Plymouth

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PLYMOUTH LODGE

Location: Plymouth

Chartered By: John Abbot

Charter Date: 09/14/1825 III-554

Precedence Date: 09/14/1825

Current Status: Active


PAST MASTERS

  • Charles May, 1825-1827, 1830-1832, 1852 ©
  • Jacob H. Loud, 1828, 1829; SN
  • DARK 1833-1851
  • Robert B. Hall, 1853-1855, 1863 ©
  • James Thurber, 1856
  • John Perkins, 1857, 1858
  • Ichabod Shaw, 1859, 1860, 1862
  • C.H. Howland, 1861
  • William S. Danforth, 1864 ©
  • J.K. Hayward, 1865
  • Charles H. Rogers, 1866, 1867
  • Horace P. Bailey, 1868, 1869
  • Josiah C. Fuller, 1870-1872 ©
  • Harvey W. Weston, 1873
  • Charles I. Litchfield, 1874-1876, 1878-1882 ©
  • Horace M. Saunders, 1877 ©
  • John W. Churchill, 1883-1885 ©
  • Henry H. Litchfield, 1886-1888 ©
  • Thomas Diman, 1889-1891
  • Clark Ellis, 1892-1894
  • Alfred S. Burbank, 1895-1897
  • John H. Damon, 1898-1900
  • Stephen C. King, 1901, 1902
  • Charles H. Sherman, 1903-1905
  • Edward L. Burgess, 1906, 1907
  • Harvey A. Soule, 1908, 1909; N ©
  • William R. Morton, 1910, 1911
  • George L. Gooding, 1912, 1913
  • Waldo Hayward, 1914, 1915
  • Milo C. Dodge, 1916, 1917
  • Frank H. Carver, 1918
  • Edward C. Holmes, 1919, 1920; N ©
  • F. Russell Adams, 1921, 1922
  • Henry W. Royal, 1923, 1924; N
  • Harold J. Weston, 1925, 1926
  • Knowlton B. Holmes, 1927, 1928
  • Thomas S. Fogarty, 1929, 1930
  • Ralph L. Drew, 1931, 1932
  • Harry H. Morton, 1933, 1934
  • Frank Jordan, 1935, 1936
  • Harrison F. Goddard, 1937, 1938
  • Wallace B. Brewster, 1939, 1940
  • Raymond E. Miskelly, 1941, 1942; N
  • H. Gordan McNeil, 1943, 1944
  • Ralph C. Weaver, 1945, 1946 ©
  • Eugene S. Holton, 1947, 1948
  • Harold W. Baker, 1949-1951; SN
  • Gilbert L. Besse, 1952, 1953
  • Warren O. Davis, 1954, 1956
  • Norman V. Holmes, 1955
  • James A. Leland, 1957, 1958
  • William Gault, Jr., 1959
  • George E. Randall, 1960
  • Harley S. Cadenhead, 1961
  • Allen T. Burgess, 1962
  • Robert J. Gault, 1963
  • Warren L. Harlow, 1964
  • Walter R. Roberts, Jr., 1965
  • Francis H. Baker, 1966
  • Emmett B. Baker, 1967; PDDGM ©
  • Arne M. Erickson, 1968
  • Daniel B. Drew, 1969, 1970
  • George A. Pond, 1971
  • James A. Fontaine, 1972
  • Leon T. Ashley, 1973; SN
  • Donald F. Grassi, 1974
  • John C. Vaz, 1975 ©
  • Francis C. Rogerson, Jr., 1976
  • Allerton J. Bolduc, 1977
  • Leo A. Morin, Jr., 1978
  • Norman K. Libby, 1979
  • Russell W. Nickerson, 1980; PDDGM
  • John W. Searles, 1981
  • Robert A. Santheson, 1982
  • John F. Riley Jr., 1983
  • David C. Smart, 1984
  • Karl A. Lekberg, 1985
  • Wayne L. Books, 1986
  • Sumner L. Small, Jr., 1987, 1992
  • Thomas E. Mann, 1988, 1989
  • Jeffrey L. Moran, 1990, 1991
  • John J. Handy, 1993
  • Frederic L. Milliken, III, 1994
  • James J. Rezendes, 1995
  • Jeffrey D. Howe, 1996
  • James D. Johnston, 1997
  • Jonathan H. Jesse, 1998, 2004
  • Stuart G. Pedersen, 1999, 2000
  • Kevin D. Morisi, 2001, 2008
  • Raymond G. Veins, 2002
  • David P.McQuade, 2003 ©
  • James J. Bennette, 2005
  • D. Butch Machado, 2006, 2007
  • Paul C. Malley, 2009-2012

