Delta

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DELTA LODGE

Location: Weymouth; Braintree (1900)

Chartered By: William Sewall Gardner

Charter Date: 06/09/1869 VII-371

Precedence Date: 06/06/1868

Current Status: Active

The Lodge of Eleusis and Quincy merged here, 05/03/1995.


NOTES

As a part of the historical address for the lodge's 50th anniversary on 06/02/1919, there are a number of short biographies of principal members.

  • 1919-124; Edward Avery, Past Junior Grand Warden.
  • 1919-126; Nathaniel Frederic Thayer Hunt, Past Senior Warden.
  • 1919-124; Elisha Watson, Past Junior Warden and State Representative.
  • 1919-127; Amos Stone White, Past Treasurer.
  • 1919-127; Charles Gilman Thompson, Past Secretary.
  • 1919-128; Alverdo Mason, Past Junior Warden.
  • 1919-129; Alden Wilder Nash, Past Senior Warden.
  • 1919-129; Elbridge Thomas Richards, Past junior officer.
  • 1919-129; Reuben Tirrell, Past Senior Warden.
  • 1919-130; William Sprague Wallace, Past Master.
  • 1919-131; Richard Amory Hunt, Past Organist.
  • 1919-131; Ebenezer Atherton Hunt, Past Master.
  • 1919-132; Francis Ambler, Past Town Clerk of Braintree.
  • 1919-133; Ebenezer William Hunt, Charter member.
  • 1919-133; Edwin P. Worster, member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-134; Thomas Brastow Porter, Past Trustee.
  • 1919-134; Erastus Nash, member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-134; Milton Heywood Read, Charter member.
  • 1919-135; George William Warren, veteran and member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-135; John Metzler Walsh, Past Master.
  • 1919-136; Francis Flint Forsaith, Charter Member.
  • 1919-136: George Adoniram Gustin, Past Marshal.
  • 1919-137: Charles Stewart Williams, Veteran and member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-137: Waterman Thomas Burrell, Past Junior Warden.
  • 1919-137: Solon Walter Pratt, member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-138: Charles Gorham Easterbrook, publisher and member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-138: Francis Allen Hobart, State Senator and member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-139: Asa French, former State Representative and member of the Lodge.
  • 1919-139: Edmund Stephen Soper Hunt, Charter Member.
  • 1919-140: George Washington White, Jr., former Trustee and Deputy Sheriff.

PAST MASTERS

  • Edward G. Avery, 1868-1870
  • George W. Locke, 1871
  • Ebenezer Atherton Hunt, 1872-1874
  • William Sprague Wallace, 1875-1877
  • John Metzer Walsh, 1878-1880
  • John E. Hunt, 1881, 1882; Memorial
  • Alden Bowditch, 1883, 1884
  • Edward E. Richards, 1885, 1886
  • David J. Pierce, 1887, 1888
  • Joel F. Sheppard, 1889, 1890
  • Edwin F. Sterling, 1891, 1892
  • Frank H. Mason, 1893, 1894; SN
  • Howard Poole, 1895-1897
  • George F. Fuller, 1898, 1899
  • W. Edward Gutterson, 1900, 1901
  • Edward M. Wight, 1902, 1903
  • Frank White, 1904, 1905
  • William S. Stone, 1906, 1907
  • George T. Burnham, 1908, 1909; Memorial
  • John Henry Guy, 1910, 1911
  • Charles G. Jordan, 1912, 1913; Memorial
  • Walter James Harrison, 1914, 1915
  • Atherton N. Hunt, 1916, 1917
  • Henry D. Higgins, 1918, 1919; N
  • Harry James Beck, 1920, 1921
  • Charles A. Koehler, 1922, 1923
  • Arthur W. Hoe, 1924, 1925; N
  • Willard Perkins Sheppard, 1926
  • Carl Gleason Makepeace, 1927
  • C(harles). Frederick Tarbox, 1928
  • Justin W. Shrader, 1929
  • Frank Philbrick Lord, 1930
  • Ernest Choate Woodsum, 1931
  • William Clement Brooks, 1932
  • Gilbert Thorpe Singleton, 1933
  • Charles William Mann, 1934
  • James H. Corrigan, 1935
  • Herbert B. Hollis, 1936
  • Oren Carrier, 1937
  • Carl G. Streitferd, 1938
  • William C. Ross, 1939
  • Daniel F. Caskin, 1940
  • Jonathan Wales French, 1941
  • H. Irving Charnock, 1942
  • Charles G. Jordan, Jr., 1943; N
  • Albert Henry Francis, 1944
  • Howard J. Rose, 1945
  • Charles S. McLean, 1946
  • Daniel H. M. Dwight, 1947
  • Clayton William Schwenk, 1948
  • Ralph Leach, 1949
  • Otis Briggs Oakman, Jr., 1950
  • W. Edwin Skinner, 1951
  • Francis Joseph Faust, 1952
  • Richard W. Farnsworth, 1953
  • James A. C. Smith, 1954
  • Harold C. Nielsen, 1955
  • Harold Taber Warren, 1956
  • Howard F. Knowles, 1957
  • Walter J. Hansen, 1958; N
  • Francis F. Phipps, 1959
  • Edward R. Oakman, 1960
  • Herbert E. Bass, 1961
  • Karl Harold Polson, 1962
  • Arthur Peterson, 1963
  • Abraham Shire, 1964
  • William J. Williams, 1965
  • Robert Henry Wills, Jr., 1966
  • John E. Morcom, 1967
  • George T. Loud, 1968
  • Warren David Armstrong, 1969
  • Stafford H. Cyphers, 1970
  • Morris J. Harrison, 1971
  • Donald R. Blunt, 1972
  • Wayne G. Parlee, 1973, 1979; PDDGM
  • Charles Alexander Cruickshank, 1974, 1996
  • James T. Sisson, 1975
  • Leonard A. Hinthorne, Sr., 1976
  • Robert C. Lane, 1977
  • Robert H. Stevens, 1979
  • James G. Chandler, Jr., 1980
  • Arnold J. Williams, 1981
  • John W. O'Connell, 1982
  • William M. Wing, 1983
  • Albert E. Wood, 1984, 1998; PDDGM
  • Francis B. James, Jr., 1985
  • Waller W. Elliott, Jr., 1986
  • George T. Long, 1987
  • Stanley R. Hathon, 1988
  • Robert J. Sargent, 1989
  • Robert E. Whitehouse, 1990, 1994
  • John B. MacKay, 1991, 1992; N
  • David H. Hockey, 1993
  • Donald R. Blunt, 1995
  • Gilbert N. Daley, 1997
  • Jeffrey R. Hall, 1999
  • Robert C. Mixer, 2000
  • Lance F. Powers, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2013
  • Earle A. Thompson, 2003
  • Richard S. Fredholm, 2004
  • Glenn D. Hall, 2005
  • Gerald A. DeGregorio, 2006, 2007
  • John J. Inglis, 2008-2010
  • Richard W. Jolls, 2011

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

ANNIVERSARIES

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

BY-LAW CHANGES

1876 1889 1895 1900 1905 1907 1911 1912 1916 1919 1921 1929 1934 1936 1946 1947 1951 1956 1957 1958 1960 1961 1970 1971 1978 1980 1981 1986 1991 1994 1997

HISTORY

  • 1919 (50th Anniversary History, 1919-102; see below)
  • 1944 (75th Anniversary History, 1944-180)
  • 1968 (Centenary History, 1968-56)
  • 1993 (125th Anniversary History, 1993-36)

50TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, JUNE 1919

From Proceedings, Page 1919-102:

Historical Address by Worshipful Walter James Harrison.

Braintree, Mass., June 2, 1919.

Most Worshipful Grand Master, Worshipful Master, and Brethren:

In treating this subject on a similar occasion thirteen years ago, M. W. Baalis Sanford made the statement that "history is never a pastime, seldom an entertainment, and often dry and uninteresting especially to those not particularly concerned in its details." I am glad to quote the view of so eminent a Mason as Grand Master Sanford for it coincides so closely with my own, and although he didn't say so, I believe he had in mind those occasions when in the performance of official duty he, like the members of the Grand Lodge tonight, had been compelled to sit and listen to something "dry and uninteresting."

But I presume that is one of the penalties for being great.

However, it seems eminently fitting as well as a circumstance of great pleasure to us that the members of the Grand Lodge should be assembled with us at this time, for as we are the lineal descendants of those who founded the Lodge so are they the descendants of those who breathed into our ancestors the breath of Masonic life and brought into being this institution of which we are tonight rendering an account of our stewardship.

At the outset there are two propositions requiring our consideration. The first is, that any full and complete history of the Lodge must include all the records of the nearly seven hundred and fifty regular and special communications which have been held by the lodge since its institution, for they already constitute the written history of the Lodge and there. is hardly an item there that would not be of interest to someone here tonight, but as such an inclusion here would be an impossibility it has seemed to your chronicler to be his duty for this occasion to segregate those events which have either had a vital influence upon the life of the Lodge or which may be of special interest to us at the present time.

