
Yours, faithfully and fraternally,
David Reid,
Grand Secretary.
This, however, by no means disposes of the matter, for not only were lodges formed by inherent right long subsequent to this date, but, as before mentioned, the term " lodge" applied equally to a hap-hazard congregation of Masons for a single meeting as well as to an organized and continuing
10 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
body, and it may well be accepted as probable, indeed certain, that among the Scotch immigrants, who, more than any other, found their way up the Patawomeke River to the head of navigation, now the site of Georgetown, in those early days, there were many of the Craft who upon proper occasion as- sembled for Masonic intercourse, and, as was customary, inducted new members into the mysteries. This is reasonable and indeed has a certain confirmation in the fact that in the traditions of some of the oldest Georgetown families there is mentioned the so-called " Auld Scotch Lodge," an important institution, in which it is said all differences between Masons were referred for adjustment. So we may accept the presence and activity of the fraternity at this period on our soil but can scarcely go further.
The inscription in the Bible proves no location for the St. Andrew's Lodge. It was a Scotch Lodge designation in- herited from the old country and held by at least two lodges in the Colonies at that time — one in ]\Iassachusetts and one in South Carolina. That Bladensburg was the home of the Lodge we think is sufficiently disproved by the isolated position of the word, and may be accepted as the residence of the donor. That Georgetown may claim the honor is supported only by the fact that the Book has been in the possession of the fraternity there from time immemorial. As the diploma is only a tradition it cannot enter seriously into the argument.
So, giving the facts and theories as they exist as to this early day and leaving the logical reader to draw his own con- clusions, we pass on.
IN THE DISTRICT 0? COLUMBIA II
CHAPTER II.
IN THE BEGINNING.
MASONRY AT THE BIRTH OF THE FEDERAL, CITY FIRST LODGE,
NO. 9, OF GEORGETOWN, CHARTERED — CORNERSTONE OF THE DISTRICT A UNIQUE DISPENSATION FORMA- TION OF FEDERAL, NO. 15 — LAYING OF CORNER- STONES OF CAPITOL AND WHITE HOUSE.
"Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation." — Isaiah xxviii, i6.
That Freemasonry was a dominating tho unobtrusive force from the very first in this section has striking illustra- tion in the fact that the cornerstone of the District was laid with Masonic ceremonies, and this event, probably with- out a parallel in the world's annals, furnishes, perhaps, the most natural, certainly the most interesting, point of depart- ure in the historical journey we are about to undertake. The word cornerstone is here used in no figurative sense, but refers to a small marker of masonry set up at Jones Point, on Hunting Creek, below Alexandria, Va., from which were run at right angles the lines which formed the first two sides of the ten-mile square constituting the original District of Columbia. This initial stone was placed according to ancient Masonic usages, April 15, 1791, by the Masonic Lodge of Alexandria, Va., which had been chartered eight years before by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania as No. 39, and which, in 1788. became Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, under the jurisdiction of Virginia, with George Washington as Master.
12 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
This lodge, with one chartered in Georgetown as No. 9, of Maryland, in 1789, constituted organized Masonry within the limits of the contemplated new Territory, and while there remains to us only the most meager account of this first public recorded Masonic function yet it may be surmised that the latter lodge was also in evidence on that eventful Spring day and took an active part in the exercises.
The following account of the affair, published at the time in a Philadelphia paper, is deemed worthy of reproduction:
Alexandria, April 21, 1791.
On Friday, the 15th inst., the Hon. Daniel Carroll and Hon. David Stuart arrived in this town to superintend the fixing of the first corner- stone of the Federal District.
The Mayor and the Commonalty, together with the members of the different Lodges [?] of the town, at three o'clock, waited on the com- missioners at Mr. Wise's, where they dined, and, after drinking a glass of wine to the following sentiment, viz. : "May the stone which we are about to place in the ground, remain an immovable monument of the wisdom and unanimity of North America," the company proceeded to Jones Point in the following order :
1st. The Town Sergeant. 2d. Hon. Daniel Carroll and the Mayor. 3d. Mr. Ellicott and the Recorder. 4th. Such of the Common Council and Aldermen as were not Freemasons. 5th. Strangers. 6th. The Master of Lodge, No. 22, with Dr. David Stuart on his right, and the Rev. James Muir [for many years an active Mason] on his left, followed by the rest of the Fraternity, in their usual form of procession. Lastly. The citi- zens, two by two.
When Mr. Ellicott had ascertained the precise point from which the first line of the District was to proceed, the Master of the Lodge and Dr. Steuart, assisted by others of their brethren, placed the stone. After which a deposit of corn, wine, and oil was placed upon it, and the follow- ing observations were made by the Rev. James Muir:
" Of America it may be said, as of Judea of old, that it is a good land and large — a land of brooks of waters, of fountains, and depths that spring out of the valleys and hills — a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig-trees, and pomegranates — a land of oil, olives, and honey — a land wherein we eat bread without scarceness, and have lack of nothing — a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayst dig brass — a land which the Lord thy God careth for ; — the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it ; from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
" May Americans be grateful and virtuous, and they shall insure the indulgence of Providence; may they be unanimous and just, and they shall rise to greatness. May true patriotism actuate every heart; may it be the devout and universal wish. Peace be within thy walls, O America, and prosperity within thy palaces ! Amiable it is for brethren to dwell
ALEXANDER MCCORMICK.
GRAND MASTER, 1812-1813.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COI^UMBIA I3
together in unity; it is more fragrant than the perfumes on Aaron's gar- ment; it is more refreshing than the dews on Hermon's hill.
" May this stone long commemorate the goodness of God in those un- common events which have given America a name among nations. Under this stone may jealousy and selfishness be forever buried. From this stonemay a superstructure arise, whose glory, whose magnificence, whose stability, unequalled hitherto, shall astonish the world, and invite even the savage of the wilderness to take shelter under its roof."
The company partook of some refreshments, and then returned to the place from whence they came, where a number of toasts were drank; and the following was delivered by the Master of the Lodge (Dr. Dick), and was received with every token of approbation :
"Brethren and Gentlemen: May jealousy, that green-eyed monster, be buried deep under the work which we have this day completed, never to rise again within the Federal District."
The light-house structure now on Jones Point covers the site of these interesting ceremonies.
The next pubHc Masonic function in the embyro city, of which there is evidence, was the laying of the cornerstone of the Union Public Hotel, better known as Blodget's Hotel, which was located between E and F and Seventh and Eighth Streets, N. W., on the site of the old General Post Office, now the Land Office building, and was the most pretentious hostelry in Washington in the early days.
The ceremony took place July 4, 1793, and, while there is no available account of the event, the fact is proven by the existence of a copper plate placed in or on the stone at that time, and discovered forty-six years thereafter.
The plate, a facsimile of which is here given, is in the possession of Bro. Andrew H. Ragan, of B. B. French Lodge, (a son of the late Bro. Daniel Ragan, of Potomac Lodge, one of the devoted few who, in 1838, prevented the surrender of the charter of that Lodge), and its authenticity is vouched for by the following endorsement : " This plate was found in cleaning away the rubbish from the new General Post Office on E, between Seventh and Eighth Streets West, in the City of Washington. Presented by Charles Coltman, the Superintendent, Oct. 8, 1839."
While no instituted lodge existed in the City of Washington
14 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
at the time, it is possible that Federal was even then under dispensation and formed the nucleus for the congregation of the members of the craft living in Washington on that " mem- orable" occasion.
The first charter known to have been issued to any lodge within the limits of the present District of Columbia was issued by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, at a meeting held April 21, 1789, to a lodge to be held in George-Town, Md., on the Potomack River, with * — Fierer as W. M. and Alex- ander Grier as S. W. This lodge was the second one chartered by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, and was officially known as " Lodge No. 9," the designation " Potomac" appearing seventeen years later, in connection with the third lodge con- stituted in Georgetown.
Lodge No. 9, in January, 1792, granted a dispensation for certain of its members who had moved to Port Tobacco, Charles Co., Md., to open a lodge at that place to be known as St. Columbia, pending a regular application to the Grand Lodge of Maryland. It may be said in passing that this somewhat remarkable action finds partial justification in the crude conditions of transportation and communication of the time and the survival in a degree of the old " inherent right" doctrine. Altho this method of procedure was unfavorably criticized in the Grand Lodge, yet the dispensation was con- firmed by a warrant to the new lodge under the title of St. Columbia, No. 11. Space is given to record the birth of this lodge, which survived but six years, because of the fact that i<" was an off-shoot from our own territory and an important event in our little Fraternity world at that time, the drain on the membership of No. 9 caused by its formation resulting in the demise of the Georgetown lodge in the early part of 1794. The petition for the dispensation above referred to as well as that document itself are so novel as to warrant their literal reproduction :
* There is every reason to believe that this was Charles Fierer, Editor of the Tt»ies and the Potomack Packet, 1789.
IN THE DISTRICT 01" COLUMBIA I5
PETITION.
Port Tobacco, Charles County, Md., 1792 and 5792. By a communication of sentiments, the following Brethren, to wit: Robert Ferguson, Basil Warring, Alexander Grier, Archibald Dobbins, Thomas Mundell, Judson Clagett, Zaphaniah Turner, Samuel B. Turner, and Samuel T. Dyson, did sign and prefer the following Petition to the Worshipful Lodge of Ancient York Masons No. 9, in Geo. Town.
To the Worshipful Master, Wardens and other Brethren of Lodge No. 9, George Town on Potomack. The petition of a number of the Society of Free and Accepted York Masons, residents of Port Tobacco and its vicinity of Charles County, humbly showeth, — That being feeling impressed with a sense of the duties incumbent on the members of that society, when opportunities conveniently offer for the Commemoration of them they humbly represent, to you, that from a diminution of Brethren in and near that place, and many other concurrent circumstances, they are now reduced to a small number, destitute of Constitutional rights to as- semble in Lodge, yet those are both willing and desirous to co-operate with other Brethren in perpetuating the Institution, and to become useful members of the Fraternity your Petitioners therefore pray a dispensation from Lodge No. 9, until they have it in their power to obtain a regular establishment from the Grand Lodge of Maryland— We therefore, whose names are hereunto subscribed, being all Brethren of the Ancient Or- der of Masons, and conceiving ourselves capable of conducting a lodge in purity, have proceeded to the choice of a Master and Wardens, and have unanimously elected Brother Alexander Grier to be Master, Brother Robert Ferguson to be Senior Warden and Brother Judson M. Clagett to be Junior Warden of the same Lodge, and humbly pray that they may be legally incorporated into a Lodge to be held in Port Tobacco.
(Signed) Robert Ferguson. Judson M. Clagett.
Basil Warring. Zeph. Turner.
Alex. Grier. Saml. B. Turner.
Archd. Dobbin. Saml. T. Dyson.
Thos. Mundell.
DISPENSATION.
(From the Worshipful Lodge of Ancient York Masons No. 9 in George- Town.)
To all whom it may concern:
Know that Brother Robert Ferguson, Basil Warring, Alexander Grier, Archibald Dobbin, Thomas Mundell, Judson M. Clagett, Zephaniah Turner, Samuel B. Turner, and Samuel T. Dyson, are authorized and fully empowered to assemble and meet together in Port Tobacco, as a part of Lodge No. 9 (of which they are members) to appoint Officers to govern themselves, according to the Ancient Constitution and Customs of Masons: and they hereby have a dispensation in ample form for holding
l6 HISTORY OF FRDFMASONRY
such meetings, as in their wisdom shall be deemed prudent, until the first day of January next ensuing, they conducting themselves at such meet- ings, as true, faithful York Masons, have povirer to do all work of Ancient Free Masons in proper form, except only, entering. Passing and Raising a Brother, for which a perfect Charter must be obtained from the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Maryland.
In evidence of the above, the Officers of Lodge No. 9, do hereunto fix our hands and seal of our Lodge, this twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two, and of Masonry Five thousand seven hundred and ninety-two. Signed by P. Casanave, Master.
Thos. Beatty, Jr., Senior Warden. *
Valentine Reintzell, Jr., Junior Warden.
Anthony Reintzell, Treasurer.
Same. Turner, Jr., Secretary.
The cornerstone of the White House was laid October 13, 1792, and while tradition holds the ceremony to have been under Masonic auspices, and a number of veracious histor- ians so affirm, the most diligent search, in which the author has had the assistance of the late A. R. Spofford, for many- years Librarian of Congress, and Bro. Elliott Woods, the present Superintendent U. S. Capitol Building and Grounds, has failed to unearth any account of the occasion. In the ab- sence, however, of any evidence to the contrary, and taking into consideration the known fact that the leading men in the Government and in the corps of architects and builders at that time were Master Masons, it is a reasonably fair as- sumption that the ceremony was Masonic, and while this is not historic it is given as an historic probability.
Work on the Capitol building, Executive Mansion, and other public buildings at once brought to the new city a small army of architects and builders, and among this company were found many of the craft who later were prominently identified with Masonic and municipal matters, and were largely instru- mental in safely guiding the Federal city through its troublous formative period. One or two may properly be mentioned, and the first name that demands attention is that of Brother James Hoban, known as " Captain" through his connection with a militia organization, who was the Architect of the
IN THE DISTRICT 01^ COLUMBIA 1 7
Capitol and the Executive Mansion, and who had previously- achieved distinction in his profession in Dublin. He Vi^as one of many Irishmen and devout Romanists who in that day were also consistent members of the Masonic Fraternity. A quick- tempered tho generous man, with a rather exalted opinion of his own merits, his professional life was a stormy one, but to the sheer pov/er of his will, combating official parsi- mony, the country is indebted for the magnificent proportions of our Capitol and Executive Mansion, and in him the Fra- ternity finds one of the most potent early forces for the perma- nent establishment of Masonry in this section. A resident of Washington for nearly forty years, he grew rich, prominent, in- fluential, and esteemed, and after a long and honorable career passed away in 1831, and after a temporary burial in St. Patrick's Church graveyard (afterwards the site of the Ma- sonic Temple at Ninth and F Streets) found his last resting place in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Next perhaps in point of interest among the earlier Masons was Brother Clotworthy Stephenson, who acted as Grand Marshal at the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol and was one of the organizers of the old Volunteer Fire Department. Until his death, in 1819, he was most active in Masonry and conspicuous on all public occasions, being a man of fluent speech, good presence, and quick resource. Collin Williamson, a Scotchman and Master Stone Mason at the Capitol, who personally set the corner- stone of that building, also deserves place in the list of the prominent Masonic pioneers as one who, altho but a short time a resident of the city, left the impress of his personality in- delibly stamped on the early history of the Fraternity. The limited scope of the present work forbids at this point the mul- tiplication of names equally deserving of record and whicb will find recognition on other pages, but these three are here mentioned because of the fact that they were the prominent movers in obtaining a charter for the first lodge founded after the formation of the District. This lodge, Federal, No. 15, of ^laryland (now No. 1 of this jurisdiction), having previously, according to the custom of the period, obtained a "dispensation" 2
1 8 HISTORY 01^ FRK^MASONRY
from No. 9, was warranted September 12, 1793, just six days before the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol, and it is a natural and reasonable conclusion that this approaching ceremonial had much to do with at least hastening its birth. This cornerstone laying, one of the most important events of our local history, occurred September 18, 1793, and was under the exclusive control of the Fraternity, Joseph Clark, Worshipful Master of Lodge No. 12, at AnnapoHs, acting as Grand Master. Gen. George Washington, then President of the United States, joined in the ceremonies as a Mason, was honored with the chief place in the procession, and is believed to have taken the square and level in his hands and laid the stone according to the ancient Masonic rites. The following contemporary account of the event, published in the Columbian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette, September 28, 1793, gives us the viewpoint of the period, and is deemed of such historical interest as to warrant its reproduction in part :
George-town, September 21, 1793. On Wednesday one of the grandest Masonic processions took place for the purpose of laying the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States, which perhaps ever was exhibited on the like important occasion. About 10 o'clock, Lodge No. 9 was visited by that congregation so graceful to the craft, Lodge No. 22 of Virginia, with all their Officers and Regalia ; and directly afterwards appeared, on the Southern banks of the Grand River Potowmack, one of the finest companies of Volunteer Artillery that hath been lately seen, parading to receive the President of the United States, who shortly came in sight with his suite, to whom the Artillery paid their military honors; and his Excellency and suite crossed the Potowmack, and was received in Maryland by the officers and brethren of No. 22 Virginia, and No. 9 Maryland, whom the President headed, and preceded by a band of music; the rear brought up by the Alexandria Volunteer Artillery, with grand solemnity of march, proceeded to the President's square, in the city of Washington, where they were met and saluted by No. 15, of the city of Washington, in all their elegant badges and clothing, headed by brother Joseph Clark, Rt. W. G. M. P. T.. and conducted to a large lodge prepared for the purpose of their reception. After a short space of time, by the vigilance of brother Clotworthy Stephenson, Grand Marshal P. T., the brotherhood and other bodies were disposed in a second order of procession, which took place amidst a brilliant crowd of spectators of both sexes, according to the following arrangement, viz : —
IN THE DISTRICT OF COIvUMBIA 1 9
The Surveying Department of the city of Washington.
Mayor and Corporation of Georgetown.
Virginia Artillery.
Commissioners of the city of Washington, and their attendants.
Stone Cutters. Mechanics.
Two Sword Bearers.
Masons of the 1st degree.
Bibles, &c., on Grand Cushions,
Deacons with Staffs of Oiifice.
Masons of the 2d degree.
Stewards with wands.
Masons of the 3d degree.
Wardens with truncheons.
Secretaries with tools of Office.
Past Masters with their Regalia.
Treasurers with their Jewels.
Band of Music.