PICTURES FROM LODGE WEB SITE

CharlesMay.jpg RobertHall.jpg WilliamSDanforth.jpg
Charles May, 1825-1827, 1830-1832, 1852 Robert B. Hall, 1853-1855, 1863 William S. Danforth, 1864
JosiahCFuller.jpg CharlesLitchfield.jpg HoraceSaunders.jpg
Josiah C. Fuller, 1870-1872 Charles I. Litchfield, 1874-1876, 1878-1882 Horace M. Saunders, 1877
JohnWestChurchill.jpg HenryLitchfield.jpg HarveyASoule.jpg
John West Churchill, 1883-1885 Henry H. Litchfield, 1886-1888 Harvey A. Soule, 1908, 1909
EdwardCHolmes.jpg RalphCWeaver.jpg EmmettBBaker.jpg
Edward C. Holmes, 1919, 1920 Ralph C. Weaver, 1945, 1946 Emmett B. Baker, 1967
JohnCVaz.jpg DavidPMcQuade.jpg
John C. Vaz, 1975 David P.McQuade, 2003

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

  • Petition for Charter: 1825
  • Petition for Restoration of Charter: 1851

ANNIVERSARIES

  • 1925 (Centenary)
  • 2009 (150th Anniversary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

BY-LAW CHANGES

1870 1871 1872 1881 1889 1909 1911 1912 1921 1925 1930 1936 1947 1956 1957 1967 1968 1976 1982 1996 1998 2006 2007 2012

HISTORY

  • 1925 (Centenary History, 1925-237)
  • 1975 (150th Anniversary History, 1975-73)

HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN PLYMOUTH, SEPTEMBER 1925

From Proceedings, Page 1925-237:

By Bro. Henry W. Royal.

The history of Plymouth Lodge does not cover the whole story of Freemasonry in Plymouth, and such a history would be incomplete if it did not include some reference to the events which preceded and led up to the founding of Plymouth Lodge.

The earliest suggestion of any connection between Freemasonry and Plymouth goes hack, strangely enough, to a period which antedates the Landing. You will recollect that the original Charter under which the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth was issued to them by the Council for New England. Among the original members of this council were Earl Pembroke, Grand Master of Masons in England at the time the Charter was granted, and Earl Arundel, who became Grand Master in 1633.

Unfortunately for the interest of this story, neither of these men signed the original Charter, which is still preserved in Pilgrim Hall; and there is no evidence that any member of the Pilgrim company was in any way connected with Freemasonry.

M.W. Melvin M. Johnson, in an admirable address delivered before this Lodge at the time of the three hundredth anniversary of the Landing, dwelt at some length upon the similarity which exists between many of the ideas and principles for which the Pilgrims stood and those principles which underlie Freemasonry today. The Pilgrims were strong and positive in their faith, but they laid down no creed; they were tolerant to a degree not known before; they recognized the fraternity of all who kept the faith. Although M. W. Brother Johnson is a recognized authority on Masonic history, he found no evidence that Freemasonry, as such, existed here in the early days of the Pilgrim colony.

The so-called "Masonic stone"' on Burial Hill offers the first evidence of the existence of Masonry in this vicinity. This stone was erected to the memory of Nathaniel Jackson, who died in 1743 and is curiously wrought, the design containing many Masonic emblems. As Mr. Jackson was about seventy years old when the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was founded, it is hardly likely that lie was made a Mason in this country. It is possible that he was a seafaring man and received his degrees abroad, but all this is mere supposition, and the stone itself is the only evidence of the Masonic standing of the deceased.

Although Plymouth was actively connected with the stirring events which led up to the American Revolution — events in which Masonry played an important part — there seems to have been no move to establish a Lodge here. Indeed it was not until 1801 that such a move was made.