The second proposition for our consideration is, that in order to read history understandingly it should be read not in the light of the present, but rather in the light of the times in which the various events occurred, and with your permission and the support of one of the Three Great Lights in Freemasonry which states that "the last shall be first and the first last," I will develop the second proposition first. Now in order to produce the proper atmosphere with which to envelop the early beginnings of Delta Lodge, we should close our eyes to all that is modern and endeavor to draw a mental picture of a fine old New England country town, with its streets fringed with beautiful elm shade trees and lined with the white-painted and green-blinded homes of its residents — those residents of New England Yankee stock and many of them direct descendants of the first permanent settlers of old Wessagusset. We should remember that the electric light now so indispensable was still an invention of the future and that if one wanted to make a social or business call, he either went on foot or in his carriage, for the jingle of the telephone bell and the honk of the automobile and the rumble and jangle of the electric car had not yet disturbed the peace and quiet of the countryside. Even the South Shore Railroad as it was then called extended only from Braintree to Cohasset, and the few trains which traversed its rails were drawn by the old wood-burning engines Quincy and Hingham, with the last train for the day leaving either terminal at half past six and no Sunday service. The morning conference over the backyard fence between the good housewives of the town was still an institution. One still had an abiding faith in one's neighbor and a wholehearted interest in everyone's affairs and no home happening was too trivial or too great to be freely and fully discussed at these conferences, with a ready charity of thought and action where needed. Of theatres there were none and those of Boston were seldom visited and so, as in many other New England towns, the social life of the town revolved about its churches and Masonic Lodge, for we should bear in mind that Orphan's Hope Lodge had already been in existence forty-three years with credit to itself and honor to the community.

I have spoken of Weymouth as being a country town and so it was, but not in the sense of being agricultural nor unimportant, for it teemed with industry and far exceeded in population and importance the neighboring town of Quincy. The chief industry was the making of boots, — the long-legged kind that our fathers and many of my hearers tonight used to wear, — and they not only made boots, but they made the best that were made anywhere, from the heavy boot for use in the fields to those made of the finest calf and kid skins for use on the swell social occasions of the day. These were shipped by the Boston and New York wholesalers all over the United States and exported to Europe, and so through its product the town became internationally known. A small edition of the Dizer plant and one or two others were already in existence, the forerunners of those great modern factories in which, we are asked to believe, a procession of cows and calves enters at one end of the building and fifteen minutes later leaves the other end in the form of shoes ready to wear and cased for shipment. But by far the larger part of the product was still made in the small shops such as were operated by Alden Nash, Atherton Hunt, Erastus Nash, Richard Hunt, and a great many others. These were usually located in the front or back yard of the owner and employed but a few men each, farming out parts of the work to the inhabitants of the town who brought them back to the shops to be assembled. As these shops were owned by the influential men of the town — many of them Masons — it was quite natural that they should become the meeting-places for the discussion of local politics and Masonic procedure, and many were the red hot arguments they witnessed at the expense of the boot industry, for what did the making of boots amount to when the qualifications of Bill Jones for field driver were under debate. But while the arguments may have been hot at the time nothing ever rankled and no friendships were sundered.

Into this atmosphere came Delta.

Unfortunately neither the original petition for a Dispensation nor the Dispensation itself are available, although a copy of the latter appears in the records of the Lodge, but in all probability the petition was signed and placed in the hands of the Grand Master some time in the month of May, 1868, for we learn from the records of the Lodge that the petitioners held their first meeting on May 12, 1868, in the Good Templars' Hall, Weymouth Landing, and organized with Hon. Edward Avery chairman and Alverdo Mason secretary. At this meeting the Lodge organization under dispensation was perfected with the following officers:

  • Edward Avery, Worshipful Master
  • Nathaniel F. T. Hunt, Senior Warden.
  • E. Watson Arnold, Junior Warden.
  • Amos S. White, Treasurer.
  • Charles G. Thompson, Secretary.
  • William S. Wallace, Chaplain.
  • George A. Gustin, Marshal.
  • Alverdo Mason, Senior Deacon.
  • Alden W. Nash, Junior Deacon.
  • Elbridge T. Richards, Senior Steward.
  • Reuben Tirrell, Junior Steward.
  • Waterman T. Burrell, Tyler.
  • Richard A. Hunt, Organist, was appointed at a later meeting.

The petitioners held another meeting on May 19 and a final meeting on May 26 at which further preliminary details were worked out. From the annual address of M. W. Charles C. Dame, then Grand Master, delivered at the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge in December, 1868, we learn that he had granted on June 6, 1868, a Dispensation to Edward Avery and thirty-four others for a new Lodge at Weymouth to be called "Delta" and three days later, or June 9, 1868, the Lodge held its first regular communication and July 4 of the same year made its first public appearance when it joined with Orphan's Hope Lodge in dedicating the Soldiers' Monument at Weymouth.

Joseph Wilder White and George Washington Locke, in the order named, were the first applicants to tempt fate at the hands of the new officers, but as they both were Entered Apprentices August 11, 1868, Passed September 29, and Raised in due and ancient form October 27, it is to be presumed that their trust had not been misplaced.

Apparently the work of the new Lodge was satisfactory to the District Deputy Grand Master, R. W. Zachariah L. Bicknell, who attended a number of the meetings, for at the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge held on June 9, 1869, when a petition for a Charter signed by thirty members was presented, it received favorable action and a Charter was granted.

Of these thirty charter members, typical and representative of the South Shore citizenry of a half century ago, twenty-three were members of Orphan's Hope, one of Rural, one of John Cutler, one of Old Colony, one of Saint Paul's, one of Adelphi, one of Saint John's No. 1 of New York City, and one of Solomon's Lodge No. 1 of Charleston, S. C. Five are still living, while all the others who subscribed their names with the firm hand and enthusiastic purpose of a vigorous manhood have crumbled to dust and long since dimitted to the Great Grand Lodge above where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides. Of the five who are living, only two are still members of the Lodge, Worshipful Brother Wallace and Brother Tirrell, both of whom are present tonight and in the enjoyment of a physical condition and mental clarity which we hope may be their portion for many years to come.

On July 2, 1869, the Grand Lodge came out from Boston for the purpose of Constituting and Consecrating the new Lodge and installing its officers. This service was performed according to the rites of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and in the usual impressive manner of the Grand Lodge. The charter members had assembled in Lincoln Hall, Weymouth Landing, because of the larger seating capacity of the hall and the exercises were in charge of M. W. William Sewall Gardner, Grand Master, assisted by the following officers:

  • R. W. Charles Levi Woodbury, Deputy Grand Master.
  • R. W. Z. L. Bicknell, Acting Senior Grand Warden.
  • R. W. Ivory H. Pope, Junior Grand Warden.
  • R. W. Solon Thornton, Recording Grand Secretary.
  • Wor. John A. Goodwin, Acting Grand Chaplain.
  • R. W. William F. Salmon, Acting Grand Marshal.
  • Wor. Lovell Bicknell, Acting Senior Grand Deacon.
  • Bro. Howard M. Dow, Acting Junior Grand Deacon.
  • Bro. Eben F. Gay, Grand Tyler.

After the exercises of the evening a collation was served, a season of great social enjoyment followed, and the new Lodge was started on its way with the apparent approval and support of. everyone in the district. It seems proper to record here that, when we consider the fact that twenty-three members of the new Lodge had dimitted from Orphan's Hope Lodge in the same town (quite a sizable number for those days) and when we consider the further fact that in the future they were to draw their new members from the same territory, one might be justified in thinking that a feeling of secret opposition if not open hostility pervaded the older Lodge; but nothing could be further from the truth, for Orphan's Hope seemed to take a sort of motherly interest in the infant Lodge and gave a beautiful demonstration of the tenets of Freemasonry. The records of the Lodge show that when they held their first regular communication Worshipful Brother William Humphrey, the presiding Master of Orphan's Hope, was present and gave the new officers instructions in opening and closing the Lodge and changing to other degrees, and when the third degree was first -worked he presided in the East and raised both candidates by invitation of the Master. For a long time hardly a meeting was held but what officers and members of Orphan's Hope were present, and further to cement the cordial relations between the Lodges many of them were elected honorary members of Delta. This amicable feeling reached its climax when at the meeting on September 6, 1870, the following communication was received:

Weymouth, July 12, 1870.