Lodge No. 22, of Virginia, disposed in their own Order.
Corn, Wine, and Oil.
Grand Master P. T. George Washington; W. M. No. 22, Virginia.
Grand Sword Bearer.
The procession marched two abreast in the greatest solemn dignity, with music playing, drums beating, colors flying, and spectators rejoicing from the President's square to the Capitol in the city of Washington, where the Grand Marshal ordered a halt, and directed each file in the procession to incline two steps, one to the right, and one to the left, and faced each other, which formed an hollow oblong square, through which the Grand Sword Bearer led the van, followed by the Grand Master P. T. on the left, the President of the United States in the centre, and the Worshipful Master of No. 22 Virginia on the right; all the other orders that composed the prosession advanced in the reverse of their order of march from the President's square to the south-east corner of the Capitol, and the artillery filed ofT to a destined ground to display their manoeuvres and discharge their cannon; the President of the United States, the Grand Master P. T., and Worshipful Master of No. 22 taking their stand to the east of a hugh stone, and all the craft forming a circle westward, stood a short time in awful order.
The artillery discharged a volley.
The Grand Marshal delivered the Commissioners a large silver plate wdth an inscription thereon, which the Commissioners ordered to be read, and was as follows : —
This *south-east corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States of America, in the city of Washington, was laid on the 18th day of Septem- ber, 1793, in the thirteenth year of American Independence, in the first year of the second term of the Presidency of George Washington, whose
* The custom of laying in the north-east corner is of comparatively recent origin.
20 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY
virtues in the civil administration of his country have been so conspicuous and beneficial, as his military valor and prudence have been useful in establishing her liberties, and in the year of Masonry 5793, by the Presi- dent of the United States, in concert with the Grand Lodge of Maryland, several lodges under its jurisdiction, and Lodge No. 23 from Alexandria, Virginia.
Thomas Johnson, 1
David Stuart, ^Commissioners.
Daniel Carroll. J
Joseph Clark, R. W. G. M., P. T.
James Hoban, ( Arrhitprt-;
Stephen Hallate, j Architects. Collin Williamson, M. Mason.
The artillery discharged a volley.
The plate v^^as then delivered to the President, who, attended by the Grand Master P. T. and three most Worshipful Masters, descended to the cavazion trench and deposed the plate, and laid it on the cornerstone of the Capitol of the United States of America, on which was deposited corn, wine, and oil, when the whole congregation joined in reverential prayer, which was succeeded by Masonic chaunting honors, and a volley from the artillery.
The President of the United States, and his attendant brethren, as- cended from the cavazion to the east of the corner-stone, and there the Grand Master P. T., elevated on a triple rostrum, delivered an oration fitting the occasion which was received with brotherly love and commen- dation.
[The oration is sufficiently quaint and interesting to justify the few extracts below] :
My Worthy Brethren :
I beg leave to declare to you that I have, and I expect that you also
have, every hope that the grand work we have done today will be handed
down, as well by record, as by oral tradition, to a late posterity — as
the like work of "that ever memorable temple to our order erected by our
ancient G. M. Solomon.
*****
I say that we further hope that the work may be remembered for many
ages to come as a similar work hath from the commencement of time
to this remarkable moment ; I mean the work of laying the Corner
Stone of our ancient, honourable and sublime order.
*****
And I hope that our super-excellent order may here [City of Wash- ington] be indefatigably laborious, not only to keep in good repair our Hallowed Dome ; but be incessantly industrious to adorn it, with the Grand Theological Virtues Faith, Hope, and Charity, and embellish it
with Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty.
*****
It must, my dear Brethren, be evident to all our understanding — that not alone nature, but Providence, hath marked their intentions in the most
DANIEL KURTZ,
GRAND MASTER, 1818-1819; GRAND HIGH PRIEST, 1820-1822.
IN the; district OF^ COLUMBIA 21
indelible manner to make this the seat for the Grand Mark, the super- excellent emporium of politics, commerce, industry and arts of the United States' — Seated in the very centricity of our republic — on the banks of one of the noblest rivers in the universe — sufficiently capacious to erect thereon a city equal, if not superior, in magnitude to any in the world — It boasts, but then very truly — a climate the most serene and salubrious — equal of access from all the cardinal and intermedial points as any place that kind nature ever formed even beyond the conception of art — wanting no defence but what is in, and ever will be in, I trust, the intrepidity and bravery of its founder and citizens.
* * * * *
Although it is not the growth of, yet there is already planted in this garden or young nursery of the arts, and hath blossomed numerous flowers, that bloom with high lustre in their various departments, (not to mention its ever to be revered founder), but its finances, conductors, projectors, delineators and executive geniuses without number, and many of them not only brethren of our order, but brothers of super-excellent and sublime estimation.
* >K iH 3|c :):
At frequent intervals, during the delivery of the oration, volleys were discharged by the artillery. The ceremony ended in prayer. Masonic chaunting honors, and a fifteenth volley from the artillery.
The whole company retired to an extensive booth, where an ox of 500 lbs. weight was barbacued, of which the company generally partook, with every abundance of other recreation. The festival concluded with fifteen successive voUies from the artillerj^, whose military discipline and manoeu- vres merit ever\^ commendation.
Before dark the whole company departed, with joyful hopes of the production of the labor.
The punctuation throughout is that of the original article and, in the last line but one of the section showing the Ma- sonic formation, has led to the palpably erroneous impression that President Washington was Grand Master P. T. on this occasion, altho a proper examination of the rest of the account plainly excludes the possibility of such an inference, and indicates that the sentence is intended to enumerate three persons : Joseph Clark, Grand Master P. T. ; George Wash- ington, and the Master of Lodge No. 22, of Alexandria, Va. The conclusion thus reached does not, however, necessarily carry with it the assumption that the long-cherished tradition that Washington personally laid the cornerstone must be abandoned. Controversialists point to the fact that W. Bro. Washington was not the Grand ]\Iaster P. T.. and that while the account credits him with having " deposed" the silver plate
22 HISTORY 01^ FREEMASONRY
it simply recites that corn, wine, and oil were deposited on the stone and is silent regarding the ceremony attendant there- on, and argue therefrom that the more important part must have been performed by the Grand Master P. T., and attempt to fortify their position by holding it to be inconceivable in Masonry that any one other than the Grand Master should, in his presence, officiate on such an occasion. But while there is no available record of the details of the affair except the above, there is sufificient evidence, both in the text of the in- scription referred to and in the body of the article, to estab- lish beyond question the fact that, by the high power in him vested, the Grand Master P. T. delegated to W. Bro. Wash- ington, for the time being, his rights and prerogatives, in large part, at least, and that to the distinguished first Presi- dent of the United States belongs the honor of " laying" the cornerstone of its Capitol building. Indeed this has substantial corroboration through Bro. John ]\Iountz, Secretary at that time of Lodge No. 9, Georgetown, who was present, and who has left documentary testimony that he stood near the Presi- dent " when he laid the first cornerstone of the Captiol of the United States." and while this document is dated in 1854, when the Brother had reached the advanced age of 83 years, his contemporaries accredit him with unimpaired mental fac- ulties, and full credence must therefore be given to this prac- tically conclusive evidence.
The gavel used by Worshipful Brother Washington was upon the conclusion of the exercises handed to the Master of No. 9, of Georgetown, Valentine Reintzel, afterward the first Grand Master of the District of Columbia, and has been care- fully preserved by the successors of that lodge, being now in the possession of Potomac Lodge, No. 5, of this jurisdiction, and never allowed to leave the custody of a special committee. A list of the many notable occasions on which it has since been used will be found elsewhere in these pages. The trowel with which the cement was spread is still in the possession of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, of Virginia, and is one of the most cherished relics of that historic lodge.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 23
CHAPTER III.
BETWEEN THE CENTURIES.
A JURISDICTION IN THE MAKING FORMATION OE THE EARI,-
lEST EODGES, COLUMBIA, NO. 19, COLUMBIA, NO. 35, NAVAL, NO. 41, POTOMAC, NO. 43, OE MARYLAND, AND
ALEXANDRIA-BROOKE, NO. 47, OE VIRGINIA
DEATH OE WASHINGTON SIDE LIGHTS ON
THE MASONIC USAGES OE THE TIME.
'They hadn't any fine regalia;
Their lodges were old and bare ; But they knew the ancient landmarks,
And they kept them to a hair."
— Kipling.
While a detailed sketch of each local lodge, living or extinct, is made a part of the present work, yet inasmuch as the history of the earlier lodges constitutes the history of Freemasonry in the District for the period preceding the form- ation of the Grand Lodge, a brief outline of the more impor- tant events connected with these several bodies at that time must find place at this point, that the story may lack no es- sential element for the general reader, the more exacting student being referred for minutiae to the sketches referred to.
In the Grand Lodge of Maryland, October 22, 1795, the following quaint petition was presented, and, being supported by Federal Lodge, No. 15, now grown to comparatively stal- wart proportions in the new city, a charter was issued under the title of Columbia Lodge, No. 19 :
24 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
The petition of the subscribers, members of the Society of Free and Accepted Ancient York Masons, residents of Georgetown, Potomack River, Humbly Showeth :
That whereas the Lodge heretofore held in this town known and dis- tinguished as Lodge No. 9 has from the want of a proper attention in its members and a remissness in the execution of its by-laws by the proper officers and from sundry other causes sunk into disregard; that your peti- tioners a select few who have ever kept sight of the Ancient Landmarks, and reviewed with pain the decline and at length total annihilation of that Lodge and being deeply impressed with a sense of the duties incumbent on us as Masons, and conscious that every efifort to revive a Lodge under the charter of No. 9 would prove fruitless, have agreed to petition the Grand Lodge to grant us a constitutional right to assemble, to have and enjoy all rights and privileges usually granted to Lodges, and to confirm our choice of Master and Wardens, with much sincerity we subscribe ourselves your affectionate Brothers.
Anthony Reintzei*. GeorgE Waughan,
John Suter, Jr. John Reintzel.
Wm. Casey. James Melvin.
Valentine Boganreiff. J. Thompson.
Charles Miner. Wm. Cary. Thos. Beatty, Jr.
This lodge, while only in existence for several years, has left a few fragmentary records through which may be gained a glimpse of the Masonic usages and customs of that early day which cannot fail to be of absorbing interest to the Masonic reader, and the thoughtful student needs no word of warning in the perusing of these notes to avoid too hasty conclusions. In order to get the proper viewpoint we must breathe the atmosphere of the period, and, as conditions were so radically different then from now, we must accept as necessary and proper many incongruities and odd regulations almost unintelligible to the modern mind but which, doubt- less, were the offspring of the necessities of the times.
The accounts of this lodge were kept in pounds, shillings, and pence, Maryland currency, and the item of expense for re- freshments which were enjoyed at every meeting figured large in the total; yet this is easily understandable when we reflect that the opportunities for gathering socially were few and the brethren, many of them coming long distances, would nat- urally desire to embrace the opportunity to refresh the inner
WILLIAM HEWITT, GRAND Master, 1820-1821.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COIyUMBIA 25
man, and neither should we too harshly criticize the fact that liquids of various kinds frequently formed part of the cheer. Tempora inutantur et nos mutamur in illis.
The single book of records covers from November 7, 1795, to December 12, 1796, and contains the by-laws, and, while the entire contents of the book might profitably be quoted, we have space for but a few extracts, and select those that exhibit the widest divergence from our latter day customs.
Sunday meetings were frequently held for work and routine business, and this habit, indeed a general one, was not broken entirely in the District until the nineteenth century was well advanced.
An entry under date of May 9, 1796, reads: "Whereas Bro. Bogimaff cannot procure leather aprons as required of him by a resolve of last meeting; Resolved, that Bro. Jas. Thompson procure six dimity aprons for the use of the visit- ing brethren."
A provision which will at once appeal to the modern Master provided that members of committees be subject to a fine of fifteen shillings for non-attendance on meetings, and unless satisfactory excuse be made to the lodge suspended or expelled.
Commendable stress was laid upon the observance of the proprieties in the lodge room, a regulation forbidding a member from leaving his seat on any pretense whatever " to walk about the room except it be an officer on his duty, nor shall any refreshment be taken in open lodge or any member leave the room for that purpose without leave from the chair."
From the by-laws we quote the following:
Art. I — The stated meetings of this lodge shall be on the second Monday of each month, to be opened precisely at half-past 6 o'clock in all the months of November, December, January, February, and March, and at half-past 7 o'clock in the months April to October.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary or his deputy to call over the names of the members, when every absentee shall' pay as a fine for non- attendance at every stated meeting 3s. 9d. (Later raised to 7s. 6d.), and for the third neglect a summons shall be issued and unless due respect be paid thereto and satisfactory reasons be given for such non-attendance
26 HISTORY OP r^RHHMASONRY
shall be expelled or suspended for a time as a majority of the members present may deem right.
Art. Ill — Members behaving in an indecent or disorderly manner shall be suspended for the night or fined in the discretion of the members present in a sum not exceeding two dollars.
Art. V. — No Mason shall be admitted as a visitor of this Lodge more than two nights in any one year without paying on stated nights the sum of three shillings and nine pence, neither shall any Mason resident of Geo. Town more than three months be permitted to visit without paying the sum of 7s. 6d.
Art. VII. — Every member shall pay into the hands of the Treasurer or his deputy the sum of 3s. 9d. on all stated nights — 2s. 6d. for the necessary and incidental expenses of the lodge and Is. 3d. for a charity fund to be paid three months in advance.
Art. VIII. — * * * 6 pounds for initiation, 3 for fellowcraft and same for M. M.
Art. X. — [As to ballotting] * * * The J. D. shall furnish every mem- ber present with a white and black ball and after depositing the ballott Box in some convenient part of the room each member shall ballott, and on two black balls being found such candidate stands rejected.
Art. XI. — * * * and in no one night shall more than 3 be passed to the degree of F. C. nor more than 2 to the sublime degree of M. M.
Art. XIII. — A committee of three to serve three months to furnish re- freshments under the direction of the lodge.
The last meeting of the lodge of which there is any record was held December 12, 1790, on which occasion the officers were elected for the ensuing year, an invitation accepted from Federal Lodge, No. 15, to join with them in procession on the next St. John's day, and a bill passed to pay for refreshments furnished at the last meeting, amounting to £1 3s. 9|d., all tending to show that the lodge was then in a vigorous and healthy state, but at some time between that date and 1806 they suspended operations.
Throughout this period Federal Lodge continued in a fairly prosperous condition, and after the collapse of Columbia, No. 19, occupied the Masonic field alone in that part of the new territory constituting the present District of Columbia for the remainder of the century, not only being the exponent of symbolic Masonry, but supporting for a few years, according to the usage of the time, an appendant R. A. Encampment. The ruling spirit of the lodge during the latter years of the
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 27
eighteenth century was Alex. McCormick. an indefatigable Masonic worker, to whose individual efforts the lodge was more than once saved from dissolution, and who afterward became the second Grand Master of the District.
Alexandria-Brooke Lodge, No. 47, located at Alexandria, was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, November 29, 1796, and as it was one of the original lodges uniting to form the Grand Lodge of the District, and as it subsequently, for a period of years, was an important member of the local Ma- sonic confederation, it may properly be considered our prop- erty, and its birth and development noted in regular course.
With the closing hours of the century the immortal Wash- ington passed away at his Mt. Vernon home. His life and death, his character and works, are matters of household his- tory the world over, and need no fulsome repetition here; yet a brief sketch of his Masonic career must needs find place in the history of the Fraternity in this jurisdiction, which owes its very existence to his forceful will and which was the object of his especial solicitude and care during the latter years of his life. November 4. 1752. shortly before reaching his majority, he was initiated in Fredericksburg Lodge. No. 4, Fredericksburg, Va. ; March 3, 1753, nine days after his twenty-first birthday, he passed to the degree of Fellow-craft, and on the 4th of the succeeding August was raised to the degree of Master Mason. Washington was therefore dur- ing his entire adult life a Freemason, and no opportunity was ever permitted by him to pass without manifesting his con- fidence in and respect for the Fraternity. That he took an active part in the formation and conduct of traveling or army lodges during the Revolution is evidenced by the following statement of Brother Scott, P. G. M. of Virginia, in his ad- dress at the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Mon- ument at Richmond, Va., February 22, 1850: "Frequently when surrounded by a brilliant staff, he would part from the gay assemblage and seek the instruction of the lodge. There lived, in 1842, in our sister State, Ohio, Captain Hugh Maloy, then ninety-three years old, who was initiated a Mason in
28 HISTORY OEf FREEMASONRY
the marquee of Washington, he officiating and presiding at the ceremony."
December 27, 1779, a convention of army lodges met at Mor- ristown, N. J., and the subject of a General Grand Lodge was discussed and a committee appointed to address the several existing Grand Lodges on the subject, which, February 7, 1780, was done, and while the name of Washington was not mentioned as first General Grand Master yet it was generally understood to be the choice of the convention. A month pre- viously, at an emergent session of the Grand Lodge of Pennsyl- vania, it was by ballot determined that it was for the benefit of Masonry that there be " a Grand Master of Masons throughout the United States," and upon ballot " his Excel- lency, George Washington, Esq., General and Commander- in-Chief," was unanimously elected. Massachusetts, however, concluding that the movement was " premature and inexpedi- ent," and Virginia, the only remaining Grand Lodge, making no movement, the project died. The action of Pennsylvania doubtless gave rise to the historical error, widely prevalent and stoutly maintained, that Gen. W^ashington was at one time General Grand Master of the United States.