On June 8 of that year, upon petition of Nathaniel Goodwin and others, a Charter was granted establishing Fore Fathers Rock Lodge. Nathaniel Goodwin was born in Plymouth in 1748 and died here in 1819. He built the house on Leyden Street which was later owned and occupied by Brother William H. H. Weston. He was a Major General during the Revolution and served in the army for many years afterwards. He was made a Master Mason in St. Andrew's Lodge, Boston. The names and Masonic history of his associates are not known. Unfortunately the records of this Lodge have been lost and practically all that we know about it is contained in the very brief references to it in the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge.

For some reason not explained in the records the Lodge was not Constituted until October 10, 1805. At that time Isaiah Thomas was Grand Master. The Grand Lodge met at the house of John D. Dunbar, "near Masons' Hall," and then, attended by a band, proceeded to the hall. After the usual formalities, R.W. John D. Dunbar, who was District Deputy Grand Master at the time, was installed Master, "in ample form"; the subordinate officers were then installed in the usual manner.

John Danforth Dunbar, the newly installed Master, was born in Stoughton in 1768 and was without doubt the J. D. Dunbar who was raised in Fayette Lodge. He graduated from Harvard College in 1788 and was a lawyer by profession. He came to Plymouth about 1791 and married Nancie, daughter of William Crombie. She was the sister of Calvin Crombie. who was associated with Dunbar in the early days of Fore Fathers Rock Lodge. An old diploma, dated 1805 and now in possession of Plymouth Lodge, bears the names of John D. Dunbar, Worshipful Master, and Calvin Crombie, Junior Warden. The installation was followed by a banquet, and the Grand .Secretary reports that "no accident occurred to mar or interrupt the harmony."

The official account is amplified somewhat by a traditional one. recorded by Rev. Thomas Weston in some "Reminiscences of Plymouth," which, in manuscript form, have lately been presented to Pilgrim Hall. Mr. Weston's information seems to have come largely from his father, who. as a young man of twenty-one years, had attended the ceremonies in the church, although apparently he was not a member of the Craft.

It appears from this account that liquor flowed rather freely on this occasion and some of the participants converted the "means of refreshment into intemperance and excess." When the procession was passing up Summer Street, Dunbar dropped out and sitting down on the doorstep of what was later known as the Virgin house, shouted with mock gravity. "Go on, you drunken scoundrels, I'll not go any farther with you."

About ten years ago Mr. Arthur Lord discovered another account of the Constitution of the Lodge, written on the blank pages of Sir Edward Coke's book on Special Pleadings. This account, at first apparently serious, soon becomes burlesque, yet it tells a story all its own and forecasts to some extent the events which followed. Tt also adds several names to the very short list of those who are known to have belonged to the Lodge.

After giving a list of the Grand Officers present, the report continues, "The procession moved at 12 o'clock to the shop of Stephen Bartlett, Grand Dram Dealer, led by Isaac Bosworth, Grand Sword Bearer, Ephraim Morton and Stephen Bartlett, Grand Wardens, and R. W. John D. Dunbar, Master of said lodge and District Deputy Grand Master for the Third District of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"To perpetuate so splendid and magnificent proceedings this record is made by direction of the shade of Sir Edward Coke."

"'Tis love, pure love, cements the whole,
Love of the bottle and the bowl."

This account connects Isaac Bosworth, Stephen Bartlett, and Ephraim Morton with the Lodge. Nothing more is known of the first two. but Ephraim Morton appears later as one of the Charter members of Plymouth Lodge, and its first Junior Warden.

Love of the bottle and the bowl seems to have been the besetting sin of Fore Fathers Rock Lodge, and the brief record we have of its short and checkered career is largely the story of its troubles with the Grand Lodge. The particular charge against the Lodge was that it failed to pay its dues to the Grand Lodge. In 1821 the situation had become acute; the Lodge was ten years behind in its dues, and its Charter was revoked. It should be noted, however, that the trouble was not peculiar to Fore Fathers Rock Lodge, as Masonry seems to have been at a low ebb throughout the Third District.

