Meridian

MERIDIAN LODGE

Location: Watertown; Needham (1811); Newton Lower Falls (1824); Watertown (1835?); Newton Lower Falls (1843); Natick (1852)

Chartered By: Paul Revere

Charter Date: 12/12/1797 II-112

Precedence Date: 12/12/1797

Current Status: Active

NOTES

Meridian Lodge was originally chartered in Watertown and removed several times before arriving at its present site in Natick.

Includes Maugus Hill Lodge, chartered 1957, merged 1999.

PAST MASTERS

Underlined Entries are living PMs

At Watertown (1797-1811)

William Hull, 1797
Nathaniel Weld, 1798, 1799
Joseph Pierce, 1800
William Bond, 1801-1803
Peter Lynn, 1804-1810

At Wellesley Hills (1811-1851?)

William Starr, 1811
Issac Train, 1812
Seth Dewing, 1813-1819
Chester Adams, 1820
Charles Rice, 1821, 1822 Raised 1821?
Charles Rice, 1823-1845; Wikipedia
Records Lost, 1824-51

At Natick

Malachi Babecock, 1852, 1855-1857, 1862
John Wilson, 1853-1854
George L. Sleeper, 1858-1859
Ezekial B. Phillips, 1860
Alvin Fuller, 1861
James H. Parker, 1863-1868
Henry C. Burnham, 1869-1871
William H. Wright, 1872, 1873
Daniel Henry Lawrence Gleason, 1874
George J. Townsend, 1875, 1876; SN
Silas H. Bent, 1877, 1879
Edward H. Wilson, 1880, 1881
Henry Gage Wood, 1882-1883
Frederick Lewis, 1884, 1885
Charles C. Henry, 1886, 1887; Mem
James H. Gilligan, 1888, 1889
Chester F. Soule, 1890
Elwin C. Huntoon, 1891-1893
Wilmont W. Mitchell, 1894, 1895
Marshalim L. Perin, 1896, 1897
James Downs, 1898, 1899; Mem
Samual W. Simpson, 1900
Francis C. Perry, 1901-1902
Eward E. Henry, 1903-1904
Alfred B. Underwood, 1905, 1906; Mem
Winfield S. Daniels, 1907-1908
Robert J. Montgomery, 1909
William B. Pratt, 1910, 1911
George McKenny, 1912, 1913
William A. Laughton, 1914, 1915
Francis C. Cutting, 1916, 1917
Ernest C. Bragdon, 1918, 1919
William A. Atwood, 1920, 1921
Walter H. Wright, 1922
Williams S. McRobert, 1923, 1924; N
James E. White, 1925, 1926
Alexander J. Montgomery, 1927, 1928
Burns L. Fish, 1929; Mem
Frederick H. Buckley, 1930, 1931
John Keays, 1932, 1933
Frank C. Bennett, 1934, 1935
Harry S. Spinney, 1936
Alfred E. Edwards, 1937-1939
Whitman C. Densmore, 1940
Burton W. Wright, 1941
Walter C. Ward, 1942
George G. Shipp, 1943
Burnham G. Gage, 1944
William M. Stacy, 1945
Harry D. Baker, 1946
Reginald V. Yeomans, 1947
Clarence C. Eldrige, 1948
Arnold H. Baker, 1949; N
Ralph A. Hall, 1950
Chester E. Johnson, 1951
Edward A. Olson, 1952
E. Melville Westgate, 1953
Chester Mosman, 1954
R.A. Fairbrother, Sr., 1955
Stanley H. Deane, 1956
Walter DeMelle, 1957
Frank A. Crowe, 1958
James R. Wooley, 1959
Russell H. Hooker, 1960
John A. LaRhette, 1961
John E. King, 1962
Albert T. Ames, 1963
Harold H. Brandt, 1964
Richard B. Johnson, III, 1965
Bruce W. Miller, 1966
James R. Crowley, 1967
Clarence K. Brayton, 1968
Eugene H. Ames, Jr., 1969
Howard G. Hedderig, 1970
Arthur L. Lipman, 1971
Robert F. Faulkner, 1972
Charles J. Ames, 1973
David K. Allen, 1974
Norman V. Giffin, Sr., 1975
Hoken L. Enquist, 1976
Robert A. Howatt, 1977
Richard A. Brandt, 1978
George L. Baldwin, 1979
John R. Bruce, 1980
James W. Thrasher, 1981, 1982
Albert F. Smith, 1983
Norman L. Phillips, 1984
Raymond E. Higgins, 1985
Gerald R. Lever, 1986
Mark Kaprielian, 1987
J. Herbert Babst, 1988
Ronald F. Wood, 1989
Wayne T. Szretter, 1990
Courtney D. Williams, 1991
Charles F. Nassau, III, 1992
Henry J. Mimonski, 1993
Douglas H. Deane, 1994
Gregg D. Giffin, 1995
Reginald S. Leese, 1996
Edwin C. Sloper, 1997; PDDGM
Peter Pilla, 1998
James H. Campbell, 1999
Donald E. Glencross, 2000
Richard P. Brita, 2001
Steven A. Perkins, 2002
Charles D. Lloyd, 2003
Jeffrey H. Phillips, 2004
Richard D. Ames, 2005
John M. Vining, 2006, 2007
John G. Brainard, 2008, 2009
Ralph Nixon, 2010, 2011
Ted Colgate, 2012

See also the Past Masters of Maugus Hill Lodge, which merged into this Lodge in 1999.