That he was the first Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, is shown by the fact that the charter is di- rected to "our illustrious and well-beloved Brother,. George Washington, Esq., late General and Commander-in-chief of the forces of the United States of America. * * *" Not only was he an active worker in his own lodge, but by the testimony of cotemporaries we learn that he often visited Lodge No. 39, of Alexandria. The prominent part taken by him in the ceremonies incident to the laying of the cor- nerstone of the Capitol building has already been touched upon, and of itself effectually sets at rest the malicious as- sertions appearing from time to time that Washington was not a Mason — a statement so fully controverted by document- ary evidence as to require no denial.
The body of the illustrious dead was consigned to the tomb December 18, 1799, the two Alexandria lodges and
REAR 1417 F STREET, N. W., ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE LITTLE HOTEL.
Home of Federal I^odge, No. 1, 1796-1S04.
PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NEAR FIFTEENTH STREET, N. W., ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS LOVELL'S HOTEL.
iMrst Home of Columbia I<o(l«e, No. 3. 1S(I2-1804.
IN the; district of coi,umbia 29
Federal Lodge of this city uniting as a funeral lodge and being escorted to the vault by an imposing procession in the follow- ing order :
Companies of cavalry, artillery and infantry; military guard of honor; a led horse, bridled and saddled, with the spurred boots of its late rider in the stirrups, and his sword and gaunt- lets at the saddle; the body on a bier covered with a black pall, the tassels of which, three on a side, were held by six colonels of the Revolutionary Army, all Freemasons ; rela- tives and intimate friends ; funeral lodge of Freemasons ; the municipality of Alexandria; citizens; servants of the estate.
As the procession moved to the sound of muffled drums minute guns were fired from a vessel anchored near the wharf.
Upon arrival at the tomb the mourners and Freemasons formed an inner circle enclosed by the military, citizens, and servants. The chaplain of the Alexandria Lodge conducted the burial service from the Book of Common Prayer, and closed with a brief address, after which the Masonic rites were fully performed according to the ancient usage. As bearer of one of the " lesser lights," Brother AlcCormick entered the tomb, and the unconsumed part of the sperm candle he carried was suitably inscribed and preserved by him, and in 1867 came into possession of the Grand Lodge of the District. Ac- cording to the custom of the time, refreshments were served throughout the day.
The beginning of the nineteenth century found Masonry languishing on this side of the river. Federal, the lone rep- resentative, experiencing a period of depression which, how- ever, soon passed, and when on November 8, 1802, the Grand Lodge of Maryland, upon the recommendation of No. 15, granted a charter to Columbia Lodge, No. 35, with a list of twenty-one members, largely drawn from the employes of the Treasury Department, an era of comparative activity set in. The two lodges in 1804 united in the erection on Eleventh Street, N. W., of the building long known as Union Lodge Room, a more particular account of which is given in another chapter, and by this enterprise placed the Fraternity
30
HISTORY O^ FREEMASONRY
on a more substantial and promising footing than it had yet enjoyed.
Over in the East End, or to use a colloquial phrase, " on the Navy Yard," the Masonic leaven was also working, and in re- sponse to a petition from " sundry Brethren working under a dispensation in the Navy Yard at Washington," on May 14, 1805, the Grand Lodge of Maryland issued a warrant to Washington Naval Lodge, No. 41. The selection of the name is easily traceable to the location, and perhaps also to the fact that the war with Tripoli had just ended and the country was ringing with the daring deeds of Decatur and his fleet. This latter assumption seems all the more probable because it was in this city that many of the crews from the fleet were discharged. Tradition indeed holds that from this source the lodge obtained large accessions of membership. As a sample of the warrants issued by the Grand Lodge of Maryland at that time the one granted to Naval Lodge, which is still pre- served, properly calls for reproduction here as one of the valued documents of the Fraternity:
John Crawford, M. D., G.M.
R. NKI.SON,
B. G. M.
To All Whom It May Concern. We the Grand Lodge of the State of Maryland of the most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free & Accepted Masons (according to the OLD institution) duly established, constituted and organized for the said State Do hereby constitute and appoint our trusty and well be- loved Brethren John Davis of Abel, Master, William Smith Senior Warden & John Cummins Junior Warden of a new lodge to be held in the City of Washington in the District of Columbia by the name of " Washington Naval Lodge" Number Forty-one, and We do hereby authorize and empower our said trusty and well beloved Brethren to hold their Lodge at the place hereby appointed and directed at such times as they shall think necessary and convenient and according to the Constitu- tion of Masonry and to admit and make Free Masons according to the
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 3 1
most HONOURABLE custom of the royal craft in all nations throughout the known world and not contrariwise : And we do further authorize and empower our said Brethren and their successors to hear and deter- mine all and singular matters and things relating to the craft within the Jurisdiction of the said Lodge No. 41. And lastly, we do hereby authorize and empower our said trusty and well beloved Brethren John Davis, William Smith, and John Cummins to nominate choose and INSTALL their successors to whom they shall deliver this warrant, and invest them with all their Powers and Dignities as Free Masons and such successors shall in like manner nominate, choose and Install their successors, &c. &c. &c. such institutions to be upon or near St. John the Evangelist's Day during the continuance of this lodge for ever; provided always that the said above named Brethren and their successors pay due respect to the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge from whom they have their authority otherwise this warrant to be of no force or virtue.
Given under our hands and the seal of the Grand Lodge at the City of Baltimore this fourteenth day of May in the Year of our Lord, One thousand eight Hundred and five and of Masonry, Five thousand eight hundred and five.
Jacob Small S. G. W. Ft. James Smyth J. G. W. Ft.
Saml. Vincent G. Sec.
At the same communication of the Grand Lodge there was received and read the proceedings of a lodge held in the City of Washington, termed " The Congressional Lodge," work- ing under a dispensation granted by the Rt. W. G. M., author- izing Bro. Roger Nelson to obtain a charter, and " whereas no other proceedings of said lodge were transmitted, the dues not paid nor the dispensation returned," it was " resolved that no further proceedings take place respecting said lodge and that said lodge be suspended agreeable to the tenor of said dispensation."
Events now moved rapidly. Some little temporary dissension arising between Federal and Naval, the ill-feeling seems to have been carried to the Grand Lodge, and is alleged to have been the cause of the suspension by that body of the charter of Federal, May, 1806, on the charge of having admitted " irreligious and unworthy characters" to membership. Six months later, however, the Grand Lodge removed the sus- pension on the ground that Federal had not been given a proper hearing and that the information on which the pre- vious action had been based had been found to be erroneous.
32 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY
An appropriation of $55 was voted to the lodge to reimburse it for expenses incurred in its defence, and this amende hon- orable clears the record of one of our oldest and most valued lodges.
Over in Georgetown, also, the long dormant Masonic spirit was awakening, and at the communication of the Grand Lodge of Maryland November 6, 1806, a charter was granted to a number of brethren to hold a lodge to be known as Potomac Lodge, No. 43. At the first election of officers Valentine Reintzel, later the first Grand Master of the District, was chosen Master, and under his administration and through his activity the lodge obtained a foothold which has enabled it to weather the storms of more than a century. For the reason that some of the same names appear in the records of Lodge No. 9, Columbia Lodge, No. 19, and Potomac, No. 43, and also because of the fact that fragments of the records of the first two are in the possession of the last named lodge, the conclusion is natural and logical that it may be considered to have been the same lodge with periods of inaction and under different titles.
While not strictly bearing upon the history of events, yet possessing no little value as side-lights to bring into stronger relief the details of the picture of the local Masonic world in those pioneer days, a few extracts from the by-laws of " Po- tomak" Lodge, No. 43, in force in the year 1807, may prop- erly find place here.
The curiously worded preamble is a gem and is as follows :
We, the Master, officers and members of Potomac Lodge, No. 43, of the most ancient and honorable fraternity of Free and accepted Masons, duly constituted by charter from the Grand Lodge of Maryland, bearing date the 12th day of November, A. D., 1806, and now in open lodge
assembled at our lodge-room in Georgetown, this day of January,
1807, Annoque Lttcis, 5807, in order to pay homage and adoration to the Grand Architect, whose divine wisdom having resolved to form the world, and reduced a wild chaos to a fair, regular and permanent system; and who not only traced out the whole plan of the Universe, but gave life and being, form and figure, to every part of what before had been a rude indigested and immovable heap of matter, who said, " Let there be light, and there was light," and the dull, heavy and terrean parts of matter
WILLIAM W. SEATON
GRAND MASTER, 1822-1824.
IN THD DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ^T,
which over clouded the expansion, obeyed the Almighty fiat, and began to range into form and order, and for the purpose of disseminating brotherly love, relief and charity; and to maintain the principles of benevolence and religion inculcated by our Order — have made, estab- lished and confirmed the following articles, as a constitutional code, for the government of ourselves and our successors.
Art. 1. Sec. 2. — The Lodge shall be opened within thirty minutes of the stated hour of meeting and in case the Master and Wardens should be absent the last Past Master (if a member) shall take the chair; and in case no Past Master should be present the oldest Master Mason shall preside and after offering a prayer to the Divinity for a blessing on our labours proceed to business.
Art. II. Sec. 2. — * * * $5 accompanying petition, $15 additional if accepted. * * * g^ifj provided also that where there is only one nega- tive the petition shall lye over until the regular meeting next following — and the member who blackballed the candidate shall in the intermediate time make known his objections with the reason of the same to the Master and Wardens who shall be competent to judge whether they are sufficient and if they are adjudged insufficient or if he neglects or refuses to make them known the candidate may then be received.
Sec. 3 — Each step balloted for as above.
Art. XII, Sec. 3, provides for fining the Master $2, the in- stalled officers $1, and the members 50 cents for non- attendance.
And thus in our hasty survey we have passed through the formative period of organized Masonry in the District of Columbia and stand upon the threshold of our existence as an independent jurisdiction.
34 HISTORY OF free;masonry
CHAPTER IV.
INDEPENDENCE.
THE BIRTH OF THE GRAND LODGE — PIONEER OFFICERS — FORM
OF WARRANTS ISSUED TO SUBORDINATE LODGES
FORMAL NOTIFICATION TO OTHER GRAND LODGES.
'The childhood shows the man as morning shows tlie day."
— Tennyson.
By the END of the first decade of the nineteenth century Masonry was in a comparatively flourishing condition in the District of Columbia, with four lodges, Federal, Columbia, Potomac, and Naval, north, and two, Alexandria- Washington and Alexandria-Brooke, south of the river, and while the ag- gregate membership did not equal that of many of our present lodges, yet in proportion to the population it was numerically strong and healthfully active. As the local fraternity ex- panded and prospered there rapidly developed the American spirit of independence, which soon culminated in a successful movement looking to the formation of a Grand Lodge in and for the District.
The history of this movement and the birth of the Grand Lodge, being events of the most vital moment in our local history, demand as full a report as the scope of this work will permit, and so, as succinctly as may be without sacrificing any essential feature, the following account is presented.
The agitation of the subject, covering a period of several years, resulted in the appointment of delegates by the several subordinate lodges and the meeting of those delegates in con- vention in the then Union Lodge Room, on Eleventh Street,
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 35
N. W., December 11, 1810, to consider the advisability of " establishing and organizing a Grand Lodge in and for said District." Alexandria- Washington Lodge alone held aloof, and tho afterward courteously requested to join the union and as courteously declining, still remained friendly and interested, while continuing to hold to its former allegiance. At this con- vention there were present :
Brothers Alexander McCormick, Patrick Magruder, C. Wil- lis Weaver, Archibald Van Horn, and Charles Glover, of Fed- eral, No. 15; James Gait, Amos Alexander, and James Carson, of Alexandria-Brooke, No. 47; Charles Jones, Orlando Cooke, and Ninian Beall, of Columbia, No. 35 ; John Davis, of Abel, Shadrach Davis, Joseph Cassin, James Kemp, and David Dob- byn, of Washington Naval, No. 41 ; Henry Pyfer, Daniel Kurtz, and Lewis P. W. Balch, of Potomac, No. 43.
It having been unanimously resolved that it was right and expedient to establish and organize a Grand Lodge in and for the District of Columbia, it was further resolved to notify the several lodges to appoint deputies to meet in convention Janu- ary 8, 1811, with full power to form a Grand Lodge and elect and install Grand Officers.
Pursuant to this plan, the authorized deputies met in Union Lodge Room, at 3 P. M. on the date mentioned, and, having resolved that the installed officers of the Grand Lodge should be a Grand Master, a Deputy Grand Master, Grand Senior Warden, Grand Junior Warden, Grand Secretary, and Grand Treasurer, to be elected by ballot (the deputation from each lodge to have collectively one vote), and that not more than one of the five first-named officers should be chosen from the same lodge, proceeded to an election, which resulted as follows :
Valentine Reintzel, Potomac, No. 43, R. W. G. Master; John Kinkaid, Brooke, No. 47, R. W. D. G. Master; Alex- ander McCormick, Federal, No. 15, R. W. Senior G. Warden; Joseph Cassin, Washington-Naval, No. 41, R. W. Junior G. Warden; and Charles Jones, Columbia, No. 35, R. W. G. Secretary.
36 HISTORY 01^ I^REEMASONRY
The selection of a Grand Treasurer was postponed until the next meeting, and, after the appointment of a committee to prepare and submit a constitution for the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, the Secretary was " requested" to for- ward copies of the proceedings of the convention to the sec- retaries of the Grand Lodges of Maryland and Virginia, to be laid before their " respective lodges," and adjournment was had until February 11, 1811, on which date, for reasons im- possible to gather from the meager records, further adjourn- ment was taken until the following Tuesday.
No further adjournment being deemed necessary, this lat- ter date, February 19, ISll, saw the convention again in session and witnessed the birth of the Grand Lodge. Brother John Kinkaid, having in the interim passed away, Brother John Richards, of Brooke, No. 47, was duly elected R. W. D. G. Master, and the position of Grand Treasurer was filled by the selection of Brother John Davis, of Abel, of Washington- Naval, No. 41. The Secretary reported that he had, agree- able to the resolution of January 8, forwarded to the secre- taries of the Grand Lodges of Maryland and Virginia a copy of the proceedings, and accompanied the same with an ex- planatory letter in which he had incorporated the request that the lodges here be permitted to retain the warrants under which they were then working.
The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia then, by unanimous consent of the deputies present, was opened in ample form, when the officers-elect, enumerated above, with the exception of Bro. Chas. Jones, were severally installed and proclaimed as such according to ancient form.
The roster of officers was increased by the selection of Brother Daniel Kurtz, of Potomac, as W. S. Grand Deacon; William O'Neale, of Federal, No. 15, as W. J. Grand Deacon, and Thomas Summers, of Brooke, No. 47, as Grand Tyler.
The committee on preparation of a constitution not being ready to report, a committee to prepare a suitable form of warrant was appointed, and the first meeting of the Grand Lodge closed.
SAMUEL BURCH, Grand master, 1825; grand Secretary, 1815-1821.
IN THE DISTRICT OP COIvUMBIA
7^1
Tuesday, March 12, 1811, the Grand Lodge met agreeable to adjournment, heard the report of the committee on consti- tution, which, after consideration and adoption in part, was referred back to said committee for further consideration. The report of the committee on form of warrants was re- ceived, considered, and unanimously adopted, and then the Grand Lodge " closed in harmony."
These warrants, while following in a general way the form of the Grand Lodge of Maryland, are our own, and a sample, that of Federal Lodge, No. 1, is therefore given :
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
DISTRICT OF COlyUMBIA,
Valentine Reintzel, Grand Master.
John Richards, Deputy Grand Master.
Alex'r McCormick, Senior Grand Warden.
Joseph Cassix, Junior Grand Warden.
To ALL whom it may CONCERN :
Know 3-e that we, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, of the Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of FREE and ACCEPTED MA- SONS, duly established, constituted, and organized for the said District, by and under the authority of a Convention of Deputies from five Lodges, held at the city of Washington on the nineteenth day of Feb- ruary, in the year of Masonry five thousand eight hundred and eleven, do hereby constitute and appoint our trusty and well-beloved brethren, Nicholas D. Queen, Master ; Archibald Van Horn, Senior Warden, and Patrick Magruder, Junior Warden, of a Lodge to be held in the city of Washington, in the said District, by the name of Federal Lodge number one, late Federal Lodge number fifteen, working under the authority from the Grand Lodge of Maryland.
And we do hereby authorize and empower our said trusty and beloved brethren, and their successors, duly elected and installed, to hold their Lodge at the place aforesaid at such times as they may deem necessary and convenient, and to admit and make FrEE Masons according to the Most Ancient and Honorable custom of the Craft.
38 HISTORY OF I^REEMASONRY
And we do further authorize and empower said brethren and their suc- cessors to hear and determine, all and singular, such matters and things relating to the Craft within the jurisdiction of their said Lodge, with the assistance of the members thereof.
And lastly we do further authorize and empower our said truly and well-beloved brethren to install their successors, being first duly elected and chosen, to whom they shall deliver this warrant and invest them with all their powers and dignities as Free Masons, and their successors shall in like manner install their successors, &c., &c., &c., such installation to be on or near Saint John the Evangelist's day, during the continuance of this Grand Lodge. Provided always. That the said above named brethren and their successors pay due respect to this Right Worshipful Grand Lodge and the ordinances thereof; otherwise this warrant to be void and of no effect.
Given in open Grand Lodge, under the hands of our Right Worshipful Grand Officers and the Seal of our Grand Lodge, at the City of Washing- ton, this nineteenth day of February, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and eleven, and of MASONRY five thousand eight hundred and eleven.
Chas. Jones,
Secretary.
Warrants were issued as follows : To Federal, as No. 1 ; Columbia, as No. 2; Brooke, as No. 3; Naval, as No. 4, and Potomac, as No. 5, all bearing date of February 19, 1811.