To the Worshipful Master, Wardens and Brothers of Delta Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons,

Brethren:

The undersigned having been appointed a committee of Orphan's Hope Lodge to procure some testimonial as an expression of the fraternal feeling and good wishes of its members for the success and prosperity of Delta Lodge, would ask your acceptance of the enclosed two hundred dollars and we present it in this form believing that under your direction it may be much more advantageously expended for the benefit of your Lodge than it could be by us, and in performing the duty assigned us we desire to express the hope that the brotherly love and friendship which have so long existed between many of the members of Delta Lodge and those of Orphan's Hope may continue with us ' till time shall be no more' and the only contention that shall ever exist between the members of these two Lodges shall be that of emulation as to who can best exemplify the precepts taught by our beloved order.
Fraternally yours,

Z. L. BlCKNELL,
ABNER HOLBROOK,
WM. HUMPHREY,
Committee Orphan's Hope Lodge.

As Delta had just moved into new quarters which it had fitted up at an expense of nearly three thousand dollars there is no doubt but what this was a most welcome gift. I am glad to record further that the prayer of the presenting committee for a continuance of the friendship and brotherly love between the Lodges has been amply answered in the past half century and seems destined to be in the future.

With this auspicious start the Lodge rapidly grew in membership and strength and soon acquired a reputation for open-handed hospitality that still lingers in the memories of the older Masons of the South Shore. When Delta was entertaining, all roads led to the Landing, and they came in their carriages and in barges for a radius of twenty miles or more around, for they knew from experience that the cooking of the good housewives of Weymouth was of a high order and that the turkeys and other good things leaving their ovens that afternoon would be done to a turn. Likewise they had reason to believe that the punch bowl would be refilled as often as needed and a number of miles clipped thereby from the return trip, for we should remember that these Masonic ancestors of ours were decidedly human and believed in the free and temperate use of all of the good things of life. The early records are filled, with references to the good times they enjoyed—the Secretary in one instance closing his record of the occasion with the expression "'Twas good to be there"; at another time, the occasion being the annual visitation, he states that the lodge closed at nine-thirty and that "concord reigned till low twelve when the brethren reluctantly repaired to their homes" — possibly this reluctance increased the nearer some of the Brethren approached their homes. Seemingly, the members of the Lodge were so filled with the spirit of brotherly love and hospitality that the regular meetings did not offer sufficient opportunty, and so on January 29, 1872, they called a special communication for the stated purpose of entertaining the members of the South Shore Lodges - they came in great numbers and included the Masters and members of Corner-Stone, Konohassett, Old Colony, Orphan's Hope, Rural, Norfolk Union, Paul Revere, and also members of Henry Price, Gate of the Temple, Mount Hermon, Hart's Falls, N. Y., and Oriental, of Maine. Unfortunately the Secretary has omitted to record the closing hour of this Masonic festival, for such it really was, but I am informed that not only low twelve but some smaller figures had struck before the last of the cutters with their jingling bells had left the Square.

On February 21, 1873, the first "ladies' night" was held and was repeated with regularity for a number of years; then for some reason or other they were discontinued until five years ago when they were put back upon the social calendar of the Lodge, there to remain as a fixture we hope, for their popularity with the ladies admits of no argument and their value to the Lodge is beyond cavil.

June 17, 1874, on invitation of the Masons resident in Braintree and under escort of Old Colony Commandery, of Abington, and South Shore Commandary, of East Weymouth, the Lodge assisted in the dedication of the Soldiers Monument in Braintree and on July 4 of the same year it participated in the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the town of Weymouth.

By a singular coincidence, the Lodge held its one hundredth regular communication on July 4, 1876, the same date as the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the independence of the Republic. Worshipful Brother Wallace, then Master of the Lodge, called the attention of the members to this fact in an address and appropriate commemorative exercises were held including patriotic remarks by various members and special devotional exercises at the altar. A procession was formed and proceeded thrice around the Lodge, paying in passing the East the grand honors to the memory of our illustrious Brother George Washington, Worshipful Master of Alexandria Washington Lodge, of Alexandria, Va., whose portrait at that time adorned the East of the lodge.

In 1879 a strong desire for a Lodge in Braintree sprang up and at the communication of January 27 of the following year a petition praying for the erection of a Masonic Lodge in the town of Braintree was presented to the Lodge for its approval, but, although the committee appointed for the purpose of investigating the subject reported favorably, the Lodge on February 24 declined to grant the request. The Braintree Masons were not to be so easily disposed of, however, and at the April communication they came back, but their petition took a new form. They now prayed that the lodge endorse a petition to the Grand Lodge for the removal of Delta Lodge to South Braintree. Apparently this was where the petitioners made a great mistake for it aroused a storm of protest and the committee appointed for the purpose submitted at the September meeting a majority report signed by three in opposition and a minority report signed by one in favor of the petition. The majority report, which was adopted by the Lodge, set forth the very pertinent fact that eighty percent of the members lived in the immediate vicinity of the Lodge-room while only twenty percent lived at South Braintree and that if it was a hardship for those at South Braintree to go to the Landing it would be a greater hardship for the eighty percent to go to South Braintree. At this distance there seems to be a great deal of commonsense in the report of the majority and we do not wonder that the Lodge denied the petition. Since the days when our earliest ancestors climbed down out of the trees, caught and killed their prey with their hands, and at night rolled a boulder to the mouth of their cave to protect themselves from their four-footed enemies, apparently the only thing in the world which hasn 't changed is human nature. One of the chief motives which actuated the founders of the Lodge was the desire to have a Lodge near their homes and thus save the trip to East Weymouth, and so we cannot blame the South Braintree Brethren if they wanted a Lodge in their front yard. But while the operation might have been a success, the patient would have died, for the Lodge would have been pocketed on one edge of its territory and the Weymouth members would surely have dimitted to Orphan's Hope. On June 7, 1881, during the administration of Worshipful John E. Hunt, Most Worshipful Samuel Crocker Lawrence, then Grand Master, paid a fraternal visit to the lodge. The Masonic Temple in Boston, which occupied the upper floors of the old Winthrop House at the corner of Tremont and Boylston Streets, had been burned in 1864 with the irreparable loss of its paraphernalia and priceless collection of antiquities, and a new Temple had been erected on the site with a large debt. In order to liquidate this debt a capitation tax had been levied on every Mason in the state extending through a period of years. This period expired in 1878 leaving an unpaid balance on the Temple of $270,000.00 and a new capitation tax of one dollar per member per year for a period of fifteen years was levied in 1879 with a provision that any member could discount or commute his tax in full by a cash payment of ten dollars. The Grand Master was possessed of an enthusiastic desire to extinguish this debt and the object of his visit at this time was to induce the members of the Lodge to take advantage of this commutation. After an address delivered in the eloquent manner which those who knew Grand Master Lawrence while at his zenith will well recall the Lodge voted to commute the tax of all its members.

On the afternoon of September 26, 1881, the Lodge held a special communication for the purpose of attending the memorial exercises at the Union Congregational Church in honor of our late brother James Abram Garfield, President of the United States.

August 1, 1889, the Lodge attended the dedication of the Pilgrim Monument at Plymouth. Those who participated in this pilgrimage have not yet forgotten the drenching rain which played such an unwelcome part in the program, but the afternoon was bright and the entertainment of Plymouth Lodge was of such an order that the Brethren returned highly pleased with their trip.

During all this time, many Masons affiliated with .various Lodges had taken up a residence in Braintree and naturally felt the necessity for a local Lodge. This feeling resulted in a movement, stronger than any which had preceded it, for the establishment of a Lodge in Braintree. A number of meetings were held in which Tristram R. Newell was a leading spirit and on June 20, 1899, they presented a petition for the approval of the Lodge, praying the Grand Lodge to erect a Lodge in Braintree. The committee to which this petition was referred reported unanimously in opposition at the October communication and the Lodge voted not to grant the request. For a long time, however, there had been a growing sentiment in the Lodge that a change of location was desirable and of late it had seemed to be almost imperative. Up to about 1882 the Lodge seems to have basked in the brilliant light and genial warmth of an ascending sun, but the winter solstice with its lowering skies and chilling winds then arrived and lingering as it did through many years it seemed as though it might always stay. This condition had been brought about not through any fault of the Lodge or its members, but chiefly by a change in the local conditions of the Landing. Soon after 1870 the boot industry began to decline and finally ceased entirely, and there being no other remunerative employment many removed to other centres, particularly the younger men upon whom the Lodge depended for its future growth and support. Many of the older members who regarded the Lodge with the affection of a parent for a child had passed away and because of a lack of work and consequently a lack of interest others had dimitted. Pentalpha Chapter, which was organized in 1870 through the initiative and influence of the members of Delta and had since been fostered by them, had been a tenant of the Lodge for its first ten years and then was a joint lessee with the Lodge until 1890; but in the latter year it decided to remove to East Weymouth and the entire rent of the property fell upon the Lodge. So you will see there were a number of contributing causes to the general effect. But while the darkness was most intense, the rosy light of a new dawn was already beginning to suffuse the Eastern horizon. At the January communication in 1898 the Secretary with mixed emotions read eight applications for degrees — not a very large number today, but it was more than had been read in this Lodge in the three years preceding all put together, and I haven't the slightest doubt but what a fervent "Amen" was in the hearts if not upon the lips of the faithful who had persisted in their interest in and attendance upon the meetings of the Lodge. But the hand of destiny still pointed to the west, if a realization of the early ambitions of the Lodge was to be achieved. So while the Lodge refused to grant the request for a new Lodge, it at the same time requested the committee to investigate the advisability of moving the Lodge to Braintree. This solution of the problem was satisfactory to the Braintree Brethren and when the committee reported in favor of removal at the meeting of December 12, 1899, the Lodge voted its approval. The various Lodges holding joint jurisdiction over the town of Braintree having signified their approval of the change, the Grand Lodge was petitioned and at its Quarterly Communication on June 13, 1900, granted the request. The first meeting of the Lodge in Braintree was held on October 2, 1900. The wisdom of this change in location requires no argument, for the Lodge has steadily grown in strength and prestige and its membership has risen from eighty-three when it left Weymouth to three hundred and thirty-one at the present time.

