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FRANKLIN LODGE

Location: Cheshire; Windsor (1812); Adams (1814)

Chartered By: John Cutler

Charter Date: 06/09/1794 II-56

Precedence Date: 06/09/1794

Current Status: unknown; charter surrendered around 1826; historical notes on pages 1895-95; 1896-187; 1919-52; 1922-299ff; 1933-102; 1968-233.

NOTES

ø Charter surrendered 06/11/1834

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

• Petition for Charter: 1794

HISTORY

• 1895 (Note in historical address at the centenary of Evening Star Lodge, 1895-95)
• 1896 (Note in historical address at the centenary of Cincinnatus Lodge, 1896-187)
• 1922 (Remarks in Grand Master's address at the September Quarterly Communication, 09/13/1922)
• 1935 (Notes included in "The Masonic Predecessors of Mystic Lodge", by Most Wor. Herbert W. Dean, 1935-102)
• 1957 (Notes included in the centenary of Berkshire Lodge, 1957-151)
• 1968 (Notes included in the Adams cornerstone laying)
• 2007 (Notes included in the 150th anniversary of Berkshire Lodge, 2007-150)

GRAND MASTER'S ADDRESS, SEPTEMBER 1922

On the occasion of a visit by the officers of the Grand Lodge to the western part of the Commonwealth a curious and interesting relic of early Freemasonry was shown to them by our Senior Grand Warden, Right Worshipful Brother Herbert W. Dean, when an old inn in the village of Cheshire was visited, where we found on the walls of an upper room, painted in large circles, all of the emblems of the Craft.

These had been hidden for many years uncler successive wall coverings and their existence forgotten until uncovered by accident. By good fortune the lady who now owns the old house recognized the paintings as having Masonic interest and informed one of her friends who is a Mason, and now through her forethought and kindness the Masons of that section are planning to preserve this evidence of early Masonry in that section of the State. Right Worshipful Brother Dean has kindiy prepared a brief history of the old Lodge which met in this tavern, together with photographs of the waII decorations, which I now present to you.

Old Masonic Artwork, Cheshire

On June 9, 1794, shortly after the incorporation of Cheshire as a town, twelve of the residents of that part of the town known as Stafford's Hill made application to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts to form a Masonic Lodge with the privilege of meeting six months in Cheshire and six months in Lanesboro. The latter privilege was denied, but the Charter was granted under the name of Franklin Lodge, it being the first Masonic Lodge in Massachusetts located west of Worcester.

In June, 1800, the members of the Lodge again applied for authority to meet alternately three months in Lanesboro and three months in Cheshire. This time the petition was granted.

In 1804 Calvin Hall built a tavern on the main Stage road between Boston and Troy, N.Y., located in what is now the center of the town of Cheshire and opposite the Baptist Church. On the south sicle of the second floor in a room 15 x 30 feet were located. the new Lodge-rooms of Franklin Lodge, whieh following the change in the eenter of population decided to move from their old meeting place on Stafford's Hill.

The new Lodge-rooms were, for those days, elaborately decorated with Masonic emblems painted on the plastered walls by some unknown artist. On the east end of the Lodge-room, between two windows, the decoration showed three steps leading to two pillars supporting an arch, with the keystone in the center. On the north and south walls were six circles, about three feet in diameter, inside of which were the different emblems, the majority as used by us today, while some of them have no place in our present Ritual. Two of the circles have been partly destroyed by making doorways, but the remainder of the decorations are as originally painted.

In 1810 Mystic Lodge, of Pittsfield, was chartered. Presumably most of its Charter members were those raised in Lanesboro by Franklin Loclge. 'This so reduced the membership of Franklin Lodge that in March, 1812, the Grand Lodge found it wise to grant the request that they be permitted to transfer the Lodge to Windsor. In March, 1814. after due investigation permission was granted to move the Lodge to the south part of Adams. Here they held regular meetings until 1827. In the records of the annual meetings of the Grand Lodge it was reported that no returns were received from Franklin Lodge for 1827, 1828, or 1829, after which time there is no mention of them in the Grand Lodge Proceedings and they presumably passed out of existence during one of those years with no record of their formally surrendering their Charter.

In the winter of 1921, while preparing to repaper the room in the old tavern now used as a tea room, the old emblems were discovered under four layers of wall paper. This was carefully removed, the emblems retouched through the generosity of members of Mystic Lodge, of Pittsfield, and it is hoped to preserve this old Lodge-room as a memorial of the oldest Lodge in western Massachusetts.

OTHER

• 1794 (Petition to meet alternately in Lanesborough and Cheshire; II-56)
• 1800 (Petition to meet alternately in Lanesborough and Cheshire; II-169)
• 1812 (Petition to remove to Windsor; II-527)
• 1813 (Petition to remove to Adams; II-570)
• 1814 (Petition to remove to Adams; II-584)
• 1822 (Note on delinquency; III-428)
• 1824 (Note on delinquency; III-471)
• 1825 (Note on delinquency; III-572)
• 1827 (Note on delinquency; IV-114)
• 1828 (Note on delinquency; IV-147)
• 1829 (Note on delinquency; IV-170)
• 1922 (Pictures found on Cheshire Lodge Hall)

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

• Charles Baker, DDGM, District 8, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831; SN
• Robert Walker, DDGM, District 8 (Berkshires), 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812; SN

DISTRICTS

1803: District 8 (Berkshires)

1821: District 8

LINKS

Massachusetts Lodges