At the next meeting, occurring April 9, 1811, the following resolutions were adopted :
Resolved, That the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia recom- mend to the different lodges under its jurisdiction the appointment of delegates to meet the Grand Lodges of Maryland and Virginia at their next grand convention, and that they pay their respective dues to said Grand Lodges, and do all other necessary acts and things in relation to obtaining a discharge therefrom.
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed for the purpose of informing the R. W. Grand Lodges of Maryland and Virginia that we have organized and established a Grand Lodge for the District of Colum- bia, giving our reasons therefor, and that they request their concurrence therein.
Tuesday, May 21, 1811, the Grand Lodge again met and completed the roster of officers by the election of the follow- ing: Andrew T. McCormick, Grand Chaplain; Thomas Ar- buckle, S. Grand Deacon; Thomas Holliday, Grand Deacon; Nicholas L. Queen, Grand Marshal; Francis Clark, Grand
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 39
Steward; Ninian Beall, Grand Sword Bearer; John McGill, Grand Pursuivant, and Barney Parsons, Grand Tyler, the formerly-elected Grand Tyler, Brother Thomas Summers, having resigned.
This meeting was notable, in the light of the history of sub- sequent years, in giving birth to the Committee on Corre- spondence, at that time designated as the " Committee of Com- maunication and Correspondence," with the limited duty of sending out extracts of our proceedings to sister jurisdictions. The important addition of collating and publishing extracts from the proceedings of other jurisdictions, which has proved of such inestimable value, came later.
At the next meeting of the Grand Lodge, July 9, 1811, the Constitution was finally adopted, 100 copies ordered printed, and the committee appointed for that purpose reported that they had prepared and transmitted an address to the Grand Lodges of Maryland and Virginia. While unmistakably re- calling the Declaration of Independence and couched in some- what stilted phrase, this address is a model of the writing of the period, and certainly a Masonic paper of absorbing in- terest. We quote it in full :
, R. W. Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of .•
Respected Sir and Brother:
When it becomes necessary that a separation should take place with those who have long been united in the tender ties of mutual harmony and intercourse a sense of gratitude and esteem should impel those who desire that separation freely to declare the reasons by which they are actuated. Under this impression we, in behalf of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, beg leave to state the reasons which influenced the lodges in this District in the measure by them taken.
The right and expediency of establishing a Grand Lodge in this District had for a considerable time engaged the attention of the most experienced Masons of this place. Not willing, however, to confide implicitly in their own judgments in a matter of so much importance, experienced Masons from various parts of the United States were consulted, from the de- cisive nature of whose opinion the practicability of the measure appeared manifest. And at a meeting in convention of deputies from five lodges, after mature consideration, the right and expediency was unanimously de- clared; and afterward, on the 19th day of February, 1811, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia was organized and opened in due form, with full appellant and corrective powers, which, under the superintending
40 HISTORY Olf FREEMASONRY
care and direction of the Supreme Architect, will promote the interests of the craft and extend the empire of Masonry. The propriety of the measure taken was confirmed by a reference to historic facts. In England Masonry flourished but partially until the organization of the Grand Lodge at York, from which time Masonry, literature, arts, and sciences flourished. The same fruitful source of intelligence extending its benign influence across the Atlantic animated our brethren of the Eastern States, who organized Grand Lodges previous to our Revolution, under authority of charters granted from some one of the Grand Lodges in Great Britain, after which they at once saw the impropriety of working under authority derived from a country having different laws, government, and interests from their own, and accordingly gave up the authority under which they had before acted. There then being no head to resort to, the subordinate lodges of several States, by deputies appointed for that purpose, organized Grand Lodges. It is admitted that necessity urged the adoption of this measure, and that the principle was then acknowledged, and has never since been disputed, and that the lodges of each State were entitled to equal privileges. This District being composed of parts of two States, and separated from them in the same degree as one State is from another, was a circumstance that received considerable weight, in addition to which the desire of uniting and harmonizing the citizens of a district thus situated — the expenses and dues retained among us, and the facility of decision in cases within the jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge, were circum- stances that received the consideration due ta their importance. Also, this being the seat of government, it was supposed the most proper place to rear the standard of Masonry, that the enlightened and distinguished men of our country may meet and unite in one general system the several Grand Lodges of the United States.
The lodges here have been directed to return the warrants under which they lately worked to the authority from whom they received them, if required, and to settle their accounts. This will be attended to without delay, and experience leads us to believe that when the subject of our proceedings shall be taken into consideration our motives and conduct will receive the sanction of your approbation.
We cannot on this occasion withdraw from you without experiencing those feelings of regret which flow from a lively recollection of favors bestowed on us for a series of years, and expressing that ardent anxiety for your prosperity which will ever animate our hearts. The sensibility of our feelings is, however, somewhat assuaged with the hope that the strong claim of love will forever be preserved bright between us, and that all our designs and all our exertions will tend to promote the general good.
We are, etc.
(Signed) Amos Alexander,
Chas. Glover,
Co>ni)iittce.
City of Washington, May, 1811.
FORMER MEETING PLACES OF NAVAL LODGE, NO. 4.
1. 1129 Seventh Street, S. E., 1805-1S21. 2. Fifth Street and Virginia Avenue, S. E., 1S21-1S67 3. Same, enlarged, 1867-1895.
IN THK DISTRICT 01^ COLUMBIA 41
It will be observed that the committee could not resist the temptation to deftly suggest the iridescent dream of a General Grand Lodge, a subject already claiming the attention of the Fraternity and rapidly gathering enthusiastic exponents.
At the same meeting the following resolution from the Grand Lodge of Maryland was read:
Resolved, That the several lodges composing the Grand Lodge of the
the District of Columbia, and heretofore working under the authority of
this Grand Lodge, be permitted, according to their desire, to retain their
warrants; and that, upon the several lodges paying all their dues up to
the time of this grand communication, except initiation fees from the
time of their formation of said Grand Lodge, they be recognized as a
Grand Lodge, and admitted into correspondence accordingly.
(Signed) J. Lewis Wampler,
Grand Secretarv. 6th May, A. L. 5811.
This action completed the formal withdrawal from the mother Grand Lodge, a separation amicably effected, and which has never for a moment interfered with the closest and most fraternal connection between the two jurisdictions.
While the usual acknowledgments and good wishes were received from the Grand Lodges of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, Tennessee, and Englanxi, Pennsylvania alone, on the ground that the mere sending of the proceedings covering the formation of a Grand Lodge did not constitute official notifica- tion, held aloof, and it was not until the Grand Lodge of the District had entered into lengthy explanations and disclaimed any intention of being disrespectful, and more than a decade had elapsed, that full fraternal correspondence was established between the jurisdictions.
Thus came into being the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia.
42 HISTORY Olf FREEMASONRY
CHAPTER V.
IN THE EARLY DAYS.
UNION LODGE, NO. 6, AND LEBANON LODGE, NO. 7 — THE RISE
AND FALL OF THE GENERAL GRAND LODGE IDEA —
QUAINT CONSTITUTIONAL REGULATIONS — NOTES.
"A few strong instincts and a few plain rules." — Wadsworth.
The FIRST LODGE to receive its charter from the new Grand Lodge was warranted July 9, 1811, as Union Lodge, No. 6, a lodge formed in the East End, in the territory and upon the recommendation of Naval Lodge, No. 4, and which for many years sustained a most intimate and unique association with the latter body, a detailed account of which may be found in Chapter XV. After a precarious existence of a little over twenty years it surrendered its charter in 1835.
The same year witnessed the birth of Lebanon Lodge, No. 7, which was chartered October 8, 1811, in response to a petition recommended by Federal Lodge, No. 1, and signed by eight brethren, including William Hewitt, subsequently Grand Master.* This Lodge rapidly forged to the front in point of membership, and in 1821 led all its sister lodges with a roster of thirty-nine names. Lebanon rounds out its first century of continuous activity in the year of this publication.
In the first year of its existence the subject of the formation of a General Grand Lodge came up in the newly-formed grand body. This scheme had been agitated for many years, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, as early as 1780, having con- sidered the propriety of appointing a General Grand Master,
* It is worthy of note, too, that the first initiate of the new I^odge. Bro. Roger C. Weight- man, also served the jurisdiction as Grand Master in later years.
IN THE DISTRICT OE COLUMBIA 43
and having subsequently formally elected General George Washington to that position and invited the Grand Lodges of Virginia and Massachusetts to join the movement; but, the latter bodies holding aloof, the election was not consummated and the matter dropped. In the succeeding years, however, it persisted in coming to the front, and, inasmuch as this juris- diction in the earlier years took a leading part in the various movements in this direction, it is deemed a matter of sufficient local as well as general Alasonic interest to warrant a concise resume of what has been referred to in the preceding chapter as an " iridescent dream," and, that the reader who is inter- ested in the subject may have placed before him at once the whole story as it affects the District, we digress from chrono- logical order to pursue it to the end.
At the meeting held October 8, 1811, a resolution was passed to appoint delegates to meet similar representatives from other Grand Lodges, with a view of meeting in grand convention in the City of Washington Monday, January 4, 1812, or such other date as might be agreed on, and under this authoriza- tion delegates were appointed, but, sufficient interest not being taken by the other jurisdictions in the proposition, the con- vention was not held, and the matter lay dormant for a decade.
In the issue of the National Intelligencer of March 9, 1822, appeared the following notice :
Masonic Notice. — Those members of Congress who belong to the Masonic Fraternity, and those visitors of the city who are or have been members of any State Grand Lodge, are respectfully invited to attend a meeting to be held in the Senate Chamber, this evening, at 7 o'clock, to take into consideration matters of general interest to the Masonic insti- tution.
Pursuant to this notice a notable assembly of Members of Congress and other prominent Masons assembled in the Sen- ate Chamber (the present Supreme Court Room) at the Capi- tol on the evening referred to. Bro. Thomas R. Ross, a mem- ber of Congress from the State of Ohio, was elected Chair- man, and Bro. William Darlington, Secretary. This conven- tion, unique and unprecedented in history, when the public
44 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY
character and prominence of the men engaged, the official character of the place, and the object sought after are con- sidered, was an event of peculiar Masonic importance and in- terest, both local and general, and deserves far more space than may here be given, yet cannot be passed without a brief report.
After lengthy debate on the general subject, in which the individual views of the speakers were advanced, the following resolutions, offered by Bro. Henry Clay, of Kentucky, were unanimously adopted :
Resolved, That, in the opinion of this meeting, it is expedient, for the general interests of Freemasonry, to constitute a General Grand Lodge of the United States.
Resolved, That it be proposed to the several Grand Lodges in the United States to take the subject into their serious considerations, at their next annual communication, and that, if they approve of the forma- tion of a General Grand Lodge, it be recommended to them to appoint one or more delegates, to assemble in the city of Washington, on the second Monday of February next, to agree on the organization of such Grand Lodge.
Resolved, That if two-thirds of the Grand Lodges within the LTnited States concur in the propriety of establishing a General Grand Lodge it be recommended to them to instruct their representatives to proceed to the formation of a constitution of a General Grand Lodge, to be subse- quently submitted to the several Grand Lodges in the Union, for their ratification, and which, being ratified by a majority of them, shall be considered as thenceforth binding on all the Grand Lodges assenting thereto.
Resolved, That the Most Worshipful John Marshall, of Virginia ; Henry Clay, of Kentucky; William H. Winder, of Maryland; William S. Cardell, of New York ; Joel Abbott, of Georgia ; John Holmes, of Maine ; Henry Baldwin, of Pennsylvania ; John H. Eaton, of Tennessee ; William W. Seaton, of Washington ; Christopher Rankin, of Mississippi ; Thomas R. Ross, of Ohio ; H. G. Burton, of North Carolina, and the Rev. Thaddeus Mason Harris, D. D., of Massachusetts, be, and they hereby are, ap- pointed a committee to open a correspondence with the respective Grand Lodges within the United States, and to take such measures therein as they may deem expedient to carry the aforesaid resolutions into effect.
The committee referred to, in complying with these reso- lutions, issued a circular letter of some length setting out the growing need of a general governing body and the advantages
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TYLERS BILL. (SEE PAGE 49)
IN THE DISTRICT OP COLUMBIA 45
to be expected from its establishment. Space permits quoting only one paragraph, which appears to contain the conclusion of the whole matter. It reads:
There are two points which at once present themselves in connection with the idea of estabhshing a General Grand Lodge of the United States. The first is to acquire, in a correspondence with foreign nations, an elevated stand for the Masonry of this country; to unite with them in maintaining its general principles in their purity ; and, secondly, to pre- serve, between our own States that uniformity in work, and that active interchange of good offices, which would be difficult, if not impossible, by other means.
Inaugurated under such unusual and brilliant auspices, this movement might be supposed to have acquired sufficient initial momentum to carry it to some equally brilliant result, but truth demands the statement that it shared the fate of pre- vious efforts.
The several jurisdictions failed to warm to the subject. Pennsylvania, while disagreeing with the General Grand Lodge proposition, proposed a convention for the purpose of consulting upon the interests of the Order, to be held in Phila- delphia, or other suitable place, June 24, 1823. Kentucky fol- lowed, by disagreeing with the General Grand Lodge idea and also the substitute offered by Pennsylvania, and, in the face of these discouraging actions, the local Grand Lodge at its meet- ing in November, 1822, proposed, in the form of a resolution, the establishment of a General Grand Lodge, to meet annually at the seat of government, and appointed delegates to repre- sent it at a meeting to be called at Washington the second Monday of February, 1823.
That this meeting did not take place is evidenced by the fact that at the communication of May 6, 1823, a resolution was passed that an address on the subject be prepared and trans- mitted to the sister grand lodges calling their renewed atten- tion to the matter of a General Grand Lodge, and asking their co-operation in a convention for that purpose to be held in this city on the third Wednesday of February, 1824.
This attempt proving equally abortive, twenty years elapsed
46 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
before any further concerted action was undertaken, which may in part be accounted for by the fact that this was the period embracing the remarkable anti-Masonic wave of senti- ment which for a few years swept the country.
On May 8, 1843, however, a National Masonic Convention was held in Baltimore, at which fifteen grand lodges, includ- ing our own, were represented, and while the convention was ostensibly in the interest of uniformity of w^ork other matters were taken up, among which was a proposition to form a Na- tional Masonic Convention — a modification of the General Grand Lodge idea, which preserved to the several grand lodges their independence — and suggesting Winchester, Va., as the next meeting place.
With this proposition our local body fell in, and appointed delegates to the Winchester convention, which was subse- quently scheduled to meet May 11, 1846, upon which date a number of delegates assembled in that city, but, lacking a quorum, transacted no business.
The next movement originated with the Grand Lodge of Maryland, which, in issuing a call for a convention to be held in Baltimore in September, 1847, intimated that it was pre- pared to submit a constitution for adoption by the General Grand Lodge when formed.
The Grand Lodge of the District, always complaisant as well as progressive, was represented at this convention, which adopted an agreement as to the organization and constitution of the proposed General Grand Lodge, to become effective after sixteen grand lodges had agreed to the same. This at- tempt, so carefully conceived and carried out, gave promise of success, but was killed by the failure of a majority of the juris- dictions to ratify the constitution, our own Grand Lodge tak- ing the ground that while a " General Grand Lodge was de- sirable, the Baltimore constitution needed modification to be acceptable."
In the year 1849 several propositions were advanced in the Grand Lodge looking to the formation of a supreme Grand Lodge, and similar movements were started in Maryland and K'hode Island, but without sustained effort or result.
IN the; district oi^ Columbia 4^
In 1853 the District was represented in a convention pro- posed by Maine and held at Lexington, Ky., at which it was held to be inexpedient to form a General Grand Lodge, but proposed a National Confederation for specific objects, and called upon the Grand Lodge to ratify this proposition, which would lay all matter of dispute before the Confederation, to be settled by a two-thirds vote; and for the purpose of further maturing the plans a later convention was held in January, 1855, and articles of confederation drawn up, the Grand Lodge of the District, by resolution, becoming party to the same. This proposition, eliminating as it did the vitally ob- jectionable feature of the General Grand Lodge idea — that of loss of independence — seemed destined to succeed, but, like its predecessors, failed of ratification by the requisite number.
Maine again, in 1857, initiated a movement for a General Grand Lodge, which received the sanction of the local grand body but collapsed at the very outset.
A modification of the same general scheme was proposed in 1859, in a convention held in Chicago, at which the late P. G. M. B. B. French was a delegate as proxy for the then Grand Master, George C. Whiting, for the purpose of forming a so- called North American Masonic Congress; but, the proposi- tion being deemed unsatisfactory, it failed to gain adequate support.
The sentiment against a General Grand Lodge was now crystalizing.
The lesson of the years was being learned by the thinkers of the Fraternity, and the absolute futility of any attempt to form a supreme governing body for the various jurisdictions became so strongly impressed upon them that, while several weak attempts have since been made to revive the idea, none have been of sufficient strength and dignity to warrant de- tailed description.
The experience which has been the outgrowth of these years of struggle has, however, been valuable as a clearer, more definite understanding of the powers and prerogatives of each Grand Lodge within its own jurisdiction has been
48 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
reached, a wholesome respect for the rights of sister Grand Lodges gained, and a tacit though unwritten agreement of mutual aid and correspondence attained which makes for practical union and confederation without the sacrifice of in- dividuality.
Returning from this digression to the contemplation of con- ditions in our infant Grand Lodge, we find that as early as January 14, 1813, the necessity for drastic action to insure at- tendance at the meetings of the Grand Lodge led to the adop- tion of the following amendments to the Constitution :
" Each installed Grand Officer who shall not attend the Grand Lodge at each regular or extra meeting, being duly notified thereof, shall pay a fine of five dollars, unless the Lodge may consider the excuse, if any, reasonable.