At a special meeting of the Lodge October 23, 1900, while Worshipful W. Edward Outterson was Master, M. W. Charles Theodore Gallagher, Grand Master, and R. W. Sereno D. Nickerson, Recording Grand Secretary, made the Lodge a fraternal visit. The Lodge was highly entertained by the addresses of both grand officers, the Grand Master among other things congratulating the Lodge for having removed to Braintree and so enlarging its field of work and usefulness and the Grand Secretary giving a scholarly discourse on Masonic subjects including the origin of the name of the Lodge.

The constant increase in the membership of the Lodge and a desire for quarters more in keeping with the dignity of our ceremonials finally led to the appointment of a committee by Worshipful Brother William S. Stone to investigate the subject, and upon the strength of their report the Lodge voted to build the Temple we now occupy at a special meeting called for that purpose on August 13, 1907. Work was soon started and on September 21 following the cornerstone was laid with appropriate ceremonies by the Grand Lodge, M. W. John Albert Blake, Grand Master, officiating, and in the presence of the officers and members of the Lodge and the assembled citizens.

December 7, 1907, the new Temple was dedicated to Freemasonry, to Virtue, and to Universal Benevolence with beautiful and impressive ceremonies in accordance with ancient usage and the ritual of the Grand Lodge. M. W. John Albert Blake occupied the Oriental Chair and was assisted by the following officers:

Following the dedicatory exercises a collation was served; after which the Brethren returned to the Lodge-room and a season of intellectual refreshment followed, with a number of the Grand Lodge officers participating.

January 7, 1908, we received a surprise visit from Worshipful Hartley L. White, presiding Master, and a large number of the members of Rural Lodge, who presented us with the Three Great Lights. It was a most gracious and generous gift and was one more evidence of the cordial relations which have always existed between Delta and the other South Shore Lodges.

On January 26, 1915, during the administration of Walter James Harrison as Master, the Most Worshipful Melvin Maynard Johnson, then Grand Master, honored the Lodge with a fraternal visit. Upon his presence being announced by his Grand Marshal, Worshipful William M. Farrington, a committee of Past Masters of the Lodge escorted him to the East where he was appropriately received and presented the Gavel and Oriental Chair. Upon the completion of the work of the evening the Grand Master was presented with a check for $900.00 for the purposes of the Masonic Home at Charlton, the same being in full of the Lodge's quota and thereby placing the Lodge upon the honor roll as one of the first fifty Lodges in the state to liquidate its indebtedness in behalf of this great charity. It was a red-letter night in the history of the lodge and the Grand Master's address with its mixture of oratory and sparkling wit will linger for a great many years in the memories of the assembled brethren who filled the lodge-room and its immediate ante-rooms to overflowing.

The first meeting-place of the Lodge was in Good Templars' Hall, Weymouth Landing, in the building now standing at the southeast corner of Washington and Front Streets, but it wasn't long before the increasing membership and social ambitions of its members necessitated larger and better quarters and in 1870 a lease was taken of a large, two-story ell attached to the residence of Elias Richards in Washington Square. This building was astride the line between the two towns and therefore one part of the Lodge-room was in Weymouth and the other part in Braintree. The Lodge remodelled the interior for its purposes and had a banquet hall below and a beautiful Lodge-room above, with vaulted ceiling tastefully decorated in pale blue. The fittings were of the very best, including hand-wrought, heavy, black walnut furniture, and reflected great credit upon the taste and resources of the founders of the Lodge. The Trustees in their report for 1871 state the Lodge-room assets as $3000, quite a sizable sum for those days. In passing, I should state that the altar, chairs of East, West, and South, desks, and the benches of the East which we are now using in our Temple, are all parts of this original furniture.

We must all regret that anything should have occurred to make it necessary to relinquish this beautiful home, but as I have stated earlier in this address it did occur and in 1890 the Lodge began holding its meetings in Pythian Hall, located in a building on Washington Street next to its first meeting-place, and remained there until its removal to Braintree in 1900.

In Braintree, the Lodge was a sub-tenant of Pythian Hall which occupied the upper part of the Lyceum building (so called), located in Storr's Square, which has since been destroyed by fire. The Lodge occupied these quarters until December, 1907, when the present Temple was dedicated.

Several features connected with the administration of the Lodge are different now from what they have been in the past.

The regular meetings of the Lodge were held on Tuesday evenings on or before the full of the moon, a custom obtaining in all early Lodges, probably in deference to the legendary belief that the Operative Masons met at the full of the moon in ancient times. One might think that this custom would have caused the Brethren a good deal of figuring to determine just when "Lodge night" came, but those were the days when the Old Farmers' Almanac"was a fixture in every household and shared the sitting-room table with the Bible or hung suspended from a nail by the side of the kitchen fireplace. But the moon fooled them once, for in the month of January, 1890, there was no Tuesday either on or before the full moon and as it was the Annual Communication for the election of officers the Grand Lodge had to straighten matters out by granting a special dispensation for the election of officers at the February meeting — and there was no meeting in January. This custom obtained until the Lodge moved to Braintree, a place where the Old Farmers' Almanac was held in less reverence.

The annual meetings seem to have been a sort of movable feast. At first they were held in October—in 1876 they were changed to September—in 1888 to January, and in 1905 to December. There are still a few months left in the calendar and it is quite possible that in time all months will be equally honored.

Until 1882, a candidate receiving the degree of Master Mason did not become a member of the Lodge until he had been balloted upon again and paid additional fees.

The Lodge was in session all through the year until 1880 when the summer meetings were dispensed with.

Most of the earlier Masters served three years. This statement is particularly commended to the junior officers of the Lodge who now think that it is a pretty long road from the inside door to the East.

Four Past Masters of the lodge have served as District Deputy Grand Masters—

1880 when the Lodge was in the Sixteenth District.

In the great World War just brought to a close, Delta had its share and performed it with eagerness and enthusiasm. The Lodge by subscription of its members raised $1175.00 for the Grand Lodge war fund and the individual members were generous givers of their time and money in furtherance of the various war activities. Eleven of its members were engaged in overseas service of the United States Army and Navy:

  • First Lieutenant John H. Guy — Quartermaster's Corps — at Bordeaux, France.
  • Lieutenant Henry N. Longley — Pilot, Aviation Corps.
  • Edward F. Golladay — Gunner's Mate, Second class — served in U. S. Naval R. R. Battery.
  • Allen C. Wentworth — Sergeant Medical Detachment.
  • Chester W. Sanborn — Corporal, Quartermaster's Corps.
  • George B. Thayer — Corporal, 14th Railway Engineers.
  • Chester A. Williams — Private, Co. K, 301st U. S. Infantry, 76th Division.
  • Arthur L. Benham — Private, Headquarters Co. Advance Section, S. O. S.
  • William R. Wright — Chief Mechanic, U. S. N., S. S. Bridgeport.
  • Henry Mallon — Watertender, U. S. Transport Martha Washington.
  • John C. Bridgham — Private, Co. K, 58th U. S. Infantry.

Brother Bridgham lost his life in France. He has been variously reported by the War Department as wounded October 5, 1918, and killed in action November 11, 1918, while the Red Cross report him as killed October 5, 1918.

Nine others who served in this country are as follows:

  • Capt. Frederick L. Hayden — Chemical Warfare Service.
  • First Lieutenant Ernest T. Currier — Quartermaster's Corps.
  • Fred W. Shaylor — Sergeant Chemical Warfare Service.
  • Dudley P. Howland — Sergeant Chemical Warfare Service.
  • Walter K. Carson — Private, Central Officers Training School.
  • Harrison W. Bailey — Private, 24th Co. 6th Battalion Infantry.
  • Clarence W. Dow — Inspector, Aeroplane Engines.
  • Charles H. Mallon — Electrician 2nd class, U. S. Naval Aviation.
  • Raymond A. Hubbard — Machinist's Mate, 2nd Class, U. S. N.