According to the Wikipedia entry, General Charles Rice (1787-1863) was a selectman in Newton Lower Falls. He became a member of this Lodge in 1822 according to Grand Lodge records, and was Master during most of the period for which the Lodge has no records. He is buried at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Newton Lower Falls.

YEARS

1797 1811 1820 1824 1827 1843 1862 1869 1870 1875 1876 1881 1884 1889 1890 1895 1898 1904 1907 1909 1911 1912 1913 1920 1922 1924 1925 1927 1932 1933 1936 1937 1939 1940 1941 1947 1949 1952 1964 1965 1973 1976 1979 1980 1981 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1998 1999 2004 2005 2008 2011

EVENTS

RETURN TO MEETING, MAY 1843

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. I, No. 9, July 1843:

Framingham, May 11, 1843.

Br. Moore :—Will you allow me room in your Magazine to say, that Meridian Lodge, at Newton Lower Falls, (formerly at Needham,) after a considerable period of inaction, has been recently put in working order, and the Brethren an again assembling around the sacred altar of Friendship, Unity and Brotherly Love. The Lodge held a regular meeting on Wednesday evening, the 10th instant, when the officers elect, for the ensuing year, were duly installed according to ancient usage, by R. W. Jona. Greenwood, D. D. G. M. for the 4th District. The Installation services being concluded, at 8 o'clock the doors were opened to the public, when an interesting and appropriate discourse was pronounced by Rev. Br. Wm. Barry, of Framingham. The services were enlivened by singing, in which many joined with voice and heart; and were concluded with Prayer by Br. J. O. Skinner, of Framingham, and a benediction by Rev. Br. Baury, of Newton. The Brethren of the Lodge, and visiting friends, afterwards partook of a collation, and separated with renewed attachment and zeal for Ancient Freemasonry. The Brethren at Newton have a good Hall, over the Hotel of Br. Nath'l Wales, and they seem to be turning their whole hearts towards the upbuilding and decorating of the desolated walls of their spiritual Jerusalem. May peace and prosperity ever be with them, and the wisdom of the Great Archi¬ tect, and his abounding goodness, guide them, in all their labors and crown them with abundant success!

Yours, Fraternally, J. O. S.

HALL DEDICATION, JULY 1875

From New England Freemason, Vol. II, No. 7, July 1875, Page 359:

Dedication of a new Masonic Hall at Natick, Mass. — R.W. Charles A. Welch, Deputy Grand Master, assisted by the officers of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, dedicated the new hall of Meridian Lodge to the purposes of Freemasonry, in due form, on Friday evening, July 16th. The ceremony was attentively observed by a numerous assembly of ladies and members of the Craft. A quartette of male and female voices rendered very beautifully the musical portion of the exercises. The Deputy Grand Master closed the services with an oppropriate address, commending the brethren for the zeal, good taste and liberality manifested in the preparation of the new apartments, so much superior to those which were destroyed by fire a few months ago. He urged upon them increased zeal in perfecting the inner life of Masonry, that it might correspond with the outward beauty and adornment they were now to enjoy in their new halls.

The ladies and Brethren, to the number of about two hundred, then repaired to the banquet-hall and enjoyed an elegant collation. After a humorous speech from the Deputy Grand Master, the Grand Officers hurried away to take the train, and arrived in Boston about 11 o'clock.

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

Albert T. Ames, DDGM, District 23 (Natick), 1976, 1977; Grand Marshal 1978-1980; Senior Grand Warden 1981; Grand Master 1987-1989
Arnold H. Baker, DDGM, District 23 (Natick), 1960, 1961; N
Burns L. Fish, DDGM, District 23 (Natick), 1944, 1945, 1946; Memorial
Charles C. Henry, District 21 (Framingham), 1896, 1897; Memorial
James Downs, DDGM, District 21 (Framingham), 1906, 1907; Memorial
William S. McRobert, DDGM, District 23 (Natick), 1928, 1929; N
Edwin C. Sloper, DDGM, District 23 (Natick), 2000, 2001
George J. Townsend, DDGM, District 4 (Cambridge), 1878, 1879, 1880; SN
Alfred B. Underwood, DDGM, District 23 (Milford), 1924, 1925; Memorial
Henry Gage Wood, District 21 (Framingham), 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888; Junior Grand Warden 1889