" Each Lodge failing to be represented by their officers, or to send a deputation duly authorized at each meeting of the Grand Lodge, shall pay a fine of five dollars, provided the Lodge or Master or Wardens thereof, shall be duly notified of such meeting, unless satisfactory excuse shall be given to the Grand Lodge.
" The Lodge to be opened within half an hour after the time appointed in the constitution or notification, in case of an extra meeting, or as soon thereafter as a sufficient representa- tion may appear, and such fines shall be assessed at large on the proceedings."
As the representatives were elected as such, and were not, as now, the first three officers, it will be understood that in view of the difficulties of communication, the long distances, and the execrable roads, the billet was not a much sought after one. In this connection it is within the memory of a few of the brethren yet with us with whom the author has conversed, that the usual method of reaching the Grand Lodge by the delegates from the outlying lodges was on horseback.
In the first years the Tyler was also the Steward of the Grand Lodge, and that officer was known as the Steward and Tyler, but in 1820 the offices were divorced and a Steward ap- pointed. In 1827, however, the two offices were again united.
ROGER C. WEIGHTMAN, Grand Master, 1833.
IN THE DISTRICT OE COLUMBIA 49
and while a list of jewels in 1829 shows two Stewards' and one Tyler's jewel, yet the offices continued as one for a number of years, the supplementary title of Steward, how- ever, being lost. In 1864 the appointment of two Stewards was authorized, and the official family as we have it today completed.
As a matter of interest, probably unknown to the later gen- eration of Masons, may be cited the fact that upon the forma- tion of the local Grand Lodge, and for many years thereafter, the masters-elect of the subordinate lodges, and not infre- quently the wardens, were installed in that body in a lodge opened in the Past Master's degree. The tendency of the period seemed to be to invest this ceremony with all the dignity and solemnity which properly belongs to it, and which we of the latter days are, perhaps, in our haste, not giving it.
That the matter of proper refreshment for the members of the Grand Lodge at the regular and special meetings was of considerable importance at this time and for a number of years thereafter has documentary confirmation in a sheaf of receipted Tyler's bills, bearing dates in 1811-14, now on the author's desk, and these are so unique, not to say startling, from our present-day viewpoint, that the temptation is strong to give them place here; but as this is inadvisable, we repro- duce one as a fair sample, and trust to the good sense of the reader in examining it to make proper allowance for the dif- ferent standards of that day.
As of course is well known, no uniform blanks for petitions w^ere in use, and as a consequence there are preserved some re- markable efforts in this direction. The two following will serve to illustrate this :
Washington 2iid Jan. i8og.
The petition of Brother respectfully sheweth that he is
a Master Mason and formerly belonged to Philadelphia Lodge, No. 72, and now with the consent of the Bretherin of Federal Lodge, No. 15, wisheth to become a member thereoff. Should your petitioner be so happy as to obtain it he will as in duty Bound Ever pray.
50 HISTORY Off r^REEMASONRY
Greenleaf's Point, Washington City, April 24, 1815. Sir — According to the Directions you give me I send you this line and in hoaps that you will find the character of me that will be suitable to the purpose that I have mentionned to you and by appling to Lieut. Baden or Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Wise you will find. Sir you will peticion for me after you are satisfied of my conduct and by doeing soe you will oblidge yours Intended associate.
The present secrecy surrounding the condition of the ballot does not seem to have obtained in the early days, as we note an instance in 1815 in one of the lodges where the ballot being passed and " 8 black balls appearing, he was of course re- jected ;" and about the same period it was announced after the ballot that the applicant had been " unanimously rejected."
Before leaving these interesting glimpses of the time, it is perhaps M^orthy of note that non-payment of dues was fre- quently punished by expulsion from all the rights and privi- leges of Masonry ; that subordinate lodges sometimes officiated at the laying of cornerstones, and that it was the custom at the opening of each meeting to have read " the charge and prayer."
IN THE DISTRICT 01^ COLUMBIA 5I
CHAPTER VI.
THE FIRST DECADE.
WAR 01^ 1812 ANNUAL VISITATIONS INAUGURATED — FRA- TERNAL CORRESPONDENCE PUBLIC APPEARANCES
DISCIPLINE THE EIRST CONSTITUTION.
And Statesmen at her councils met Who knew the Seasons." — Tennyson.
The FIRST DECADE of the existence of the Grand Lodge shows a slight falHng off in point of numbers, for while the two new lodges referred to in the preceding chapter were formed within that period they were drawn almost entirely from the other lodges, and altho for the first few years the aggregate membership can only be deduced approximately from fragmentary returns, yet a reasonably accurate compu- tation shows about 250 members in 1814, while the complete returns for 1821 show only a total of 219.
It is not the province of the historian to theorize on the facts presented, for the intelligent reader will draw his own conclusions, yet in seeking an explanation of this apparently retrograde movement attention should be given to the fact that instead of separate units owing allegiance to distant grand bodies the lodges were now welded together with com- mon interests, and responsible to a common authority at their very doors, and this condition might well be supposed to re- sult in the exercise of more especial care in the selection of material and the weeding out of objectionable timber.
At the communication of the Grand Lodge of July 14, 1812,
52 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
which, in the quaint phraseology of the day, " closed in ample form and great harmony," a Committee on Correspondence was appointed, which subsequently at each annual communi- cation until November 6, 1831, reported that they found noth- ing worth the attention of the Grand Lodge, but on the latter date suggested the printing of certain extracts culled from the proceedings of other grand lodges in our own annual publi- cation. The systematic review of the proceedings of our sister grand lodges did not, however, approach its present form until 1849, when quite an exhaustive report was sub- mitted, signed by Brother Charles S. Frailey, Grand Master, 1855-6, and Brother Thomas Miller, since which time this valuable and instructive feature of the annual reports has been handled by a succession of eminent local Masonic writers, among whom it involves no invidious comparison to mention especially our late Brother, Grand Secretary Wm. R. Single- ton, whose work along that line was for many years of na- tional reputation, and P. G. M. George W. Baird, the present chairman, a profound student of Masonry, whose work is of the most scholarly character. While a scarcity of funds has from time to time necessitated limiting the space allotted to these unselfish toilers, 3^et ample recognition of their worth has never been withheld, and the cumulative result of the last half century constitutes a liberal education in Masonic jurispru- dence to him who cares to take advantage of the opportunity offered.
The War of 1812, while bringing many exciting and terri- fying days to the inhabitants of Washington, especially at the time of the occupation of the city by the British, does not seem to have affected the Fraternity, the destructive work of the troops being confined to the public buildings, private prop- erty, in the main, being respected. In the defense of the Capital it is a matter of record that many members of the Fraternity took part either in the force under Commodore Barney or in the militia called out to aid in repelling the in- vading army. A little later we find among the visitors to the various lodges English and Irish brethren whom it is reason-
MASONtC HALL, JEFFERSON STREET, GEORGETOWN, D. C.
Home of Potomac lyOdge, No. 5, ISIO to 1S40.
'FORREST HALL" HIGH (NOW THIRTY-SECOND) STREET, GEORGETOWN. D. C.
Home of Potomac I^odge, No. 5, 1852 to 1839.
IN THE DISTRICT OE COLrUMBIA 53
able to suppose wore the uniform of the enemy. Once over the threshold of the lodge, however, they met as brethren and not as foes, and who can estimate the vast influence for good that sprang, then as now, from this practical application of the spirit of universal brotherhood?
Systematic correspondence with other jurisdictions was in- augurated by order of the Grand Lodge in 1813, and the year following the proceedings were printed and distributed for the first time, the pamphlet being 3^X5 inches and the bill $10.
In 1813, also, a resolution was passed to visit the subordi- nate lodges once a year, and while there is no record of com- pliance with the order until 1818, yet the former date marks the inauguration of a custom peculiar to the District of Co- lumbia, which has been observed with comparatively few omissions to the present time. From a mere perfunctory busi- ness inspection, at which not infrequently several lodges, and on at least one occasion, in 1849, as many as five lodges, would meet in joint session for that purpose, the visitations were later, in the administration of Grand Master Donaldson, made entertaining and instructive by the introduction of com- petent lecturers with suitable topics, and in the earlier days of this innovation the speakers were selected by the Grand Mas- ter, who only in comparatively recent years has given over this duty to the subordinate lodges. The presence of the entire official line of the Grand Lodge at each of the subordinate lodges once a year is, as has been said, only possible in a juris- diction as compact and limited as this, and is a privilege as unique as it is agreeable and educational.
The year 1813 was one of initiative, for, in addition to the matters above mentioned, a set of jewels was obtained for the grand officers for the first time. According to the custom of the period, the jewels proper were subordinated to the collars, from which they were pendant, the latter being of huge size to our modern local eyes, and in marked contrast to the jewels of the present, with their modest ribbons clasping the neck. The evolution was the work of a century, and has been along a line practically untouched by many other jurisdictions, the
54 HISTORY OF IJ'RHEMASONRY
more conservative still holding tenaciously to the elaborate collar.
At the communication of January 10, 1815, it was decided to recognize the services of the Grand Secretary by the pay- ment of a salary, and this was fixed at $20. This sum was increased and decreased at various times until the Grand Lodge, entering upon an era of comparative prosperity, in the middle of the century, in 1850 increased it to $100, and in 1872 to $300, from which time its growth was steady until the present salary of $1,200 was reached, but has hardly kept pace with the immense increase of the business of the office, which now requires the undivided time and attention of the Grand Secretary. This position, for so many years held by that noted Masonic scholar and writer, the late Brother Wm. R. Singleton, has now been filled for more than ten years by Brother Arvine W. Johnston, who has won an enviable repu- tation by the acceptable transaction of the arduous duties of his office.
The first public appearance of the new Grand Lodge took place September 14, 1815, when the cornerstone of St. John's Episcopal Church, Sixteenth and H Streets, N. W., was laid according to ancient Masonic usage, R. AV. Grand Master Davidson presiding.
During this decade there was also laid the cornerstones of a building for Brooke Lodge, No. 2, at Alexandria, Va., July 8, 1818; of the Second Presbyterian Church, in Georgetown, July 29, 1820, and of the new City Hall, August 22, 1820, the latter being attended with especial ceremony and display and justifying the following brief description :
A procession according to the form usual on such occasions was formed at Union Lodge Room and moved under the command of three grand marshals to Strother's Hall, where, according to the arrangements previously made, it was joined by the clerks of the several judicial tribunals of the District of Columbia, the Clerk of the Supreme Court of the L^nited States, the Marshal of the District of Columbia and his deputies, the Attorney of the United States for the District
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 55
of Columbia, Ambassadors from foreign governments and their secretaries, Commissioners of the public buildings, Secre- taries and other heads of Departments of the Government of the United States, President of the United States, Master Builders and Principal Architect of the work, officers of the Corporation of the City of Washington, Mayors of the towns of Georgetown and Alexandria, ex-Mayors of Washington, the Boards of Aldermen and Common Council of the City of Washington, officers civil, military, and naval, of the United States, and the citizens of the District of Columbia and the adjoining country generally, and strangers then within the City of Washington. The procession thus formed, augmented by a large concourse of spectators, proceeded to the site, where M. W. Grand Master William Hewitt made an address and after an invocation proceeded to lay the cornerstone with the customary ceremonies, upon the conclusion of which Brother John Law delivered the oration of the occasion.
The first celebration of St. John's day occurred December 27, 1817, on which occasion the Grand Lodge, escorted by the several subordinate lodges and led by a brass band, formed a procession and proceeded to the Protestant Episcopal Church near the Navy Yard and listened to an appropriate discourse by the Rev. Bro. Andrew T. McCormick. It may be said in passing that this method of observing the day was for a num- ber of years a popular one, and invariably included a band and substantial refreshments, the latter feature, indeed, being considered of such paramount importance that when, in a spasm of economy in 1831, the Grand Lodge resolved that not more than $20 be expended for refreshments at one time, the provision was inserted that this would not apply to St. John's day. A moment's reflection makes this understandable, for the difficulties of travel from one part of the city to another was such that these affairs were practically all-day matters, and it was not only desirable but necessary that food and drink be provided.
In striking contrast with the point of view of the present, is the fact that on October 19, 1819, a resolution was passed by
56 HISTORY OF FRKKMASONRY
the Grand Lodge to petition Congress to authorize a lottery to raise $50,000 for the purpose of erecting a Masonic Hall in this city, a favorite method of the time for raising funds for such purposes. No action, however, was taken under the resolution.
The matter of the proper designation of the various officers having been under discussion it was, in 1820, ordered that the appellation of the grand officers be Most Worshipful Grand Master, Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master, and Right Worshipful Grand Wardens, Secretary, and Treasurer, re- spectively, while the Masters of the subordinate lodges should be styled Right Worshipful and the Wardens Worshipful. These titles remain unchanged as far as the grand officers are concerned, but have long since been modified in the sub- ordinate bodies, where the simple Worshipful Master and Wardens alone are used.
A standing resolution, which provoked a great deal of dis- cussion in the Grand Lodge and was finally repealed after some years' operation, provided that " it shall be the duty of the lodges working under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge to advertise all expulsions for unmasonic conduct in one or more newspapers pul)lished in the District of Columbia after such expulsion shall have been sanctioned by the Grand Lodge."
The matter of disciplining the brethren for unmasonic con- duct these days was not neglected, and if in reading over some of the charges and specifications we are in turn shocked and amused, we must, for a proper appreciation of the situation, consider the radical difference between the social conditions of that day and this. Thus fortified we can read with some degree of equanimity of the trial and suspension of Brother
, in 1815, on the following charge and specification:
" Violation of his obligation by entering into and breaking the cellar of my house in the absence of myself and family, and taking out for his own use a quantity of liquor, for which he has never made or offered any explanation or acknowledg- ment * * *."
WILLIAM W. BILLING, Grand Master, 183 5-1837.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 57
At a later date, in one of the lodges we find this quaintly- worded entry: "Brother exhibited the following
charge against Brother : ' Brethren, I hereby charge
Brother with unmasonic conduct, inasmuch as he
threatened to cut my throat. Yours, respectfully, ,
Again we read as one of the specifications against a brother that he " has been seen by a member of this lodge riding a bull about the streets and acting in an unmasonic manner. * * *."
In another place is shown the charge against a member of the Fraternity, " that he threatened to cowskin a brother."
Happily many of the differences were settled " out of court," it frequently being found only necessary to bring about mutual explanations to effect harmony; but it is indicative of their stern sense of duty that our early predecessors never shirked that most unpleasant of Masonic duties, the trial.
It is a matter of regret that altho 100 copies of the first constitution of the Grand Lodge were printed in 1812, the most diligent search has failed to bring one to light, and, in- teresting as that document in its entirety would have been, we must perforce be satisfied to judge of it by the few amend- ments which are of record and which have already been quoted, together with the constitution of 1820, which, being the first available instrument of its kind and possessing the merit of brevity, is quoted in full.
CONSTITUTION.
Article 1. The Grand Lodge shall meet in the city of Washington on the first Tuesday in every November and May, at 10 o'clock a. m.
Art. 2. The installed officers of the Grand Lodge shall be elected by ballot at the meeting in November, after the business of the Grand Lodge shall have been acted on and disposed of. The officers elected shall be declared as elected for their respective offices from St. John, the Evan- gelist's Day, inclusive, for one year, or until their successors are elected and installed; and they shall be accordingly so installed and invested as the Lodge may determine, at any time on or before St. John's Day next succeeding the election.
If any officer-elect be absent at the General Installation, the Lodge, or
5^ HISTORY OP PRKEMASONRY
the Grand Master, shall appoint some suitable brother to install him at some other time and place soon after.
No person shall be declared elected to office who hath not received a majority of all the votes given in on the last ballot.
And in case of the death, removal, resignation, or inability to serve, of any of the officers so elected, the vacancy shall be filled with the least possible delay for the remainder of the term. Notice of resignations to be given at a meeting previous to being acted on, and may be accepted or rejected by the Lodge.
Art. 3. The officers to be elected according to the above articles, are —
1. The Most Worshipful Grand Master.
2. The Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master.
3. The Worshipful Senior Grand Warden.
4. The Worshipful Junior Grand Warden.
5. The Worshipful Grand Secretary.
6. The Worshipful Grand Treasurer.
The officers to be chosen by ballot or otherwise as the members present may agree on, are —
7. Grand Chaplain.
8. Grand Senior Deacon.
9. Grand Junior Deacon.
10. Grand Marshal.
11. Grand Steward.
12. Grand Sword Bearer.
13. Grand Pursuivant.
14. Grand Tyler.
And shall each (except the Tyler) be entitled to a vote on all questions.
Art. 4. Each installed Grand Officer who shall not attend the Grand Lodge at each regular or extra meeting, being duly notified thereof, shall pay a fine of five dollars, unless the Lodge shall consider the excuse, if any, reasonable.
Art. 5. The honorary members of the Grand Lodge are, Past Installed Grand Officers, being members of a lodge, the Master and Wardens of the lodges working under this jurisdiction.
Every Past Master who hath served six months in the chair, being a member of a lodge.
Art. 6. Every lodge, working under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge, shall be represented at every meeting of this Lodge by their deputy or deputies, not exceeding five, who shall be Past Master Masons ; and each lodge, by their deputy or deputies, shall have a vote on all ques- tions before the Grand Lodge.
Art. 7. Each lodge failing to be represented by their officers, or to send a deputation duly authorized at each meeting of the Grand Lodge, shall pay a fine of five dollars, unless satisfactory excuse shall be given to the Grand Lodge: Provided, The lodge, or Master or Wardens thereof, shall be duly notified of such meeting.
