CharlesAWelch

CHARLES A. WELCH LODGE

Location: Maynard

Chartered By: Sereno D. Nickerson

Charter Date: 03/12/1873 1873-26

Precedence Date: 03/01/1872

Current Status: Active

NOTES

At the granting of the charter of the Lodge: "Selecting its title in honor of the District Deputy Grand Master who presides over the Fourth District, may it grow up in honor and usefulness, to dignify and perpetuate its name." (1873-26)

PAST MASTERS

Leonard Frost, 1873
John Hickland, 1874, 1875, 1876
John Proudman, 1877
Adelbert Mossman, 1878
Theodoric Jones, 1879, 1881, 1882, 1887
John Hillis, 1880
William Little, 1883
Thomas Lees, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1888
Thomas Deane, 1889; SN
Theron F. Newton, 1890, 1891, 1892
Frank H. Salisbury, 1892, 1893, 1896; SN
Sidney B. Shattuck, 1894
Gustavus V. Bowen, 1895
Harris A. Clement, 1897, 1898
Robert W. Carter, 1899, 1900
Walter B. Currier, 1901
Ernest Hosmer, 1902, 1903
Harry H. Whitney, 1904, 1905
Gavin Taylor, 1906, 1907; SN
Daniel Goodenw, 1908
George H. Gutteridge, 1909, 1910; N
Samuel Lawton, 1911
Fred L. Chandler, 1912
Wilder X. Macurda, 1913
Oswald C. Drechsler, 1914, 1915
Samuel R. Garland, 1916
Charles Greenheigh, 1917, 1918
William Naylor, 1919, 1920
William H. Johnston, 1921
Frederick G. Sims, 1922
Lowell H. Cram, 1923
Harry E. Burnham, 1924; N
Charles A. Stockbridge, 1925
Roderick D. MacIver, 1926
Bradford M. Parker, 1927
Wilber Hamlin, 1928
Everett N. Montague, 1929
Frank E. Sanderson, 1930
Frank R. Rowe, 1931
Gavin A. Taylor, 1932
Theron A. Lowden, 1933
Harold A. Merriam, 1934
Harvey N. Fairbank, 1935
Edmund S. MacPherson, 1936
Charles L. Gray, 1937
Albert A. Tallant, 1938; N
William K. Walters, 1939
Elwyn L. Young, 1940
George H. Gohlke, 1941
William Henry Soar, 1942, 1943
Lossie E. Laird, 1944, 1945
Frederick S. Kennedy, 1946
Ralph B. Smith, 1947
Arthur W. Lee, 1948
E. Clayton Steeves, 1949; N
E. Everett Putnam, 1950
Richard F. Deane, 1951
John E. Manchester, 1952
William F. Edwards, 1953
Wentworth Prentiss, 1954
Earle B. Hoyle, 1955
Ole Garthe, 1956
Reed B. Parks, 1957
Bruce W. Hamblin, 1958
Winthrop H. Fairbank, 1959
Alvin R. Piper, 1960; PDDGM
John A. Dingee, 1961
Clarence E. Wormwood, 1962
William A. McKelvie, 1963
Joseph A. Fraser, Jr., 1964
Toivo J. J. Erkkinen, 1965
Roger W. Tansey, 1966
Roy W. Reach, Jr., 1967
Charles E. Bartlett, Jr, 1968
Jack Scott, 1969
Gerald A. Horne, 1970
Meldon E. Niemi, 1971; PDDGM, PDGM
Lester L. Fanning, 1972
Robert H. Cook, 1973
Raymond F. McCarthy, Jr., 1974
James R. Branche, 1975
Edward M. Saari, 1976
Edward C. Poole, 1977
William J. Vitkauskis, 1978
Allan R. Amoling, 1979
Allen M. Kough, Jr., 1980
Donald A. Foss, 1981
Gordon J. Illausky, 1982
William C. Floyde, 1983
Edwin E. Sarvela, 1984; PDDGM
James B. Beauvais, 1985
John E. Erb, 1986
Warren P. Garlick, 1987
George S. Bailey, 1988, 1994, 1995
Richard A. Ellis, 1989, 2011
Leonard C. Horne, 1990
Thomas H. Hillery, 1991
Robert W. Larkin, 1992, 1993
Michael D. Chautin, 1996
Frederick L. Elliott, 1997
Forrest E. Shaw, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004
Stephen Ziobrowski, 1999, 2000
David W. Bailey, 2001
Charles F. Williams, Jr., 2005, 2006
Christopher J. Belmont, 2007
Donald F. Boas, 2008, 2009, 2010
Dean H. Strom, 2012