There were at that time eight Lodges in the district, and from the report of the Grand Lodge tor 1820 it appears that two of the Lodges were far in arrears in their dues; one had been "unfortunate" in its officers but had now been raised to "a respectable Standing" (though still behind in its dues) ; the other five were "well conducted." but their total funds did not exceed one hundred and seventy-five dollars. With the passing of Pore Fathers Rock Lodge the first chapter of the story of Freemasonry in Plymouth closed somewhat ingloriously.

There was no Masonic organization in Plymouth from 1821 to 1825. On August 21 of the year last named, William M. Jackson and fifteen other resident Masons petitioned the Grand Lodge for a Charter for a new Lodge by the name of Plymouth Lodge. Of the signers of this petition, three were raised in Corner Stone Lodge, one in United Lodge of Brunswick, Maine, and one in Washington Lodge, of New York. There is nothing in the records to show where the remaining signers were raised, but it is probable that most of them had been members of Fore Fathers' Rock Lodge.

The Charter was granted September 14, 1825, and the first meeting was held on the 19th in Masons' Hall, nine members being present. Charles May was Master, Ephraim Morton. Senior Warden, and John Tribble, Junior Warden. It was voted to borrow two hundred dollars to procure and prepare a hall. I have been unable to locate Masons' Hall. In the records of the Grand Lodge, John D. Dunbar's house is said to have been near Masons' flail, and we know that Dunbar lived on Summer Street.

The hall procured under the vote passed at this meeting ■was probably Turner's Hall, situated at the foot of Leyden Street, on the site of the electric light station, for at a later meeting it was voted "to settle with Captain Turner for the use of his hall. The second and third meetings were held on September 27 and October 7. respectively, and were opened on the Entered Apprentice degree; the fourth meeting was held October 24. also on the first degree, and the tirst petitions for the degrees were received.

At this time business was carried on without regard to the degree upon which the Lodge was open. In many cases a Lodge of Entered Apprentices was opened; if no business was brought before it. it was closed and a Lodge of Fellow Crafts opened; this in turn was closed and a Lodge of Master Masons opened. The work of the evening was then concluded on this degree. Applications for admission were laid over for one month, but after a candidate had been accepted he was given his degrees at the pleasure of the Lodge and was not required to wait a month between degrees as is now the rule. At the meeting of February 20. 1826, in order to confer all the degrees upon William Paty at one time, it was voted "to dispense with any article in the by-laws restricting the initiating, crafting and raising of a candidate the same evening." On March 2. without any preliminary vote, Zaben Olney received his first and second degrees, while Isaac Austin was given his second and third.

At a special meeting held February 27, 1826, the Committee on By-laws reported, and it was voted to refer the By-laws to John Thomas and James Thurber for '"revision and transcription." These By-laws are exceedingly interesting and are worthy of more than passing notice.

  • Chapter 3 deals with membership and provides in Article 4 that any member who shall absent himself from the Lodge for one whole year shall be considered as having relinquished his membership, "unless he can give satisfactory reason for the same." The effect of such a regulation upon present-day membership can be readily imagined.
  • Chapter 6 takes up general regulations. Article 2 provides that every Brother while speaking shall stand and address the Master, and whoever shall interrupt him shall be called to order by the Master. Recognizing, however, that the Master might be confronted by some such situation as that which confronts Vice-President Dawes today, the article goes on to say that no Brother shall speak more than twice on the same subject, and adds somewhat ingenuously, "when the Master calls to order there shall be profound silence." Article 7 provides that no Brother shall smoke tobacco in the Lodge when it is open; Article 8. that no Brother or visitor shall be admitted into the Lodge "if he be in any degree intoxicated," and Article 11 continues the good work by stipulating that no "refreshments" shall be brought into the Lodge on any occasion whatever. Article 12 deals with the stranger within the gates and attempts to make him an asset instead of a liability by providing that "if he be a resident of Plymouth he shall pay the secretary twenty-five cents for each visit." These Bylaws were signed by the first forty-four members of the Lodge.

At the meeting of the Lodge held April 17, 1826, it was voted to hold, the meetings of the Lodge in Pilgrim Hall, a committee having reported that this hall could he secured for twenty-four dollars per year.