As no history of the Lodge would be complete without it and as it seems to me that one of the chief objects of this gathering tonight should be the paying of tribute to those who founded the Lodge, I have prepared a short biographical sketch of each of the charter members in the order in which they appear upon the charter.

Edward Avery was born in Marblehead, Mass., March 12, 1828, the son of Gen. Samuel and Mary (Candler) Avery. After pursuing his studies in his native town and at the classical school of Mr. Brooks in Boston, he chose the profession of law and studied in the office of P. W. Choate, Esq., in Boston and also at the Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the bar in April, 1849, and began the practice of his profession at Barre, Mass. In 1850 he removed to Boston and opened a law office with George M. Hobbs as partner. The laws of bankruptcy and insolvency received his early attention and secured for him an extensive practice and a leading position at the bar, which he maintained until the time of his decease. In 1852 he married Susan Caroline Stetson, daughter of Caleb Stetson, and took up his residence in Braintree in 1853. He was a member of the lower branch of the legislature from Braintree in 1866 and of the State Senate in 1867. In the latter year he was a candidate for both the House of Representatives and State Senate and was elected to both branches, defeating the famous "Citizen" Hobart for the Senate, and took his seat in that body. He was a member of several state and national conventions of his party, was a candidate for Secretary of the State and was several times candidate for the National Congress. He was the first Master of the Lodge and held that position for the years 1868, 1869, and 1879 — was District Deputy Grand Master for the Sixteenth Masonic District in 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, and again in 1880 and in June, 1877, was elected Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge, being the only member of Delta Lodge who has been honored with a permanent membership in the Grand Lodge. He died at his residence in Boston December 29, 1896, and was buried from Emmanuel church December 31. The services were in charge of the M. W. Grand Lodge with M. W. Charles C. Hutchinson officiating with the assistance of Reverend Brother Edward A. Horton, and the offices of the church were performed by Reverends Leighton Parks and William Hyde. Delta Lodge held a special communication which convened at the Masonic Temple in Boston for the purpose of attending the funeral. So passed away one whom I have no hesitation in denominating the "Father of Delta Lodge," for it was owing to his initiative, power of attracting others to himself, and constructive ability that Delta Lodge came into being and then through his generosity and influence that the Lodge attained its high standing in its earlier years. Up to the present time he is the greatest figure in the history of the Lodge and although none of us know what the future may produce it would seem as though he might remain so for all time.

Nathaniel Frederic Thayer Hunt was born in "Weymouth June 30, 1835, the son of Major Elias and Eliza Maria Theresa (Soper) Hunt. He attended the schools of his native town and then engaged in the fancy goods business as a traveling salesman, being particularly successful as such until failing health compelled him to retire. He was raised in Saint John's Lodge No. 1 of New York City, was the first Senior Warden of Delta Lodge and a very enthusiastic member for the first few years following the founding of the Lodge. He is still living at Scituate Harbor, Mass., although his membership in the Lodge ceased in 1880.

Elisha Watson Arnold was born in Braintree March 25, 1837, raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge June 3, 1863, and was the first Junior Warden of Delta. He dimitted September 30,1879. He was Town Clerk of Braintree from 1864 to 1868 inclusive and represented Braintree in the lower house in 1868. For a number of years he conducted a general store in what was then known as the "Lyceum" on Storrs' Square, Braintree, later selling it out and founding the provision firm of Skinner & Arnold in Dock Square in Boston. He died while taking the baths at Hot Springs, Va., May 21, 1899.

Amos Stone White was born in Ashburnham, Mass., April 6,1816, the son of Josiah and Matilda (Stone) White. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge July 25, 1860, and upon the founding of Delta became its first Treasurer, a position which he held for fourteen years and upon then resigning received a rising vote of thanks from the Lodge. Being Treasurer of the Lodge in those days apparently embraced duties not conceded by our present day Treasurers even if they are connected with large and influential financial institutions, for we learn from the records that all bills were paid upon presentation whether there was any money in the treasury or not. He conducted a drug store in Washington Square, Weymouth, was for thirty-four years Treasurer of the Weymouth Savings Bank, Trustee of Tufts Library, and occupied other positions of trust and responsibility in Weymouth affairs. He dimitted February 13, 1886 and died in Weymouth March 27, 1891.

Charles Gilman Thompson was born in Weymouth October 20, 1837, the son of Gilman and Lucinda Thompson. He was raised in Adelphi Lodge April 5, 1866 and was the first Secretary of Delta. Like the Treasurer, Amos S. White, he served the Lodge for fourteen years, resigned at the same time and participated with him in the rising vote of thanks accorded them by the Lodge. He was a man of marked social characteristics, deeply interested in the welfare of the Lodge, and an officer of exceptional ability. In the records of the Lodge as compiled by him, he has left the Lodge a legacy which is the admiration of all and at once the envy and despair of all succeeding Secretaries, for his beautiful penmanship resembles more the copper-plate of the steel engraver than the chirography of the penman, with the names of candidates and other items of importance in the records thrown up in large script and heavily shaded. For many years he was connected with the old firm of J. D. & M. Williams, State Street, Boston, and later succeeded them under the name of Thompson & Leavitt. He died at his residence in Braintree February 4, 1904.

Alverdo Mason was born in Swanzey, Mass., February 25, 1821. He was raised in Saint Paul's Lodge November 3, 1863, was Secretary of the petitioners for a Dispensation for Delta, served as the first Senior Deacon of the Lodge and was Junior Warden in 1872. After his graduation from Oberlin College, of Oberlin, Ohio, he served for many years as teacher in the schools of Braintree and during that time compiled a copy of the first book of records of his native town where his ancestors had lived for more than two hundred years and published it at his own expense. In later life he was postmaster at East Braintree for eight years. He died at Braintree May 13, 1892.

Alden Wilder Nash was born in Weymouth January 10, 1835, the son of George and Nancy (Burrell) Nash. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge August 15, 1866. He was a man of most agreeable manners and conversation and in business was a boot 'manufacturer, conducting a large and profitable business. Upon the founding of the Lodge he became its first Junior Deacon, was Senior Deacon in 1869, 1870, and 1871, Senior Warden in 1872 and 1873, and died in office April 6, 1873.

Elbridge Thomas Richards was born in Weymouth February 15, 1837, the son of Thomas and Lydia (Shaw) Richards. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge March 4, 1868. He was the first Senior Steward of the Lodge, Junior Deacon in 1869, and Sentinel in 1885 and 1886. Owing to failing health he dimitted May 22, 1888, and went to Riverside, California, but upon his return in 1891 he rejoined the Lodge. He was identified with the manufacturing boot and shoe industry of the town and in his later years conducted a retail shoe store in Lincoln Square. He died in Weymouth October 14, 1917.

Reuben Tirrell was born in Weymouth May 2, 1845, the son of Elbridge Gerry and Sophia Tirrell. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge December 11, 1867, and upon the founding of Delta he became its first Junior Steward, serving in that capacity for four years, then as Tyler from 1877 to 1882 inclusive, then as Sentinel from 1891 to 1895 and again from 1897 to 1899 inclusive. During all his life he has been identified with the general store business in Lincoln Square founded by his father, and in Lodge matters, both in office and out of office, he has set an example for interest in the affairs of the Lodge and attendance upon the meetings that the rest of us might follow with advantage and credit to ourselves. He is one of the two surviving charter members who are still members of the Lodge.

William Sprague Wallace was born in East Braintree October 11, 1838, the son of William Vinson and Maria (Keen) Wallace. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge December 27, 1865, and became the first Chaplain of Delta upon its institution and served in that capacity for two years. Then in succession he held the positions of Junior Deacon 1870 and 1871, Senior Deacon 1872 and 1873, Senior Warden 1874, and was elected the fourth Master of the Lodge in 1875, being honored with a three years' term by the members of the Lodge. During his administration the lodge was exceedingly prosperous and reached a numerical strength of one hundred and nine which was destined to be high water mark for twenty-six years or until 1902. The officers of the Lodge by painstaking work and under the efficient leadership of the Master achieved a perfection of ritual and work that was the envy of the neighboring Lodges and several times called for the special commendation of the Grand Master and other officers of the Grand Lodge. His interest in the affairs of the Lodge has never abated and the Masonic Ritual is as clear and fresh in his mind as it was in the days when he sat in the East. For many years he operated a boot-fitting shop which was an auxiliary to the boot manufacturing business, and in 1876 represented Weymouth in the lower house. He is the oldest Past Master of the Lodge and is the other of the two surviving charter members who are still members of the Lodge. May his shadow never grow less!

Richard Amory Hunt was born in Weymouth September 2, 1818. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge March 14, 1860, and when Delta was founded became its first organist and served in that capacity for twenty years. He was a man~-of unusual musical ability, possessed an excellent voice, was a performer on several instruments, and in addition to being organist of the Lodge was also the organist of the Union Congregational Church. He represented Weymouth in the lower branch of the legislature in 1865 and for many years was a recognized leader of the Republican Party in his district. In business he was a prosperous boot manufacturer and his shop became the gathering-place for those of a similar political faith with the result that it received the cognomen of Tammany Hall," presumably because the slates there made up were never broken. He died in Weymouth July 23, 1898.