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

Petition for Dispensation: 1872
Petition for Charter: 1873

ANNIVERSARIES

1898 (25th Anniversary)
1923 (50th Anniversary)
1948 (75th Anniversary)
1973 (Centenary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

1873 (Nickerson; Constitution of Lodge and installation; hall dedication; see below)
1898 (Hutchinson; 25th Anniversary)
1923 (Ferrell; 50th Anniversary)
1940 (Perry; District meeting)
1948 (Deputy Grand Master Eugene B. Hamilton; 75th Anniversary)
1973 (Vose; 2 visits, including Centenary)
1977 (Maxwell)
1979 (Melanson)
1982 (Berquist)
1983 (Berquist)
1988 (Ames)

BY-LAW CHANGES

1874 1882 1900 1910 1912 1914 1925 1933 1940 1948 1961 1963 1979 1980 1982 1988 1992 2003 2011

HISTORY

1923 (50th Anniversary History, 1923-4)
1948 (75th Anniversary History, 1948-47)
1973 (Centenary History, 1973-64)

EVENTS

CONSTITUTION OF LODGE, APRIL 1873

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXXII, No. 5, May 1873, Page 143:

The above Lodge bears the name of an estimable brother, the Deputy Grand Master for the District in which it is located, and starts off with a fair promise of rivaling the best of its sister Lodges in the county. It is composed almost wholly of young men, and when it is said that the petition for its charter bears the names of eleven brethren only, and that during the year it has been working under its dispensation it has admitted twenty-seven candidates, and built and richly furnished one of the most tasteful and inviting halls in the interior of the State, little more need be added in evidence of the zeal, enterprise and liberality of its founders. It was regularly constituted by Grand Master Nickerson on the 10th of April last, when its hall was dedicated and its officers installed. The Grand Officers present were, the Grand Master; D. G. M.; S. G. W.; Parkman as J. G. W.; P. G. M. Lewis, and Bros. Moore; W. W. Wheildon; R. M. Field; Titus; Chessman and others.

The ceremonies were all conducted in private and to much greater advantage and acceptance to the brethren than could have been done in the presence of a mixed assemblage. At the conclusion of them, G. M. Nickerson delivered one of his most happy and effective addresses to the brethren of the new Lodge, when the Grand Lodge retired, and soon after met the brethren at the dinner table in the excellent hotel kept by Bro. Wm. F. Wood. The dining room was beautifully dressed with flowers and trailing vines, and the tables were literally loaded with the best the market afforded. Among the visitors present was Bro. Ebenezer Wood, an initiate of Corinthian Lodge, Concord, Mass., aged 81 years, having been a Mason 54 years. Short speeches were made at the table by several of the brethren; at the conclusion of which the Grand Lodge took the cars for Boston. The officers of the Lodge are:

Joseph W. Reed, Master.
Jas. L. Phillips, S. W.
John Hickland, J. W.
Eli B. Chase, Treas.
T. E. Trampleasure, Sec.
John B. Graham and John Proudman, Deacons.

We have not the names of the other officers.

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

Harry E. Burnham, DDGM, District 24 (Marlborough), 1939, 1940; N
Thomas Deane, DDGM, District 21 (Framingham), 1908, 1909; SN
George H. Gutteridge, DDGM, District 24 (Marlborough), 1917, 1918; N
Meldon E. Niemi, DDGM, District 24 (Marlborough), 1978, 1979; Deputy Grand Master 1983
Alvin R. Piper, DDGM, District 24 (Marlborough), 1971, 1972
Frank H. Salisbury, DDGM, District 21 (Framingham), 1898, 1899; SN
Edwin E. Sarvela, 1990, 1991; deceased
E. Clayton Steeves, DDGM, District 24 (Marlborough), 1959, 1960, 1961; N
Albert A. Tallant, DDGM, District 24 (Marlborough), 1949, 1950; N
Gavin Taylor, DDGM, District 24 (Marlborough), 1929, 1930; SN