After working under Dispensation for one year in accordance with the usual practice, the Lodge was formally Constituted on September 6, 1826, by Most Worshipful Caleb Butler, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts. (Note: Bro. Butler was in that year Deputy Grand Master for John Soley; he was therefore only Acting Grand Master.) At eleven o'clock in the forenoon the Brethren accompanied by the Brigade Band, of Boston, proceeded to the old church then located on the site of the present First Church, where the Lodge was Constituted and its officers installed.

The following officers were installed:

  • Wor. Charles May, Master
  • Wor. William M. Jackson, Senior Warden
  • Wor. John Tribble , Junior Warden
  • Bro. Daniel Jackson, Jr., Treasurer
  • Bro. James Thurber, Secretary
  • Bro. Isaac L. Hedge, Senior Deacon
  • Bro. John Thomas, Junior Deacon
  • Bro. Finney Leach, Senior Steward
  • Bro. Thomas Bartlett, Junior Steward
  • Bro. James H. Bugbee, Chaplain
  • Bro. Samuel Doten, Marshal
  • Bro. Lemuel Brown, Tyler.

It is interesting to note that this meeting was opened and the business conducted on the Entered Apprentice degree.

The new Lodge was now fairly started and all seemed to he prospering. Although it had been founded upon the wreck of its predecessor it had inherited none of the disabilities of that unfortunate organization. Its sponsors were men of high standing in the community ami there is every indication from the records that it held fast to the Ancient Landmarks and that its work was carried on with efficiency and dignity.

For the next two years all went well; then the Lodge, through no fault of its own. was engulfed in a storm which threatened its very existence. A few clays after the Constitution of Plymouth Lodge, William Morgan, of Batavia, N. Y.. a man of doubtful Masonic, antecedents. disappeared. The event caused much excitement, and as he was about to publish a book exposing the secrets of Freemasonry it was claimed that he had been carried off by Masons, murdered, and thrown into the Niagara River. All sorts of wild and improbable rumors gained credence and Freemasonry was bitterly assailed on every side. What became of Morgan has never been definitely determined. Several bodies were identified as his, and four members of the Craft were tried for his murder. They were convicted of minor offenses, but were acquitted of the main charge for want of evidence that a murder had been committed.

When the embers of intolerance and hatred showed signs of dying out they were fanned into flames by unscrupulous politicians, and the Anti-Masonic sentiment crystallized into an Anti-Masonic party. This spread rapidly through the North and West and gained some foothold in the South. One of its primary objects was to drive Masons out of public office. The Institution itself was viciously attacked; its secrets were revealed, and its ritual published. That Freemasonry stood the shock is evidence of the enduring principles upon which it is founded, and furnishes convincing proof of the groundlessness of the charges against it.

Plymouth Lodge was scarcely two years old when the storm broke. We read in the records that on October 28, 1828, "the Brethren assembled at the door of Masons' Hall {presumably Pilgrim Hall} but the key being mislaid it was considered advisable to adjourn to Monday next, at Captain Turner's Hall." The Brethren met agreeably to this adjournment and voted to hire Captain Turner's Hal! until some more suitable place could be secured. There is nothing in the records to show whether there was any discussion, or why the change was made from Pilgrim Hall, but the subsequent happenings give abundant ground for the suspicion that the "mislaying" of the key marked the beginning of active Anti-Masonic sentiment in Plymouth.

From this time on interest in Masonry waned rapidly, and the Anti-Masonic feeling became so strong as to interfere seriously with the working of the Lodge. The diminishing attendance is indicated by the action of the Lodge at a meeting held March 16, 1829, when it was voted to sell four of the armchairs and to dispose of all but four dozen of the glass lamps. About this time, too, the dues were reduced to one dollar per year. No attempt was made to hold any except the regular meetings and finally there was not sufficient interest to make even these possible. There were two meetings in 1831, one in 1832, and one in 1833. The Anti-Masonic agitation had now reached its height; at the presidential election of the previous year the Anti-Masonic party had polled more than one hundred and fifty thousand votes in New York and had actually carried the state of Vermont. Plymouth Lodge accepted the inevitable, and at a meeting of the "late members," held November 25, 1833. the following resolutions were adopted:

  • Whereas, the meetings of this Lodge have for a long time been discontinued, and the interest which has heretofore been manifested in them has wholly ceased, and
  • Whereas, a large portion of our citizens (of all parties both in religion and politics) who are not members of the Masonic Institution entertain jealousies and opinions unfavorable to it, and it having in our opinion ceased to be useful,
  • Therefore Resolved, That the Charter of this Lodge be surrendered and returned to the Grand Lodge of this state.