Ebenezer Atherton Hunt was born in Weymouth January 2, 1826, the son of Atherton Nash Hunt and his wife Susannah Curtis (Hobart) Hunt. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge March 14, 1860, and was Junior Warden of that Lodge in 1867. In 1869 he was elected Junior Warden of Delta, in 1871 he was Senior Warden, and on December 12 of the same year he was installed as the third Master of the Lodge, a position which he held for three successive years. Upon the founding of South Shore Commandery he was offered the position of Captain General which he declined with the statement that as a Commandery was semi-military in character one of short stature had no business to accept an office in it. He was one of the boot manufacturers of the town and like his uncle Richard was one of the political leaders of his district. He served his town in various capacities including that of Chief of the Fire Department, Selectman for a number of terms and Representative in the lower house in 1873. In 1875 and 1876 he served in the State Senate. He was a member of the Union Congregational Church, a trustee of the Weymouth Savings Bank from 1875 to 1881, and by his contemporaries was considered one of the solid and able men of the town. He passed away March 17, 1891.

Francis Ambler was born in Weymouth June 3, 1833, and was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge May 21, 1862. While he held no official position in the Lodge he was active in town affairs. He was Selectman in 1875 and 1876 and was Town Clerk from 1861 to 1878 inclusive with the exception of 1869 and 1870. The two years that he failed of election were those when the "Crispins" so called were in power. The older ones of my hearers will remember the "Crispins" as being a boot and shoe workers' organization which was at that time very powerful politically and turned out everyone who was in any way identified with the old order of things. He was a druggist for many years in Washington Square and in later life conducted a hay and grain business on Shaw Street. He died in Weymouth December 8, 1898.

Ebenezer William Hunt was born in Weymouth December 4, 1823, the son of Major Elias and Eliza M. T. (Soper) Hunt. He was raised in Old Colony Lodge November 28, 1854, joined Orphan's Hope in 1856, and became one of the charter members of Delta in 1868. He was engaged in the wholesale boot and shoe business in Boston for a number of years, then conducted an insurance business in Weymouth. On May 22, 1877, he dimitted from the Lodge and removed to Orlando, Florida, where he died December 27, 1909.

Edwin P. Worster was born in Weymouth August 24, 1826, the son of Ezekiel Worster, and was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge June 7, 1865. In 1849 he joined the army of gold seekers which went to California, taking passage in the barque "Lanark" and consuming two hundred and fourteen days in the passage around the Horn. Upon his return and for nearly thirty years afterwards he was a well-known figure on State Street in Boston where he was a specie broker, specializing in foreign exchange; and in 1869 president of the "Gold Board." The "Gold Board was an association of those who dealt in specie and to which banks and merchants went when in need of gold to meet domestic and foreign obligations. He was vice-president of the Union National Bank of Weymouth from 1881 to the time of his death, which occurred on July 25, 1900.

Thomas Brastow Porter was born in Wrentham, Mass., April 22, 1810, and was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge October 31, 1860. He served the Lodge as Trustee from 1869 to 1873 inclusive and also in 1879 and 1880. For many years he was in the lumber business in Weymouth under the firm name of Loud & Porter and the older members will remember him as a gentleman of the old school who was unusually well informed on all the topics of the day. He died in Dorchester September 11, 1895.

Erastus Nash was born in Weymouth December 16, 1827, the son of Deacon John P. and Rachel Nash. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge October 5, 1864. For many years he was engaged in the manufacture of boots under the firm name of S. W. & E. Nash and erected one of the finest residences in the town. He was also vice-president of the Weymouth Agricultural Society, but took no active part in town or Lodge affairs. He ceased to be a member of the Lodge in 1895 and passed away in Weymouth January 28, 1905.

Milton Heywood Read was born in Orono, Maine, October 1, 1822, the son of John and Mary Read. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge May 18, 1864 and although he became one of the charter members of Delta he never took any active part in the affairs of the Lodge nor of the town. He conducted a retail clothing store on Washington Square, Weymouth, dimitted from the Lodge, May 18, 1880, and died in Weymouth August 10, 1899.

George William Warren was born in Hopkinton, Mass. April 20, 1840, and was raised in Solomon's Lodge No. 1 of Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon February 10, 1867, under special dispensation from the Grand Lodge. He served in the Civil War as a member of D Company, Third Battalion of Infantry, then in B Company, 51st Massachusetts Infantry, and finally as a member of the 6th Unattached Company of Massachusetts Infantry, of which company he was orderly sergeant. After the war he was a clerk in the employ of Milton H. Read in Washington Square, Weymouth, then with Richards & Company clothiers, in Dock Square, Boston, and later was connected with the Boston District of the Internal Revenue Department as inspector and gauger for thirty years. He dimitted from the Lodge April 12, 1881 and is now living at the Soldiers Home in Chelsea.

John Metzler Walsh was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 19, 1822, the son of James and Mary (Mearler) Walsh and while still young came to South Braintree, removing in 1852 to Weymouth. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge June 15, 1857. He served Delta as Senior Steward in 1869, 1870, and 1871, Junior Deacon in 1872 and 1873, Senior Deacon in 1874, Senior Warden 1875, 1876, and 1877, and became the fifth Master of the Lodge, serving during the years 1878, 1879, and 1880. His contemporaries speak of him as a man of unusual geniality and as one to whom the professions and ideals of Freemasonry meant something more than printed ritual. He was an excellent officer and, possessing considerable dramatic ability, the work of the Lodge under his leadership was of a very high order and a standard for excellence was set which has never been exceeded. He was engaged in the carriage painting business and also conducted the leading harness business of the town for many years. He died in Weymouth January 16, 1898.

Francis Flint Forsaith was born in Deering, N. H., May 8, 1824. He was a charter member of John Cutler Lodge of Abington in 1860 and dimitted from that Lodge when Delta was founded, as he had removed to Weymouth in 1861. He was a deacon of the Union Congregational Church and in his chosen profession of physician he endeared himself to a large circle of friends not only as a kind and sympathetic physician, but also as a true gentleman and a useful citizen. He died in Weymouth March 11, 1894.

George Adoniram Gustin was born in Troy, Maine, June 24, 1840. He enlisted June 17, 1861, and served in the band of the 9th Massachusetts Infantry until August 10, 1862, when all regimental bands were disbanded. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge January 18, 1865, and upon the founding of Delta he became its first Marshal, serving for the year 1868. He was engaged in the manufacture of boots in early life and later became a band musician again. He dimitted from the Lodge May 28, 1907, and is now a member of Humboldt Lodge, No. 79, of Eureka, California, to which place he removed.

Charles Stewart Williams was born in Weymouth June 1, 1844, the son of Henry and Caroline (Stewart) Williams. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge October 4, 1865. In the Civil War he was a member of Company A, 42d Massachusetts Infantry, and was captured at Galveston, Texas, together with the Colonel and several companies of the regiment. After spending a year in rebel prisons he was paroled and upon his return to Weymouth conducted a dry and fancy goods business in Washington Square and upon giving that up entered the brokerage business in Boston. He was much interested in town affairs and was Selectman in 1877 and 1878. He died in Weymouth July 24, 1891.

Waterman Thomas Burrell was born in Hingham May 12, 1832, the son of Martin H. and Mary W. Burrell. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge April 21, 1858, and served Delta as its first Tyler, 1868 and 1869, and as Junior Warden in 1870 and 1871. For many years he was the leading housepainter of the town. He dimitted from the Lodge December 15, 1885 and died in Weymouth December 9, 1903.

Solon Walter Pratt was born in Waterbury, Vt., March 27, 1828, the son of John Y. and Sarah Pratt. He was initiated in Rural Lodge August 2, 1855, and joined Orphan's Hope in 1857. He conducted a hardware business in Washington Square under the firm name of S. W. & L. W. Pratt. He dimitted from the Lodge April 17, 1900, and died in Weymouth April 6, 1903.

Charles Gorham Easterbrook was born in Hingham August 13, 1825, and was raised in Old Colony Lodge March 27, 1855. He was the founder and publisher of the Weymouth Gazette, a paper which for many years wielded a great influence in the South Shore. His intimates of those days refer to him as a true and faithful Mason, having always at heart the welfare of the Fraternity and as an upright and loyal citizen who cared more for the good of the state than for personal emolument. He conducted his business with sterling integrity and possessed social qualities to a high degree, promoting with his genial disposition the pleasure of all. He died in Weymouth September 3, 1893.