Art. 8. The Master and Wardens of a lodge shall be the legal repre-
IN THE DISTRICT OE COLUMBIA 59
sentatives, unless the lodges shall think proper to be represented by other members; the names of all deputies thus chosen, to be communicated to the Secretary of this Lodge. A representation from five lodges shall be sufficient to elect or disqualify officers, to expel members, and to act on all cases within the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge.
Art. 9. Every lodge under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge, shall make a just and true return to this Lodge, at the meeting in November, of all their members, the grade in which they stand, resignations, deaths, rejections, suspensions and expulsions; and for every neglect to make return as aforesaid, shall pay a fine, to this Lodge, of five dollars; they shall pay one dollar for every new-made brother, and fifty cents for every member at each return. Every lodge neglecting to make return and pay- ment of their dues and fines, shall not be allowed to vote by their deputies in this Lodge. And if they refuse or neglect to make return and payment as aforesaid, for two years, the warrant of such lodge or lodges, shall be recalled.
No lodge shall initiate more than five at the same meeting, or any candi- date that has been rejected by another lodge under this jurisdiction, within one year after such rejection; nor shall any candidate receive more than one degree at the same meeting (cases of emergency only excepted).
Art. 10. All fines to be assessed at large on the proceedings.
Art. 11. This Grand Lodge shall have, exercise, and enjoy, full and complete appellant and corrective powers, in all cases relating to the Craft, within its jurisdiction, to assess such contributions from time to time, as the good of the Craft may require, to warrant and organize lodges in this District; such warrant to be prepared by the Secretary, and signed by the installed officers ; and there shall be paid therefor, before the same is delivered, twenty-five dollars for the use of this Lodge, and five dollars for the Secretary.
Art. 12. The Most Worshipful Grand Master to preside when present; he may call an extra meeting of the Lodge when an emergent occasion shall require ; he shall preserve peace and harmony in the Lodge, or cause it to be done. In case of the absence of the INIost Worshipful Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master shall preside, and so on to the Junior Warden. And if none of the above-named officers be present, then the senior officer of a lodge, not less than Junior Warden, shall preside, the officers of the senior Lodge to have the preference, in case there be two of the same grade; the presiding Master to make appointments pro tem. to fill all vacancies for the meeting, to decide all questions of order not provided for in this constitution, with the right of an appeal from his decision to the Lodge.
Art. 13. All Past Grand Masters, Past Deputy Grand Masters, and Past Grand Wardens, shall, in each grade collectively, be entitled to one vote.
Art. 14. The Past Masters of each lodge present, at any meeting of the Grand Lodge, shall have one vote collectively, but any Past Master otherwise entitled to a separate vote in the Grand Lodge, shall not have a right to a voice in this vote. And if no Past Master be present, from
6o HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
any lodge which has a Past Master, then the delegates from that lodge shall give the Past Master's vote.
Art. 15. All questions before the Grand Lodge shall be determined by a majority of the votes of the members present, entitled to vote, except on motion (the mover and seconder being of different lodges) it may be determined by a vote by lodges, that the question be taken by lodges.
Art. 16. The members of the Grand Lodge shall take their seats accord- ing to the seniority of their respective lodges, and shall not remove from, or change the place assigned them by the Pursuivant during the commu- nication, without the permission of the presiding Master.
Art. 17. No person shall be admitted in the Grand Lodge, before his name shall be announced in the Lodge, and leave given by the presiding Master.
Art. 18. The duty of the Treasurer is, to keep a fair and just account of all moneys received and paid by him, on account of this Lodge, and to exhibit the same to this Lodge at every regular meeting, and, on the order of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, or the presiding ofificer, attested by the Secretary, to pay any money in his hands or possession, belonging to this Lodge.
Art. 19. The duty of the Secretary is, to keep a fair record of the pro- ceedings of the Lodge, to sign all drafts on the Treasurer, to keep an account with the Treasurer, and with the respective lodges under this jurisdiction, and also to keep an account of all fines incurred under this constitution, and make report thereof to this Lodge at every meeting, to take care of, and safe keep the books, papers, and seal of this Lodge, to issue summonses when directed by the senior officer of this Lodge, in the District, and to do and perform all other duties appertaining to the office of the Secretary; and he shall deliver to this Lodge, or a committee thereof, all books, papers, etc. in his possession, whenever directed so to do by the Lodge.
Art. 20. The duty of the Marshal is to conduct and command all pro- cessions of the Grand Lodge, to enforce the orders of this Lodge, or of the presiding Master, and to serve all special summonses.
Art. 21. The duty of the Pursuivant is, to attend the admission of every member or visitor, to see that they enter the Lodge in a proper manner, and that they take and keep the stations assigned them.
Art. 22. The Lodge to be opened within half an hour of the time appointed in the constitution, or in the notification, in case of an extra meeting; or as soon thereafter as a sufficient representation shall appear.
Art. 23. All amendments and additions to this constitution, must be submitted at a previous meeting; or a copy of such alteration, addition or amendment, must be served on and left with the Masters of the several lodges under this jurisdiction, two months previous to being acted on.
The foregoing is the constitution of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, as amended up to the 20th May, A. D. 1820, A. L. 5820. and
ordered to be published.
Samuel Burch,
Sccrctivv Grand Lod<:c.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 6l
An amendment was adopted May 2-i, 1822, which grew out of several unsatisfactory experiences and was as follows :
Art. 24. That it shall not be competent for the Grand Lodge to hold any procession or ceremony for the purpose of laying the cornerstone of any edifice, except such building be intended for Masonic purposes unless the persons requesting the same, or those having an interest in, or super- mtending the erection of such edifice, shall previously agree to pay all expenses, if any there may be, attending said procession or ceremonv, including music and necessary refreshments.
62 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
CHAPTER VII.
DARK DAYS AND BRIGHT.
FIRST MERIDIAN — THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT FIRST MA- SONIC TEMPI.E — FORMATION OF LODGES 8, 9,
10, 11, 12, AND 13 THE ANTI-MASONIC
WAVE REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM —
CORNERSTONES — NOTES.
'Truth forever on the scaffold; Wrong forever on the throne — • Yet that scaffold sways the future; and behind the dim unknown Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own."
— Lowell.
That the Grand Lodge at this time had a by no means narrow conception of its duty as a promoter of the public wel- fare has striking illustration in the fact that there was laid before that body, November 5, 1822, a letter from Brother William Lambert, late of Lebanon, No. 7, accompanied by a printed copy of his report to the President of the United States made in November, 1821, relative to the longitude of the Capitol in the City of Washington, together with a sup- plemental report on the same subject made in the month of March, 1822, and presented as a testimonial of respect from the author, and upon the reception of which a suitable resolu- tion was passed, which was, at the meeting of May, 1823. amplified into the following:
Whereas, this Grand Lodge did at their last annual communication, held on the 5th of November last, declare " that the encouragement and diffu- sion of learning and science is among the objects embraced by the institu- tion of Masonry," and believing that the measures which have been, and
IN THE DISTRICT OP COI.UMBIA 63
may be taken for the establishment of a first meridian for the United States at the seat of their government ought to be supported, as tending to lessen, if not to remove, a dependence on Great Britain or other European kingdom, for such meridian ; and also to disseminate among our fellow^ citizens the knowledge of a useful branch of science ; therefore,
Resolved, That the members of this Grand Lodge v^^ill use such influence as they may possess, to induce the proper constituted authorities of this country to carry into effect a national object, in which the inhabitants of the District of Columbia, in common with the citizens of the respective States composing the American Union, must feel themselves materially interested.
At the meeting of May 4, 1834, a resolution was adopted taxing every brother who visited the Grand Lodge fifty cents, to be demanded of him at the door by the Treasurer unless the Grand Lodge saw fit to admit him without payment. This resolution, meeting with natural objection, was only in force until November 1, 1825, when it was repealed.
On May 4, 1824. also, the list of lodges was lengthened by the granting of a charter to Humphrey Peake, G. Thornton, Isaac Kell, and other Master Masons, residing in Alexandria, D. C., to form a lodge to be known as " The Evangelical Lodge of Alexandria, No. 8," the M. W. G. M., W. W. Seaton, previously stating that he had granted a dispensation to these brethren April 23, preceding. This lodge, coming into existence close upon the stormy period of Masonic per- secution, was not destined to survive, and became extinct in 1843. During its life the Grand Lodge at least once met in its room in Alexandria, in 1838, and it is of record that altho the constitutional hour of convening was 4 P. M., by reason of the delay of the boat in making the " voyage" it was 7 P. M. before the meeting could be held.
As we pass along the beaten track of history we cannot resist the temptation to take note of matters, trivial in them- selves and yet not without value as uncovering what to our eyes were unusual conditions, and among these we note that it was the regular custom of the Grand Master to retire from the meetings of the Grand Lodge, frequently for almost the entire time taken for the transaction of business, and return later
64 HISTORY OF I'REEMASONRY
with some pomp and circumstance, the Deputy Grand Master in the meantime officiating. Another custom, which obtained on occasion, was appeaHng from the decision of the Grand Master or acting Grand Master, when in the judgment of the members he was faulty in his interpretation of the constitu- tion or regulations, a proceeding peculiar to the period, wholly without warrant of ancient usage, and happily but compara- tively short-lived.
November 2, 1824, The New Jerusalem Lodge, No. 9, was chartered, the Grand Master having previously, on October 4, of the same year, granted a dispensation to said lodge on the petition of William Hewitt (Grand Master 1820, 21, 28, 29), Henry Whetcroft, Thomas Staley, and others. Master Masons. While starting with an unusually small charter list — but eight names appearing on the first return — this lodge has had a steady and prosperous growth and a brilliant career, and now ranks well up near the top in numerical and financial standing.
One of the customs of the Fraternity in this era, to which passing allusion has already been made, was the frequent for- mation of processions, and this ceremonious public appearance was not confined to funerals and cornerstone layings, as at present, but was usual in their attendance upon divine and memorial services and in public functions not strictly of a Masonic character. A not unusual occurrence was the forma- tion of a procession by a lodge or lodges, accompanied by the children from an orphans' home, a special feature of which was the collection of a voluntary contribution at the end of the march for the benefit of the institution, and it is gratifying to note that these offerings invariably netted a comfortable sum. Any public appearance, whether for a funeral or other- wise, was seldom made without the services of a brass band; but it must be remembered in this connection that carriages were rarely used, that luxurious method of performing a duty coming in with a later age. The obligation to attend the funeral of a deceased brother was properly considered of the first importance and as a result we find the record of numer- ous gatherings on all these occasions, no stress of weather.
MARMADUKE DOVE,
Grand master. 1839.
IN THE DISTRICT OE COI.UMBIA 65
apparently, operating to prevent the brethren from being pres- ent and joining in the solemn march and simple rites that marked the passing of a Master Mason,
The history of Naval Lodge, No. 4, furnishes an instance of unusual and impressive conditions in the burial at 10 o'clock of a mid-winter's night, with the earth covered with snow, of the remains of a brother whose death from small-pox neces- sitated hasty interment under circumstances which must have stamped the occasion indelibly upon the minds and hearts of every one present, for given but the bare statement of the time and place, the character and purpose of the gathering, and it needs no master hand to paint the scene, but the most sluggish imagination easily conjures up the weird picture with all its awesome details.
As early as November 1, 1825, the Grand Lodge passed a set of resolutions commending the project of erecting a monu- ment to George Washington and pledging its active co-opera- tion and aid in that enterprise, and it is no exaggeration to say that the mammoth obelisk now for many years the pride of the country, owes its existence to the efforts of the Masonic Fraternity in general and the local craft in particular. In this connection it may be stated that Washington's birthday was for many years celebrated annually by the Masons of this jurisdiction with great display and oratory.
On November 1, 1825, the minimum fee for conferring the degrees was fixed at $20. Following the subject to its con- clusion, we find that on November 4, 1834, this sum was reduced to $15; was later raised to $21; again, in 1844, re- duced to $16; increased in 1850 to $21; in 1864 to $30; in 1867 to $40; in 1876 to $45, and in 1889 to $50, the present figure.
The event of paramount importance in the year 1826 was the laying of the cornerstone of the Masonic Temple at Four-and-a-Half (John Marshall Place) and D Streets, N. W., an enterprise of great moment to the local craft, which, tho unhappily of disastrous termination, marked an era in our history, and is of such interest that a detailed account, not 5
66 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
only of the ceremonies attending the event but the subsequent history and final loss of the building, is given in the chapter devoted to the " Meeting Places of the Fraternity."
On April 10 of the following year the Grand Lodge laid the cornerstone of the First Presbyterian Church, a few doors from the new Masonic Hall, and it is worthy of mention that it was only agreed to perform the function after the Church had obligated itself to pay all expenses. The accounts of the ceremonies show the occasion to have been a most brilliant affair, and an auspicious inauguration of one of our oldest and most influential church organizations. Practically un- changed exteriorly, tho somewhat modernized as to its in- terior, the building stands to-day as the home of the same congregation.
In this year Masonry took organized form in the old First Ward, Hiram Lodge, No. 10, located in the eastern edifice of the Seven Buildings, north side of Pennsylvania Avenue, be- tween Twenty-first and Twenty-second Streets, N. W., being chartered December 27, 1827, with Thos. Wilson as Master; Thos. Smith, S. W., and Chas. G. Wilcox, J. W. This lodge, successful from the start, while changing its abode a number of times, has never wandered far from the vicinity of its first location, and has for a number of years had its home at the southwest corner of Nineteenth Street and Pennsylvania Ave- nue, N. W.
March 29, 1828, witnessed an unusual Masonic demonstra- tion in a joint procession formed by the Grand Lodge and Grand R. A. Chapter to testify to the high respect entertained by the Fraternity for the " exalted character and extensive usefulness'' of De Witt Clinton, late Governor of New York and G. G. H. P. of R. A. Masons of the U. S. A., and the subsequent attendance in St. John's Church at a memorial service.
May 31, of the same year, the cornerstone of another church edifice in the immediate neighborhood of the new Tem- ple, Trinity Episcopal, was laid by the Grand Lodge. This church occupied the site now covered by the Columbian Law
IN THE DISTRICT 01^ COLUMBIA 67
Building, Fifth Street, opposite Judiciary Square, and long since passed away, the congregation now meeting in a modern edifice at Third Street and Indiana Avenue.
At about the time of the inauguration of the building enter- prise by the Fraternity the great anti-Masonic wave, which had its origin in the alleged abduction and murder of one William Morgan, of Batavia, N. Y., a subject now so familiar to every Mason as to require no extended notice here, began to grow in volume and sweep over the country. By 1829, when Andrew Jackson, P. G. Master of Tennessee, became President, anti-Masonry had become a national issue, and for nearly a decade a political and even social persecution was waged that seriously threatened the life of the Fraternity in this country. Locally the force was felt to an alarming de- gree, and while a certain accession of membership was trace- able to the curiosity aroused by the advertisement given the society, yet many of the weak-kneed fell away, and the various lodges were often reduced to sore straits, and necessarily and sympathetically the Grand Lodge had a serious time to weather the storm. Under the stress Brooke Lodge, No. 2, went out of existence in 1833, Columbia in 1835, Union in the same year, while Federal surrendered its charter in 1836. Brooke Lodge and Union Lodge never revived, but Columbia came to life after thirty years, and Federal remained dormant but one year. It is a matter of tradition so well verified as to amount to history, that Naval Lodge, No. 4, during the height of the disturbance met secretly in the home of the Command- ant of the Navy Yard. Over in the West End it is interesting to note that the celebrated and eccentric itinerant preacher, Bro. Lorenzo Dow, who was neither ashamed nor afraid to avow himself a Mason, on May 10, 1830, when the excite- ment was at flood tide, addressed Potomac Lodge and a large number of visiting brethren on the subject of Masonry. This noted man and Mason died in 1834 and was buried masonically by Potomac Lodge. This lodge also felt the effects of the troublous times, and fell off in membership and interest to such a degree that in 1837 but five meetings were held, but a
68 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
reorganization was effected in 1838 and an era of prosperity entered upon.
Before leaving the subject, some idea of the remarkable condition of affairs may be gathered from the fact that on Sunday, September 13, 1835, one of the usual processions, accompanied by and for the benefit of the orphan children from the Female Orphan Asylum of Washington, was organ- ized in " ancient form," after having been deferred from a previous date, according to the explanation of the Grand Mas- ter, " in consequence of the excited state of public feeling, etc." However, there were a sufficient number " left among the living to bury the dead," and, purged of dross, the Fra- ternity in a few years took a new lease of life which has since known nought but vigorous health and growth.
We have noted the fact that in 1821 full returns gave the aggregate membership as 219. By 1825, altho two new lodges had been instituted in the meantime, the rosters footed up but 227 names. With Hiram added, the rolls in 1828 reached a total of 273 ; but, owing to the fact that for a period extending from January 1, 1829, to November 4, 1845, no Grand Lodge proceedings were printed and the manuscript data now available is meager and incomplete, no satisfactory estimate can be ventured upon of the increase or decrease numerically during these years, but covering, as the hiatus does, the full period of the Masonic depression, it may be surmised that in point of numbers Masonry reached its lowest ebb in this locality somewhere within these dates, and, indeed, it is of record that absolutely no growth was experienced for the five years preceding the later date.
Struggling along under these adverse conditions, the Grand Lodge was in a continual state of financial stringency, owing not only to the depleted membership but to the inability to collect the fines, and the repeated neglect of some of the lodges to pay their dues, and the dissatisfaction engendered by this embarrassing delinquency reached its culmination in 1832, and led to the introduction of a resolution to recommend the consolidation of Lodges 1 and 3, 4 and 6, and 2 and 8. While
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 69
this resolution was subsequently " laid on the table," its intro- duction serves to show how grievous were the times upon which the Fraternity had fallen.