It was also voted at the time that a committee.be appointed to dispose of the property and pay all just demands against the Lodge. On July 7. 1835, this committee met, apparently for the last time, and voted that the money remaining in its hands after the debts of the Lodge had been paid should be deposited in the bank, "subject to the order of a majority of the committee, the estimated sum being about twenty-seven dollars."

Thus, for the second time, organized Freemasonry ceased to exist in Plymouth.

The Anti-Masonic movement came to an end, politically, with the election of Andrew Jackson, and died out entirely within the next few years.

In 1851, eighteen years after its surrender, the Charter of Plymouth Lodge was returned, upon petition of the required number of the original members. The first meeting was held in Adelphian Hall on November 24, of that year, the following Brethren being present: Charles May, James Thurber, Zaben Olney, George W. Virgin, Robert B. Hall, Ichabod Shaw, James Cox, and Leander Lovell. James Cox was called to the chair and James Thurber was chosen Secretary. It was voted that the bydaws of the former Lodge should be adopted for the government of the Lodge until otherwise ordered. The Lodge then proceeded to elect the following officers:

  • Charles May, Worshipful Master
  • Robert B. Hall, Senior Warden
  • George W. Virgin, Junior Warden
  • Ichabod Shaw, Treasurer
  • James Thurber, Secretary
  • Leander Lovell, Senior Deacon
  • Zaben Olney, Junior Deacon
  • James Cox, Tyler

Adelphian Hall, in which this meeting was held, belonged to the Odd Fellows and was located on High Street. The Lodge continued to meet here until 1855, when it moved for about a year into Payne Hall, on Middle Street, In 1856 it moved into Davis Hall, which it occupied until 1862. At a meeting held in November of that year it was voted to hire Union Hall for a period of five years. This brings my story nearer home, as Union Hall was the room which we now occupy. At the expiration of Its lease the Lodge voted to buy the building, and has occupied it ever since.

The history of Plymouth Lodge has been singularly uneventful since its reorganization in 1851. Prosperity did not come at once; the road led up-hill for many years and the final success of the Lodge was the result of patient labor and real devotion on the part of those who undertook the task of keeping Freemasonry alive in Plymouth. As late as 1861 the District Deputy described the .situation in Plymouth as discouraging, but this condition seems to have been only temporary. During the years which followed the Lodge gained a firm foothold in the community and established a reputation for strength and efficiency. We who succeeded that generation had set for us standards of efficiency and loyalty which have called for our best efforts.

The regular meeting of .June 17. 1861 is worthy of special notice, as no one but the Secretary was present. The situation was an unusual one. but the Secretary seems to have been equal to the emergency. He makes no reference to the reason for the small attendance, but reports simply that he "adjourned to September 16." Surely the advantages of having an efficient Secretary cannot be overestimated!

On September 7. 1865, there occurred an event of particular interest to us here to-night, for at that meeting James B. Collingwood was made a Mason in Plymouth Lodge. Brother Collingwood is still a member of this Lodge and is therefore the connecting link between the past and present, between the Plymouth Lodge of yesterday and that of today. With the exception of three years when he acted as Secretary he has never held office in the Lodge, hut he has kept up an active interest in Masonry and for more than sixty years has been a regular attendant at the meetings.

lie was followed within the next twelve years by Brothers Horace II. Saunders. Edmund K. Burbeck, Lewis H. Keith. Henry M. Litchfield, and Alfred M. Shaw, all of whom have been members of Plymouth Lodge for more than fifty years.

This completes the history of the Lodge for the first fifty years and brings the story down to a time which is well within the memory of many who are here to-night. 1 shall therefore close with a brief reference to some of the men who have been prominent in the affairs of the Lodge. Lack of time makes it possible to mention only a few, and those very briefly.