Francis Allen Hobart was born in Braintree September 18, 1833 and was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge July 25, 1860. In early life he was a boot manufacturer, but having a natural taste for politics that occupation gradually absorbed his time to the exclusion of all else and under the soubriquet of "Citizen" Hobart he was without doubt the most widely known man that Norfolk County has produced since Colonial times. He represented Braintree in the lower house in 1860 and 1861 and was State Senator in 1865, 1869, and 1870. He dimitted from the Lodge May 26, 1885 and died in Braintree October 14, 1903.

Asa French was born in Braintree October 21, 1829, was raised in Rural Lodge in 1860 and admitted to membership in that Lodge August 30 of the same year. He was a distinguished lawyer of his time and was district attorney for Norfolk arid Plymouth Counties from 1870 to 1882. In 1882 he was appointed by President Arthur Judge of the Court of Commissioners of Alabama Claims at Washington, D. ft, and served as such from 1882 to 1886 inclusive. He was a close friend of Brigadier-General Sylvanus Thayer, a native of Braintree, who was Commandant of the United States Military Academy for sixteen years and familiarly known as the "Father of West Point." Asa French drew the will of General Thayer by which he left in trust the sum of $270,000.00 for higher educational purposes in the town of old Braintree and which resulted in the foundation of Thayer Academy. He also drew the will of Mrs. Sarah W. Glover by which in 1894 $194,000 more reverted to Thayer Academy. Thus he was largely instrumental in providing the towns of Braintree, Quincy, Holbrook, and Randolph which were included in old Braintree with an educational institution which for many years has maintained a high standard of excellence. He represented Braintree in the General Court in 1866 — dimitted from the Lodge September 11, 1883 when he took up his residence in Washington — and died in Braintree June 23, 1903.

Edmund Stephen Soper Hunt was born in Weymouth July 19, 1827, the third son of Major Elias and Eliza M. T. (Soper) Hunt to subscribe his name as a charter member of Delta Lodge. He was raised in Old Colony Lodge February 23, 1855 — joined Orphan's Hope in 1856 and was a Trustee of Delta in 1869. At one time he was a fan manufacturer, but his real life work was that of pyrotechnist in which he achieved" great prominence and success and" amassed a fortune. He was the inventor of the Hunt Life-saving Gun which he finally sold to the John P. Lovell Arms Company after failing to dispose of it to the United States or British Governments. Besides being passionately fond of music, he was a man of great originality and in later life wrote a book for private distribution entitled Weymouth Ways and Weymouth People in which he related his personal impressions of those he had known in Weymouth, calling a spade a spade and sparing neither relative, friend, nor enemy to the great delight of those who were fortunate enough to be favored with a copy by the author. He ceased to be a member of the Lodge in 1876 and died in Weymouth August 21, 1909.

George Washington White, Jr., the last signer of the petition, was born in Weymouth January 18, 1819, the son of Capt. George W. and Betsey (Burrell) White. He was raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge June 1, 1859, and was Trustee of Delta in 1873 and 1874. He was Deputy Sheriff of Norfolk County for years without number and was one of the prominent figures of his time. In his later years he was Postmaster of Weymouth for eight years. He dimitted from the Lodge February 4, 1890, and died in Weymouth March 8, 1899.

And now that you have listened to these biographies, long as they may have seemed to you and yet altogether too short to do full justice to the individuals themselves, I think you will agree with me that we have ample reason to be very proud of our ancestry, and I think you will also agree with me that we have a great deal to live up to in order to fill in our time the same spheres of influence and usefulness which they filled in theirs. And while prophecy not yet fulfilled may be no part of recorded history, I have no hesitation in predicting that so long as this Lodge follows the dictates of Freemasonry, with its belief in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man, its progress will be onward and upward forever.

75TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, SEPTEMBER 1944

From Proceedings, Page 1944-180:

By Worshipful Brother Justin Winfred Shrader.

Again we have the privilege of assembling in the Braintree Town Hall, as many here will remember we did twenty-five years ago on the occasion of our Fiftieth Anniversary, but this time it is to celebrate the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the constitution of Delta Lodge by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

Due to the shortness of time allotted for this part of our long program for the evening and the dryness of its subject to our lady guests, this will be an attempt to review very briefly our work and progress in relation to that of our town during the quarter century just completed.

For the benefit of those present who are not familiar with the origin of Delta Lodge, it may be interesting to note that we were originally organized in and as a Weymouth institution, but as our membership grew, particularly with new members from Braintree, it was felt that there should be a Lodge in this town. After some discussion this was accomplished, and even now there are still some on our rolls who lived and have continued to live in Weymouth, such as Brother Percy Bates Cook.

Let us recall Delta Lodge and Braintree as they were as of August 31, 1919. We were then meeting in the same temple that we do today, but several changes have been made in our building. The heating plant has been modernized and the boiler room waterproofed, so that we could keep our fire burning and dispense heat, as well as light, to the candidates. Many of you will recall, no doubt with a smile, the discomforts experienced in our earlier days. No longer does the candidate imagine all the tortures to which he might be submitted as he did when the former ventilating fan was turned on, to the accompaniment of noises largely resembling those of an automobile which has just burned out a bearing.

Our quarters have been insulated, recarpeted, remodeled and many times painted; our outer apartments modernized and our abode well cared for by the several trustees of the temple. To these men is largely due the credit for clearing our property and its furnishings of all indebtedness and for the pleasing appearance that the temple now presents to our members and the citizens of Braintree. I believe it still holds its unique position among the temples of the State, being one of the very few whose lodge-room and outer apartments are all on the first and only floor of the building.

The following have served as faithful trustees of the temple, giving much of their time and thought to the solution of the many problems arising during this period.

  • Bro. Isaac Wendell Gammons
  • Albert Everett Avery
  • Wor. Walter James Harrison
  • R.W. Charles Gilbert Jordan
  • Wor. Carl Gleason Makepeace
  • Wor. Willard Perkins Sheppard
  • Charles Frederick Tarbox

Our present trustees are: Wor. Charles Gilbert Jordan, Bro. Frederick Wright Shaylor, Bro. Roy William Lawson.

During this period many changes have occurred in our town. Street cars have gone to their final resting place, having been replaced by busses; sewers have been constructed; our police, fire, water, light, school and administrative departments have been enlarged and modernized; the old fashioned Town Meeting form of local government with all its interminable, fiery oratory has been superseded by the Representative Town Meeting. Industrially, Braintree has also changed from a thriving shoe manufacturing center to a town of many industries of a highly diversified nature. Members of Delta Lodge have been important factors during these many changes in the development, improvement and administration of the town and the forward progress of its citizens.

With the constant increase of population in the town, Delta Lodge has shown a material growth in its membership. On August 31, 1919, our enrollment was three hundred and twenty-nine; by August 31, 1944, it had increased to four hundred sixty. We have nine initiates who have received their Master Mason degree, but who have not as yet signed the by-laws and therefore cannot be considered active members. During this period we reached our peak in numbers, having had five hundred and seventy-nine enrolled August 31, 1930. The fluctuation in membership is due to the number of deaths, dimits and suspensions, the latter two resulting from the long period of severe depression that so seriously affected us, as well as every form of human endeavor.

Since 1919 our activities have been many. Not perhaps in the public eye, as Masonic organizations as such seldom, if ever, take part in any public demonstration or activity, leaving such activities to the individuals as such. That they do take such part has been repeatedly set forth in our town's activities and its community interests.

As we progressed, it became necessary to plan for the future economic stability of the Lodge and so our by-laws were studied by a committee appointed for that purpose, and after frequent consultation with Right Worshipful Frederick W. Hamilton, then Grand Secretary of Grand Lodge, and other well versed members of the Grand Lodge Committee on By-Laws, permanent and charity funds were established which have now reached quite sizable and satisfactory amounts. Since that time, our Masters have been limited as to funds for entertainment and social activities and are to be congratulated for doing as well as they have in this direction. These funds have been ably administered during this time by the following Trustees of the Funds:

  • Bro. Herbert Warren Woodworth
  • Bro. Harry Lambert Patten
  • Bro. Charles Henry Hayward
  • Bro. Herbert Alonzo Bryant

Now serving in this office are:

  • R.W. Henry Davis Higgins
  • Wor. Frank Perkins Lord
  • Bro. Norton Pratt Potter

Due to the accelerated increase of membership, the question arose as to how long the meeting accommodations of the temple would prove adequate. Consequently, a meeting of some twenty members of Delta Lodge was held on November 1, 1923, the result of which was the formation of the Braintree Masonic Association, Inc., as a fraternal corporation. These twenty men, all of whom were supposed to be the charter members of the Association, were:

  • Bro. Howard B. Blewett
  • Wor. Walter J. Harrison
  • Wor. Herbert A. Bryant
  • R. W. Henry D. Higgins
  • R. W. George T. Burnham
  • R. W. Arthur W. Hoe
  • 
Bro. Lyman F. Garfield
  • Bro. Walter R. Howland
  • Wor. Atherton N. Hunt
  • Bro. William F. Rogers
  • Bro. Charles A. Kohler
  • Bro. George E. Sampson
  • Bro. Frank P. Lord
  • Wor. Willard P. Sheppard
  • Wor. Carl G. Makepeace
  • Wor. Justin W. Shrader
  • Bro. Weldon H. Reynolds
  • R. W. Hartley L. White
  • Francis W. Robinson
  • Bro. Ralph B. Woodsum

Right Worshipful Henry Davis Higgins was elected its President, Brother Howard Barnes Blewett its Treasurer, both of whom have been continuously, unanimously re-elected to those offices since, and Brother Ralph Benjamin Woodsum its Secretary. The latter resigned his office in 1931 and was succeeded by Worshipful Justin Winfred Shrader, who resigned in 1942, to be succeeded by its present Secretary, Worshipful Ernest Choate Woodsum. This corporation acquired and still owns for its members a very desirable parcel of land with the buildings thereon located at 403 to 409 Washington Street, near the present site of Delta Lodge, and on which it is hoped at some future day a new temple may be erected if it should ever be needed. A substantial number of the members of Delta Lodge, by virtue of donations and the signing of its by-laws, amounting to 159, together with 7 Honorary members, are now active members of this organization, and it is hoped that at some time its membership will comprise the full membership of Delta Lodge.