The period of Masonic depression referred to above did not, however, result in the complete withdrawal of the Craft from public demonstration, for in addition to the procession for the benefit of the Female Orphan Asylum already alluded to there were many other public appearances for similar charitable purposes as well as cornerstone layings, prominent among which latter was that of the United German Church, Twentieth and G Streets, N. W., August 12, 1833, and that of the Methodist Protestant Church, Ninth, between E and F Streets, N. W., in March, 1835, while on January 11, 1836, the cornerstone of Jackson City was laid by P. G. M. Wm. W. Billing, assisted by M. W. Brother Andrew Jackson, P. G. M. of Tennessee and President of the United States. Inaugu- rated under such auspicious circumstances this embryo city should properly have attained the largest measure of success, but in all charitableness we ring down the curtain upon its subsequent history.
At the very flood-tide of the great wave of persecution evi- dence is not wanting of life in the local Fraternity and of restless effort to resume all normal functions, and this spirit finds expression in an unsigned paper, bearing date of Janu- ary, 1836, which appears to indicate an abortive attempt to establish a " Lecture Lodge," the object being, it is fair to presume, mutual improvement in Masonic work and lore through the medium of lectures. In no spirit of mirth or criticism, but simply to retain the atmosphere of the docu- ment, unique from every point of view, we quote it literally:
Whereas Masonry has been of great use and benefit to mankind, and Whereas sundry breathern of the fraternity wishing to defuse and instruct each other in the usefull Knowledge of masonry and perfect each other in regular mode of working the have formed them selves into a lector Lodge and (whereas) rules are necessary for the government of all assembled bodies, There fore be it resolved the following rules be ad- dobted for the goverment of Washington Lector Lodge —
70 HISTORY OF I^RKEMASONRY
1st. This Lodge shall be called Washington Lector Lodge.
2. The officers shall consist of Master S & J. Wardens Secry. & Tresurer S. & J. Deacons Tylers and conductor to be elected and appointed, as in a regular lodge, except the electtion and appointment to take place the first Sunday in each and every month.
3. The meetings to be held on each Sunday in the year at 2 oik in the afternoon.
4. All contributions to be levied by the Lodge to defray the expences thereof.
5. The same decorum shall be observed in this Lodge as in a regular Lodge, both to the officers and to the members.
6. Anny member absenting himself from the Lodge two sucksessive meetings shall be fined 12 1-2 c. — unless he give a sufficient excuse then the Lodge may by a majorty of the members present, may remit the fine,
7. No bro. w^ho is not a member of a regular Lodge shall be allowed to visit this Lodge unless it be by unanimous consent of the members present.
8. A brother wishing to becoming a member of this Lector Lodge must make application in writing signed by two members of the Lodge and if the bro. is well known he shall be ballotted for and if there be not more than two black balls he shall be atmitted a member on his paying the sum of twenty five cents — but should there be three he shall, not be admitted at this meeting but his petition shall be referred to a committee as in a regular lodge and disposed of accordingly — and that the person blck Bolg during the time committee may be sitting shall state their reason to the committee.
On November 9, 1838, the Grand Lodge fell into line with the growing custom of resident representation, and De- cember 27, 1838, resolutions were adopted prescribing the rank of such representatives and their proper regalia, and empowering the Grand Master to make appointments at other Masonic seats of government during the recess, such appoint- ments to be submitted to the Grand Lodge at its next meeting for confirmation. Under this action the first exchange of representatives was with the New York jurisdiction, the Grand Master nominating and the Grand Lodge confirming the appointment of Brother Wm. C. Brumett, of that State, our resident representative to the Grand Lodge of New York, and official information being received of the appoint- ment of R. W. Brother Abraham Howard Quincy, of Wash- ington, as local resident representative on the part of the Grand Lodge of New York. The system thus adopted in a
IN THE DISTRICT OP COLUMBIA 7 1
few years and for an extended period met with considerable opposition and was finally entirely lost sight of until revived in 1860 as a new thing, from which time, altho suffering much opposition for a number of years, it held on, and in the latter part of the century took its permanent and undis- puted place as a not only useful but necessary institution.
A rather peculiar variation from custom is shown in a communication from a subordinate lodge (Ark, No. 33, Gen- eva, N. Y.) to this Grand Lodge, in 1848, asking an exchange of representatives, which request was, of course, courteously declined.
The geographical location of the principal centers of popu- lation in the then District, constituting three, or indeed four, widely separated communities, with inadequate means of com- munication, led to the adoption in 1839 of a resolution to elect three Deputy Grand Masters — one for Washington and the Navy Yard, one for Georgetown, and one for Alexandria — • with the understanding that when all three were present and the business required one of them to preside that the senior should have the preference. The first election resulted in the selection of T. J. Williams, for Washington; John Myers, for Georgetown ; and I. Kell, for Alexandria. This arrange- ment lasted until 1846, when, Alexandria having been retro- ceded to Virginia, two Deputy Grand Masters were annually elected until the year 1848, when a return was had to the one Deputy system, which has obtained to this day.
While it is not within the province of this work to enter upon the field of jurisprudence or methods of transacting the business of the Fraternity, it is of sufficient general interest to state that the motion to lay on the table, now grown so abhorrent to us, was in the heyday of its popularity during the middle of the last century, and was sometimes, in the heat of vexing debate, given unusual form, as, for instance, in the Grand Lodge, in 1842, it was moved and seconded that a certain resolution be laid under the table, to which was of- fered a substitute by a Past Grand Master that it be " thrown out of doors." That a motion should be " thirded" was a
72 HISTORY OP FREKMASONRY
quite usual occurrence. And while we linger for these short glimpses of the small things along the way which are not without their value to the complete picture, we might quote the rather stilted phrase of the period in reference to visita- tions : " The Grand Marshal formed a procession and made the grand initiation in accordance with ancient usages."
One of the methods of travel is indicated in a letter about this time from the Leesburg, Va., lodge, inviting the Wash- ington lodges to join them in a procession on St. John's Day, and as, in their opinion, music was indispensable for such an affair, they requested that " 4 or 5" members of the Marine Band be sent up, and suggested that they might travel with the Alexandria Lodge in the canal boat.
With the demise of Evangelical Lodge, No. 8, which oc- curred in 1843, passed away the last Alexandria lodge hold- ing a charter from the District, the retrocession by the Gov- ernment to Virginia of the southern part of the original ten miles square occurring in 1846, and, of course, terminating our jurisdiction over Alexandria and vicinity.
As has been noted in detail in another chapter, the Fra- ternity, in 1843, finally lost title to Central Masonic Hall, Four-and-a-Half and D Streets, and for several years the Grand Lodge and several subordinate lodges were scattered, the former, with Nos. 1 and 7, finding a home at Twelfth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, and No. 9 in the old Circus Building on C Street, N. W. This separation gave rise to some controversy as to the ownership of the various belong- ings saved from the old Hall, and, while the final adjustment is of no moment, it is a matter of historical interest to quote the inventory made at the time, covering as it did practically all of the effects of the Grand Lodge and the centrally-located subordinate lodges :
Nine yellow chairs; 9 rods of Steward and Tyler; 1 small table, painted red; 1 small desk; 16 spit-boxes and 1 large chest with No. 35, Columbia Lodge, on it; 1 cupboard No. 7, and 1 picture, presented by Brother Coote to the Grand Lodge ; 1 framed chart ; 1 small master's carpet, complete ; one triple chair; 3 lesser lights and sockets; 1 great light, No. 35, Colum-
CLEMENT T. COOTE, Grand master, 1834.
IN THE DISTRICT OP COIvUMBIA 73
bia Lodge; 1 Tyler's sword, No. 7; 1 water bucket and large letter G; 18 yellow broad-back chairs and 2 blue-bottom armed chairs at Brother Greer's office.
During this period of trial Potomac Lodge, No. 5, be- coming dissatisfied with the Grand Lodge, made persistent efforts extending through the years 1843-44-45, to withdraw from the jurisdiction and unite either with the Grand Lodge of Virginia or that of Maryland. This spirit of unrest was not wholly new, as the matter had been broached on several occasions before, notably in 1830, but the efforts lacked per- sistence and came to nought. After 1845 the lodge made no further efforts along this line and became, as it has since continued, one of the most valued and progressive members of the Masonic family.
The Fraternity now again began to move out from under the clouds which had so long hovered over it, and the year 1845 marked the birth of an era of prosperity.
In June of that year the Fraternity turned out in great numbers and formed a procession as a tribute of respect to the memory of Brother Andrew Jackson, then lately de- ceased, and proceeding to the Capitol, in company with a large assembly of citizens listened to an eloquent oration by the historian, the Hon. George Bancroft.
At the installation meeting held December 27, 1845, the petition for a charter for a lodge to be known as St. John's Lodge, No. 11, was received and the charter ordered to issue, Bro. George C. Thomas being named as the first master, Jos. F. Brown as S. W., and John W. Williams as J. W., with an additional charter list of seven names.
This was quickly followed, in May of the following year, by the granting of a charter to National Lodge, No. 12, which had been working under dispensation for a short time, the officers named in the petition being Bro. (Gen.) James Shields as Master, Bro. John McCalla as S. W., and Bro. Hilary Langtry as J. W. The first-named was Commissioner of the General Land Office at this time, but later resigned that office and took a command in Mexico, where he greatly distin-
74 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
guished himself. He had the honor on his return of being received at a specially convened session of the Grand Lodge January 3. 1848.
While the usual public appearances were still kept up and a number of cornerstones laid during these latter years, the next affair of importance in this line was the laying of the cornerstone of the Smithsonian Institution, May 1, 1847, by that noted Mason M. W. Brother B. B. French, the Grand Master of the District, assisted by the officers of the Grand Lodge, and having present with him as aides the Grand Master of Pennsylvania and the Grand Master of Maryland. The procession preceding the event was a notable one, and embraced a large concourse of distinguished Masonic individ- uals and delegations from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Vir- ginia. Among those present .at the ceremonies were the President of the United States, Brother James K. Polk; the Vice President of the United States, Brother George M. Dallas ; the Regents of the Institute, Past Grand Masters, and others.
The apron worn by the Grand Master was the historic one originally presented to Gen. Washington by the Grand Lodge of France through Gen. LaFayette, and worn by the former on the occasion of the laying of the corner-stone of the Capitol, and had been for years in the possession of and zealously guarded by Mt. Nebo Lodge, No. 91, of Shepherds- town, Md., and loaned for this occasion. The gavel was the already famous Washington gavel.
It may be worth while to note in passing that while the Grand Lodge had until this time convened at 10 A. M., the meeting hour in 1847 was changed to 4 P. M., a most incon- venient hour we are prone to conclude, but doubtless adopted with good reason.
On July 4, 1848, the cornerstone of the Washington Monu- ment was laid by the Grand Lodge, M. W. G. M. B. B. French presiding, and again was gathered an unusual con- course of Masons, when the inadequate means of transporta- tion of the day are considered, including delegations from the Grand Lodges of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania,
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 75
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas.
A brilliant oration was delivered by M. W. Brother French on the life and character of Washington as a Mason, while the general address was made by Hon. R. C. Winthrop, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Among the Ma- sonic relics on the stand was the chair used by Brother Wash- ington when Master of his Lodge, Alexandria- Washington, No. 23, of Virginia, and his apron and sash ; the ancient records of Fredericksburg Lodge, showing the entrance of Brother Washington into Masonry, and the gavel used at the Capitol cornerstone laying. The paraphernalia which had once been the property of the Revolutionary hero and dis- tinguished Mason, Gen. Joseph Warren, was also in evidence on the person of a representative from Boston.
In 1848 the remarkable attack of gold fever which drew so many adventurous souls to California broke out with con- siderable virulence in Washington and caused quite an exodus to the coast. Among the number were some of the Fra- ternity, and on November 9, 1848, the Grand Lodge on proper petition granted a charter for a lodge to be known as Cali- fornia Lodge, No. 13, to be held in the town of San Fran- cisco, Upper California, and named Samuel Yorke AtLee as Master, Wm. VanVoorhies as S. W., and Bedney F. Mc- Donald as J. W. On December 27, 1848, Brother AtLee having in the meantime resigned, the Grand Lodge confirmed the action of the Grand Master taken during the interim of appointing and having properly installed as Master Brother Levi Stowell in his stead. The latter brother, with the charter in his possession, it was reported, had proceeded to his destina- tion. This lodge, the pioneer in the State, continued in its alle- giance to this Grand Lodge until 1850, when it united with other lodges to form the Grand Lodge of California, becoming No. 1, and furnishing the first Grand Master and Grand Sec- retary. Its separation from this jurisdiction was in the best of feeling, and the local Fraternity has noted with pride its continued success and prosperity.
In 1849 an unusual memorial was received from certain
76 HIvSTORY OF IfREEMASONRY
citizens of Bogoto, New Grenada, addressing themselves to this Grand Lodge as " the centre of Hght," for the purpose of obtaining " the favor of being constituted a regular lodge in due and ancient form." The memorialists were evidently entirely unfamiliar with the organization, rites, and require- ments of Masonry, but were so unmistakably sincere in their desire for light that the Grand Lodge was at considerable pains to inform them of the regulations and prerequisites of organization, and expressed the hope that a sufficient number of Master Masons might be found within their borders to take the proper initiative. Nothing further came of the agitation, however, and the incident closed.
July 17, 1849, was commenced the movement to procure a memorial stone for the Washington Monument, and this was accomplished by subscription and the stone placed in the following year. It is located on the third landing, or first stop, of the elevator, and is of white granulated marble. Its face is six feet by two feet three inches, and bears the inscrip- tion " Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. Our Brother, George Washington." In the center of the inscrip- tion are the square and compasses, all in raised work, and within and protected by a heavy molding. In an aperture of the block there were placed a list of the contributors and the last printed proceedings of the Grand Lodge. " Thus," in the language of Grand Master French, " have the Free- masons of this jurisdiction presented their offering at the holy shrine of patriotism."
December 37, 1849, one of the earliest public installations took place, the Grand Lodge, under the escort of the Knights Templar, proceeding to the Unitarian Church, where the M. W. Grand Master, B. B. French, was installed, and upon assuming his station was " saluted according to custom," and delivered one of his eloquent addresses. The subordinate Grand Officers were then installed, as were also the " R. W." Masters-elect of the subordinate lodges. This custom, while observed at intervals until well toward the latter part of the century, has fallen absolutely into disuse, and probably will come as a revelation to many of the younger readers.
IN THE DISTRICT 0^ COLUMBIA JJ
CHAPTER VIII.
THE DAWN OF PROSPERITY.
CLOSING YEARS OF THE HALF CENTURY — CORNERSTONES OE CAPITOL EXTENSION AND SMITHSONIAN INSTITU- TION— LODGES 14, 15, AND 16 — LODGE
OE MUTUAL BENEVOLENCE THE
LIBRARY PUBLIC FUNC- TIONS NOTES.
The secret of success is constancy to purpose." — Disraeli.
The opening of the second half of the nineteenth century found the Fraternity, while still numerically weak, the aggre- gate membership in 1850 amounting to a little less than 300, entering upon an era of comparative prosperity.
As an instance of our cordial relation with sister jurisdic- tions it is noted that on February 22, 1850, on invitation of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, Grand Master French, attended by a number of the brethren of the District, visited Rich- mond and participated in the ceremony of laying the corner- stone of the Washington Monument at that place, and was treated with the utmost cordiality and consideration.
That the more modern conception of the function of the Masonic Fraternity, which deprecates a public appearance ex- cept for the performance of Masonic duty, was now begin- ning to assert itself is shown by the fact that, at a special communication held June 18, 1850, the Grand Lodge voted to decline the invitation of the local Washington Monument
yS HISTORY 01? F'REEMASONRY
Association to take part in a procession and other ceremonies to be held July 4 of that year, " regarding all public displays of the Order as improper which are not necessary to the performance of the duties enjoined upon it."
On May 6, 1851, there was received from sundry citizens of Monrovia, Republic of Liberia, including the President, a petition for a charter for a lodge to be called " Restoration Lodge." This petition did not receive as much consideration, apparently, as the one a few years before from Bogota, New Grenada, but was rejected in a terse resolution of eight words. Had the Grand Lodge acted otherwise, the mind is lost in speculation of what further complication might subsequently have been injected into the troublous question of the standing of lodges of African descent which was soon, and for many years, to plague this jurisdiction.
June 24, of the same year, the Grand Lodge, accompanied by a number of brethren from this and adjacent territory, made a pilgrimage to the Tomb of Washington, and listened to an address by Grand Master French, and on July 4, fol- lowing, laid the cornerstone of the extension of the Capitol, the latter event being made the occasion of an imposing mili- tary and civic display in addition to the Masonic exercises. President ]\Iillard Fillmore, in his capacity as the Chief Ex- ecutive of the Country, was present and took part in the exercises, examined the stone, pronounced it laid, and said : " The Most Worshipful Grand Master of the District of Columbia will now please examine the stone and see that it is icell laid." This active participation by President Fillmore is especially interesting in view of the fact that some years before, at the beginning of the anti-Masonic excitement, he was a most bitter arraigner of the institution, which he had characterized as " organized treason." After the usual cere- monies Grand Master French made one of his magnificent addresses, and was followed by the Hon. Daniel Webster, then Secretary of State.
On September 2, 1852, a dispensation was granted by the Grand Master authorizing the establishment of a lodge, to
IN THE DISTRICT OE COI.UMBIA 79
be known as " Centennial Lodge, No. 14," in the old Seventh Ward, better known as the " Island," and now the " South- west." This Lodge met for a number of years in Island Hall, in that section, but subsequently moved to the central part of the city, leaving the section above referred to without a local Masonic body, in which condition it remains to this day, a remarkable state of affairs when the size of the population and peculiar isolation of the Southwest is considered. The charter issued November 2, 1852.