To its so-called charter members, and especially to Right Worshipful Henry Davis Higgins, who was its father and always has been, and still is its guiding director, is due the credit for its success. The indebtedness on its real estate has been steadily reduced, and because of rental income received, is and always has been self-supporting.

The annual meeting of the Lodge was changed in our Masonic year 1928-1929 from the fourth Tuesday in December to the fourth Tuesday in September, in order to conform with the fiscal year of Grand Lodge. This recalls that in the earlier days Delta's meetings were scheduled to be held at a certain time "on or before the full of the moon," but one month the moon played a trick on the Brethren and did not become "full" that month, so such a method had to be abandoned.

On February 26,1929, a new code of By-Laws was adopted by the Lodge and approved by Grand Lodge March 2, 1929, as attested by the signature of the Right Worshipful Grand Secretary, Dr. Frederick W. Hamilton, and sealed by its official seal. It is under this code, with some minor amendments here and there, that we are now operating.

Another change in custom during the latter part of this quarter century and practiced by our officers, has been the performing of Masonic burial services for departed members; these sometimes are held one or two days previous to the regular funeral service, and are likewise open to the public. On Sunday, June 27, 1937, a special communication of Delta Lodge was opened at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, located at the corner of Washington and West Streets in Braintree, for the purpose of laying the corner stone of the new Parish House of the Church. Our then Worshipful Master, Herbert Brown Hollis, officiated at the ceremonies and the stone was laid in place with appropriate Masonic ritual, which was followed by a very inspiring address by our Brother Stacy Baxter South-worth, Headmaster of Thayer Academy, concluding the services.

We should also note that in 1929 the Lodge, through its members, contributed over 100 percent of its quota toward the establishment of the Masonic Hospital at Shrewsbury, it being the first Lodge in our twenty-sixth Masonic District to "go over the top," and I seem to recall that it was likewise among the first in our State, and drew especial encomiums from Most Worshipful Herbert L. Dean, our then Grand Master, in his written reports to Grand Lodge.

It will also be recalled that at the end of the first fifty years of our existence, the so-called first World War had just been concluded, in which we had raised $1175 for the Grand Lodge War Fund. Now also in the second World War, sometimes called "The War to End Wars" and we sincerely and prayerfully hope that it will, our Lodge has again been the first in our District to respond to the request of Grand Lodge and has contributed 100 percent of the quota assigned to it; first, in 1941 was the Masonic Service Men's Fund, and now in August, 1944, its full quota of $1850 to the Grand Lodge Military Service Activities for Service men of the United States of America. The use of this latter fund is for all Service men, unlimited as to creed, color and rank.

A number of our members served in World War I, as listed in Worshipful Walter James Harrison's fiftieth anniversary address, one of whom, Brother John Crosby Bridgham, made the supreme sacrifice. In the present conflict, Delta's members have again contributed and are contributing their services to our Country. At present, listed on the Rolls of our Service Chairman, Brother Robert Shute Smith, are the following members serving with the Armed Forces:

  • Gerald Edward Blackburn
  • Edward York Blewett
  • John Herbert Duncan
  • William Gordon Edson
  • Alfred Augustus Ellsworth
  • George Frederick Erwin
  • Henry Smith Fisher
  • Webster Evans Fisher
  • Jonathan Wales French
  • Richard Danley Jolls
  • Gordon Ripley Keating
  • Alfred Thomas Little
  • George Joseph Mallon

  • Otis Briggs Oakman, Jr.
  • David Parker
  • Lawrence Elbridge Remick
  • Harold Elbridge Rogers

  • Norman Chandler Rolfe
  • Gordon Hodgdon Seabury
  • Louis Walter Snow
  • Eric Hjelm Streiferd
  • Jean Wenger
  • Everett Parker Wynot
  • Harold Giles Wynot

We also have the following members serving in the Merchant Marine:

  • Donovan Defieux Barnes
  • Chester Forsythe, Jr.
  • Fritz Streiferd

There is another interesting feature pertaining to the past twenty-five years which I wish to call to your attention, and that is the longevity of service of some of our officers. Brother Howard Barnes Blewett has served as our Treasurer for twenty-five years and is so serving at the present time. Right Worshipful Charles Gilbert Jordan and Worshipful Brothers Gilbert Thorpe Singleton and Herbert Brown Hollis have served as Secretaries, the latter now in office. Our late lamented Right Worshipful George Thompson Burnham was serving as Marshal of Delta at the time of his death and had been in office a period of twenty-one years. He also served as Proxy to Grand Lodge for twenty years and was most faithful in attendance.

Our Past Most Worshipful Grand Masters have favored Delta quite frequently in their appointments to positions on their staff. Right Worshipful Henry Davis Higgins served as District Deputy Grand Master 1920-1921; Right Worshipful Arthur Wellman Hoe, 1928-1929; and Right Worshipful George Thompson Burnham, 1934-1935, the latter having also served as Grand Pursuivant in 1940-1941.

As no history of the past twenty-five years would be complete without mentioning the men who have presided over our Lodge, the following Past Masters are herewith recorded:

  • Wor. Henry D. Higgins, Jan. 1918 to Jan. 1920
  • Wor. Harry J. Beck, Jan. 1920 to Jan. 1922
  • Wor. Charles A. Koehler, Jan. 1922 to Jan. 1924
  • R. W. Arthur W. Hoe, Jan. 1924 to Jan. 1926
  • Wor. Willard P. Sheppard, Jan. 1926 to Jan. 1927
  • Wor. Carl G. Makepeace, Jan. 1927 to Jan. 1928
  • Wor. Charles F. Tarbox, Jan. 1928 to Sept. 1929
  • Wor. Justin W. Shrader, Sept. 1929 to Sept. 1930
  • Wor. Frank P. Lord, Sept. 1930 to Sept. 1931
  • Wor. Ernest C. Woodsum, 1931 to Oct. 1932
  • Wor. William C. Brooks, Oct. 1932 to Oct. 1933
  • Wor. Gilbert T. Singleton, Oct. 1933 to Oct. 1934
  • Wor. Charles W. Mann, 1934 to Sept. 1935
  • Wor. James H. Corrigan, Sept. 1935 to Sept. 1936
  • Wor. Herbert B. Hollis, Sept. 1936 to Sept. 1937
  • Wor. Oren Carrier, Sept. 1937 to Sept. 1938
  • Wor. Carl G. Streitferd, Sept. 1938 to Sept. 1939
  • Wor. William C. Ross, Sept. 1939 to Sept. 1940
  • Wor. Daniel F. Caskin, Sept. 1940 to Sept. 1941
  • Wor. Jonathan W. French, Sept. 1941 to Sept. 1942
  • Wor. Harold I. Charnock, Sept. 1942 to Oct. 1943
  • Wor. Charles G. Jordan, Oct. 1943—

As mentioned at the beginning of these remarks, time precludes my recalling to you many points of interest and the naming of many members who have given unstintingly of their time and energy to our beloved order. While I make no prophecies for our future, I sincerely hope that the chaotic conditions forced upon us will soon cease; our members return to us and take up once again the thread of normal living and thinking. It is my hope that the Masonic heritage with which we are endowed will be an inspiration for our future. May Delta Lodge continue to exert a beneficial influence on its members, the citizens of Braintree and all mankind through the teachings and principles of Freemasonry.

OTHER

  • 1900 (Petition to remove to Braintree)

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS


DISTRICTS

1868: District 16 (Plymouth)

1883: District 25 (Hingham)

1911: District 26 (Quincy)

1927: District 26 (Quincy)

2003: District 8


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Massachusetts Lodges