On December 29, 1852, the M. W. Grand Master, in con- formity with the precedent established a few years earlier, declined an invitation on behalf of the Grand Lodge, to be present at the " inauguration" of the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, for the reason that no Masonic duty was required, and it may relieve the tedium of the narration to inject the fact that B. B. French, chairman of the Committee on Arrangements, signed the invitation, and B. B. French, Grand Master, courteously declined to consider it.
The cornerstone of the Baptist Church on Thirteenth Street was laid by the Grand Lodge July 21, 1853, and that of the Sixth Presbyterian Church x^ugust 10, following.
December 27, 1853, the family of lodges was further en- larged by the granting of a charter to B. B. French Lodge. No. 15, a lodge which rapidly gained in popularity, and is now one of the strongest numerically in the District.
During the year 1854 the cornerstone of three churches were laid : the Western Presbyterian, August 2 ; Metropolitan Methodist, October 23, and the New Methodist, Georgetown, November 1.
As compared with the growth of previous years the in- crease in membership was now to become quite marked, the returns for 1854 showing 419 Master Masons, a very sub- stantial gain.
November 7, of this year P. G. Master French, on behalf of twelve Master Masons, presented the Grand Lodge three silver cups, for corn, wine, and oil, which were accepted with thanks, and the Grand Secretary ordered to have one of the
8o HISTORY Olf FREEIMASONRY
cups fire-gilded (later changed to "otherwise gilded"), and the three marked " Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia." These cups are used to this day on all proper occasions.
At the same communication the first active step toward the formation of a Masonic Library, previously authorized by constitutional amendment, was taken by the appropriation of $50 for the purchase of books. This appropriation was fol- lowed by similar annual appropriations, and by the latter part of 1855 the Library was in existence and a set of rules for the government thereof adopted. At the outset additions were limited to works of a Masonic character, but this limitation was of short duration. The Grand Secretary was in attend- ance one evening in the week and the Grand Tiler the others, for the purpose of issuing and receiving books. Thus was born that feature of our local Masonic institution which has grown to such stalwart and satisfactory proportions, and in order that the subject may be treated connectedly the story is at once pursued to date.
While comparatively successful for a brief period, the Li- brary soon fell upon evil days, and languished until 1872. when steps were taken looking toward rehabilitating it, and in the new scheme the subordinate lodges were invoked to take an active interest and contribute to the support of the pro- ject, the latter, indeed, being made compulsory by the levying of a tax of one dollar annually on any brother who desired to make use of the Library. In addition, donations of books were requested, and in response to this P. G. Master R. B. Donaldson at once presented fifty very valuable works.
In 1873 the Library was enriched by having placed to its credit the sum of $775, which had been returned by the Chicago Masonic Relief Committee to the Grand Lodge of the District as their share of the unexpended balance of the fund placed in its hands for the relief of the sufferers by the great fire, and with this sum was created the " Chicago Fire Return Library Fund," $500 being immediately invested, and $275, together with interest from investment, made available for the proper equipment of the Library and the purchase of
ROBERT KEYWORTH,
GRAND MASTER, 1840, 1841, 1843.
IN THE DISTRICT OP COI.UMBIA 8l
books. This scheme, however, did not work out with any great degree of smoothness, entaihng a continuous three- cornered wrangle between the Committee on Accounts, the Committee on Library, and the Grand Lodge, and in 1878 another appeal was made to the subordinate lodges, this time to secure a general donation of works of a miscellaneous char- acter. By this time, however, the books already in stock num- bered 2,843, showing a healthy growth, despite the discour- aging conditions surrounding the scheme of maintenance.
In 1878 the Library, having been previously located with the Grand Secretary's office in one of the upper rooms of the Temple at Ninth and F Streets, was moved with the latter to the ground floor, and in 1880 to the room which for thirty years thereafter was to be its home. At the outset of this new tenancy the various lodges outside of the Temple were requested to pay $2 a month each to assist in paying the rental of the new quarters. All declined with the exception of Hiram, No. 10, which at once consented, and sent six months of its pro rata in advance. The Library Committee, as will be seen, was working at great disadvantage. The annual ap- propriation of $50, before alluded to, not always materializing; the Committee had at their disposal frequently only the interest accruing from the invested Chicago Fund, which amounted to $50, and with the increasing growth of the Library and the necessity of meeting this with the proper cases as well as the services of additional help in the issuing and receipt of books, the items of light, heat, etc., this sum was grossly inadequate. One way and another, tho, the enterprise eked out its exist- ence and grew. A reorganization of the Library, begun in 1880, resulted in the following year in the culling out of a vast number of undesirable public documents and the reduc- tion of the accumulation of works to a rational basis. This cut the aggregate of volumes almost exactly in half, and left 1,582 valuable volumes on the shelves, a handsome nucleus for the projected library, which has become the pride of the jurisdiction. By 1882 the number had increased to 1,820.
In 1883 the Chicago Fire Return Library Fund, amounting 6
82 HISTORY 01^ FREEMASONRY
to $500, which had been invested upon real estate security, and had been yielding an annual interest of 10 per cent., ceased to exist, the trustee of the fund reporting in that year that failure to meet the interest for some years had forced him to sell the property securing it, and no bid being received suffi- cient to cover the investment it had been bought in by a friend and subsequently deeded to the trustee. Unpaid tax bills, re- pairs, and bad tenants had caused an outlay greatly in excess of the income, and, the opportunity presenting itself, the property (a frame building on Twenty-second Street) was sold for $650, which left, after deducting expenses of sale and sums advanced by the trustee, $524.50 to the credit of the fund, which sum the trustee recommended be turned over to the Library Committee for the purchase of books. This rec- ommendation was amended by inserting the amount $349.50, and in this shape was approved by the Grand Lodge, which at the same time repealed the resolution of January 8, 1873, creating the fund. Just what disposition was made of the re- maining $175 deponent saith not. The fund thus made avail- able was judiciously used, and resulted in the rapid enlarge- ment of the Library, the following year showing 2,109 vol- umes; 1885, 2,238; 1886, 2,269; 1887, 2,350; 1888, 2,472; 1889, 2,486; 1890, 2,559; 1891, 2,637; 1892, 2,725; 1893, 2,741; 1894, 2,819; 1895, 2,941; 1896, 2,990; 1897, 2,990; 1898, 3,140; 1899, 3,123; 1900, 3,253; 1901, 3,410; 1902, 3,410; 1903, 3,911; 1904, 4,160; 1905, 4,338; 1906, 4,688; 1907, 5,038. Since the latter date the number has increased rapidly, and now approximates 10,000 volumes.
While the actual duties of the Librarian were for many years discharged by the Grand Secretary, the work finally be- came of such proportions as to necessitate the employment of an assistant, and in 1901 the late Bro. John N. Birckhead, of Dawson Lodge, No. 16, was appointed. Upon his death, which occurred November 22, 1903, Bro. Paul Neuhaus, P. M. of Hope Lodge, No. 20, a trained and experienced librarian, filled the position until 1906, and upon his demise, during that year, Bro. Armat Stoddart, of Columbia Lodge. No, 3, was ap- pointed, and has most acceptably filled the arduous position
IN THE DISTRICT 01^ COI.UMBIA 83
and has practically completed a long-needed card-index cata- log of the contents of the shelves. To the executive ability of the chairmen of the Library Committee, notable among whom may be mentioned the late M. W. Bro. Noble D. Larner, of many years' service; M. W. Bro. Lurtin R. Ginn, and Bro. Wm. L. Boyden, also Librarian of the large Scottish Rite Library and the present incumbent since 1903, is largely due the present carefully selected and well regulated library, which compares favorably with the best of such institutions in the country.
August 13, 1855, the cornerstone of the German Reformed Church, D and Four-and-a-Half Streets, S. W., was laid by the Grand Lodge, which also, in the fall of the same year, attended the dedication of the Masonic Temple in Philadel- phia, on which latter occasion a large number of the brethren from this jurisdiction were present.
June 24, 1856, witnessed a most notable celebration by the Fraternity, an imposing procession being formed in connection with Columbia R. A. Chapter, No. 15, and, under the escort of Washington Encampment, K. T., proceeded to the Smith- sonian Institution, where, in the presence of a large concourse, one of the most eloquent Masonic orations ever listened to was delivered by the late Bro. Byron Sunderland, D. D., for many years a prominent Presbyterian divine and active Mason of this city. Among those present was the late Bro. Gen. Lewis Cass, who occupied a seat on the right of the M. W. Grand Master.
At the communication of May 5, 1857, a charter was granted to Bros. Amos T. Jenkes, P. E. Wilson, E. G. Guest, and nineteen others, to form a lodge to be known as Dawson Lodge, No. 16. This lodge, named after P. G. M. Wm. C. Dawson, of Georgia, well and favorably known iri the District of Columbia, has had a most successful career and ranks as one of our flourishing lodges.
The first Past Grand Master's jewel was presented to P. G. Master Charles S. Frailey, March 31, 1857, just two months prior to his death. Owing to his protracted illness the formal
84 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
presentation had been postponed from time to time, and was finally made in his sick room. When it was planned to have the presentation made at a meeting of the Grand Lodge the brother to whom the duty was assigned, P. G. Master French, was considerate enough to allow P. G. Master Frailey to in- spect not only the jewel but the draft of the remarks he pro- posed to make on the occasion, about two weeks before the date set. These were the days of great care and formality in speech-making. Thus was inaugurated what, in the course of time, became a custom, now for years unbroken, of fittingly decorating each retiring Grand Master.
The public appearances of the Grand Lodge for the year 1857 included a pilgrimage to Mt. Vernon on June 34, accom- panied by Masonic representation from Richmond and Alex- andria, and the laying of the cornerstone of Ebenezer M. E. Church, in East Washington, July 31, the Grand Lodge being conveyed to the latter function in omnibusses.
A resolution introduced at the annual communication of this year granting permission to any brother present at the taking of a ballot in a lodge to vote, the only stipulation being that he must be a member in good standing in some lodge in this jurisdiction, was decisively defeated.
February 22, 1858, the Grand Lodge, escorted by a large number of the brethren, made a trip to Richmond, Va., and took part in the ceremonies attending the " inauguration" of the Equestrian Statue of George Washington in that city, and on August 19 laid the cornerstone of a new hall for Potomac Lodge, No. 5, in Georgetown.
In the same year the proposition of a so-called Mt. Vernon Ladies' Association to purchase and preserve for all time the estate of the late Gen. Washington was actively taken up by the Grand Lodge of this, as well as other jurisdictions, and to their material aid is due the ultimate success of this patriotic undertaking. In addition to the encouragement given to the en- terprise by the local Fraternity, $121 was turned over to the Association by the lodges of the jurisdiction — a goodly sum when the limited membership is considered.
Grand Master, 1842.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 85
The pressing need of burial sites for indigent Masons dying here without relatives or friends resulted at this time in the purchase of sixty sites in the Congressional Cemetery for that purpose.
October 10, 1859, the cornerstone of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church was laid with imposing ceremonies. This edifice, after the lapse of more than half a century, is still in active use, and is a model of the architecture of that early period.
The reports of the Grand Secretary and Treasurer for this year are notable in that they, for the first time, report " great prosperity" in the jurisdiction, and felicitate the Craft on the skill, competency, and fidelity of the officers in charge of the subordinate lodges.
On November 1, 1859, a charter was granted to a so-called " Lodge of Mutual Benevolence," on the petition of the Mas- ters of the several lodges. This organization was experi- mental, and designed to handle cases of need, but failed of its purpose and surrendered its charter two years later. No num- ber had been assigned to this unique lodge, and as a conse- quence its demise left no gap in the numerical sequence.
February 22, 1860, the Grand Lodge, accompanied by its guests, the members of Fredericksburg Lodge, No. 4, of Vir- ginia, and a large attendance of the Craft, proceeded, under the escort of Washington Commandery, K. T., to Washington Circle, and conducted the ceremony of dedicating the Eques- trian Statute of Washington. The President of the United States, W. Bro. James Buchanan, P. M., of Lancaster Lodge, No. 43, of Lancaster, Pa., was present as an active participant in the exercises, and delivered the dedicatory address.
At the November communication of this year an elaborate report was submitted by a special committee previously ap- pointed to enquire into the advisability of " districting" the several lodges, with a view of preventing petitioners from ap- plying to any but the lodge nearest their places of residence, and it was developed by this report that while a system of notification between the various lodges was supposed to be
86 HISTORY OP FREEMASONRY
in operation it was so faulty and so carelessly operated as to be worthless, and the committee recommended a resolution con- fining a petitioner to the lodge nearest to his residence. While the Grand Lodge refused to adopt the resolution, yet the fact of its introduction serves to make understandable the vast difference between many conditions then and now. With the primitive systems of transportation and communication in vogue the various sections were practically as far apart as separate villages, and nothing like the close intimacy of the present day was possible. A citizen of the East End might apply in Georgetown, or even in the central part of the city, and in the absence of notification he would be, for all practical purposes of investigation, a stranger.
With increasing facilities of communication and the adop- tion of more business-like methods in the Secretary's office, this problem has solved itself, and is handled through the latter official in the shape of weekly bulletins, which give the greatest possible Masonic publicity to all applications and changes.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 87
CHAPTER IX.
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
MILITARY LODGES UNION LODGE, U. D., OE ALEXANDRIA, VA.
CARE OF SICK AND WOUNDED CRAFTSMEN CHARTERS TO
HARMONY, NO. 17, ACACIA. NO. 18, AND LAFAYETTE, NO. 19 COLUMBIA, NO. 3, REVIVED.
Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable."
— Daniel Webster.
In 1860 THE country was in the midst of the fierce political agitation which preceded the War of the Rebellion, and during this period, when brother was turning from brother and father from son, it is a matter of congratulation that no note of dis- cord sounded in the lodge rooms. Brethren went out from the sacred precincts to don the blue or the gray as their sense of duty impelled them, and later met upon the field of battle, perchance, yet always and ever were brethren of the mystic tie, and this brotherhood found its expression throughout the years of the great fratricidal struggle in thousands of instances of alleviation of suffering and the stretching forth of the hand to assist a worthy fallen brother, even tho his uniform chanced to be of a different hue.
All the influence of the great Fraternity was thrown toward the maintenance of peace, and while, in the providence of God, this was not to be, yet who can measure the immensity of the service wrought by the Brotherhood North and South in less- ening the horrors of war.
The spirit animating the Craft during the crucial period
88 HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
before the breaking of the storm finds adequate illustration in an address delivered by P. G. Master French before the Grand Lodge, in his capacity as representative of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, from which we quote the following brief extract :
The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, at this political center of a mighty nation, now stretches forth her hand and grasps the proflfered one from the far South, and holds it with that earnest, affectionate, and fraternal grasp, which, if translated into language, would say, " Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."
Would to God there were in these times of national trouble more of the spirit of Freemasonry animating the hearts of all. Then would " the North give up and the South keep not back;" then would fraternity, union, harmony prevail; then would this great and powerful Nation stand on the rock of ages, firm and immovable, and in vain would the ocean of political disappointment dash at its base. Now, owing to the uncircum- scribed passions of men for gain and for power, the great ship of state trembles amid the waves, and to Him alone who can say to the foaming billows, " Peace, be still," and they obey Him, can we now look for aid in this our hour of peril.
When the first gun was fired, and Washington was suddenly transformed into an immense military camp with hundreds of hospitals crowded with the maimed and dying, the local Fra- ternity were face to face with perhaps the greatest task ever forced upon a comparatively small body of men in the name of duty. Right nobly they met it. and for four years gave of their time and means to lighten the burden of sorrow pressing heavily all about them, caring for the sick and wounded, sub- stantially aiding the distressed, and giving Masonic burial to those sojourning brethren who had " Given the last full meas- ure of devotion to their country." In addition to these com- mon acts of humanity the years were crowded with instances of fellowship and self-sacrificing brotherhood of a character not proper to be written, but which may well be left to the imagination of the enlightened reader.
The subject is a tempting one, and yet must not be pursued too far, nor to the entire exclusion of the important local Masonic events which have their bearing on our subsequent history.
ODEON HALL," PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE AND JOHN MARSHALL PLACE, N. W.
First Home of St. John's I^odge, No. U. Xos. 1 and 9 also probably met in this building' for a short time.
sf!r
"EASTERN EDIFICE OF THE SEVEN BUILDINGS. " CORNER PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE AND NINETEENTH STREET. N. W.
First meeting place of Hiram L,odge, No. 10.
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 89
The subject of military lodges early came before the Grand Lodge, and was met in the broad and liberal spirit which was and should be characteristic of the Fraternity; and while a large number of these lodges were formed during the war in our midst, no slightest question of jurisdiction nor trouble of any character whatever marred the perfect harmony of their relations with the local Craft.
As this is a matter of more than passing interest, and only to be grasped intelligently as a whole, the subject is adhered to at the temporary sacrifice of chronological order.
At the communication of May 7, 1861, Grand Master Whit- ing laid before the Grand Lodge correspondence with the Grand Master of Rhode Island, in which the latter advised him that he had granted a dispensation to certain Masons serv- ing in the Rhode Island regiment then stationed at Washing- ton to meet as a lodge for social intercourse and improvement, but not for work. To this communication G. M. Whiting courteously responded, commending the action and offering on his part to grant a further dispensation, upon proper appli- cation, for these brethren to do work.
At the same time the Grand Master advised the Grand Lodge that he was in receipt of an application from certain brethren of the Seventh Regiment of