Charles May was born in Plymouth in 1791. When about twenty-one years of age he removed to Brunswick, Maine, and while living there received his degrees in Masonry in United Lodge. Not long after his return to his native town Plymouth Lodge was organized, and he was appointed its first Master, a position which he held, with the exception of two years, until 1832. He served the Lodge during the dark days of the Anti-Masonic agitation, and in 1833, when the organization had been allowed to lapse, he was chairman of the informal meeting at which it was voted to surrender the Charter.

In 1851, nearly twenty years later, he was one of those who petitioned to have the Charter returned, and he was again elected Master. He served one year and then declined reelection. From this time on he took no active part in the work of the Lodge, but he was an honored guest at the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary in 1875. His work was closely bound up with the beginnings of Plymouth Lodge and probably no one man did more towards putting it upon an enduring basis.

Charles H. Rogers was made a Master Mason in this Lodge in October, 1863. In November of the same year he was elected Junior Deacon; one year later he was made Senior Deacon. He perfected himself in the ritual at an early stage of his Masonic career and soon after his election as Senior Deacon he appears on the records as "acting Master." hi this capacity he seems to have had charge of most of the degree work during the year. The following year he was chosen Master, in which office he served two years. He had a thorough knowledge of the ritual and it was from him that many of the later Masters gained that correctness of ritual which has characterized the work of Plymouth Lodge through all the succeeding years. In 1871 he was elected Secretary of the Lodge and served in this office for the remainder of his life, a period of more than twenty years. His work as Secretary is in strong contrast to that of his predecessors. The early records are brief and inadequate, often incomplete. Important matters were so well known to all that they were frequently mentioned only incidentally, and sometimes omitted entirely. Brother Rogers, however, set forth the doings of the Lodge in detail, and his records have served as models for succeeding secretaries.

Josiah C. Fuller received his Master Mason's degree in this Lodge in July, 1864. In November of the same year he was appointed Senior Steward, but in. the records he appears frequently as "acting Junior Warden." He served one year as Senior Deacon, one year as .Junior Warden, and one as Senior Warden. He was then elected Master and served for two years. He was forcible and aggressive in his conduct of the Lodge; he was a strict disciplinarian, and he exacted from his officers a full measure of efficiency. Later, he served several years as Treasurer. While his term of service was not long, his vigorous personality left a lasting impression upon the Lodge.

Charles T. Litchfield was raised in this Lodge in 1870. Three years later he was chosen Master. He served for three years, and after an interval of one year, for five years more. His term of service exceeds that of any other Master of the Lodge. He was District Deputy Grand Master for the Twenty-fifth District in 1886 and 1887 and Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge in 1892. His work was characterized throughout by efficiency and dignity, and his devotion to Plymouth Lodge will long be remembered.

Of the living Past Masters. I shall speak of only one - Wor. John West Churchill. He was made a Master Mason in December, 1875. One year later he was elected Junior Deacon. He served in various offices in the line until he was elected Master. After occupying the chair for three years he spent one year out of office, hut in December, 1886, he was elected Treasurer. lie continued to serve as Treasurer for more than thirty years, when ill health compelled him to retire. Wor. Bro. Churchill's active Masonic life covered a period of forty-five years, forty-three of which he served as an officer. In December of the present year he will complete his fiftieth year as a Mason.

I have mentioned these men. not because their services were conspicuously greater than those of others, but because they are typical of the men who were the makers of Plymouth Lodge.

As we stand to-night on the threshold of another hundred years the situation is such that we look back with pride and forward with confidence. Our Lodge is well-managed, efficient, and strong. Freemasonry as an Institution commands universal respect and admiration. While it is neither a religious body nor a political party it is recognized as one of the strongholds of our democracy and of our religious faith. The problems which confront us Today are serious ones and Freemasonry can do much toward their solution.

But let us not make the mistake of thinking that these questions can be settled in the Lodges, or that the Lodges as such should take it upon themselves to shape public policies, to right public wrongs, or to settle private controversies. Let it rather be their aim to maintain the excellent tenets of our profession, to uphold the Bible as the rule and guide of our conduct as well as of our faith, and to develop an enlightened citizenry, which shall be mindful of its obligations and faithful to its trust.

Then, in truth, shall Freemasonry come into its own and stand in the midst of our national life as a tower of Strength, a city whose builder and maker is God.

ANNIVERSARY POEM

By Bro. Walter Ashmore Knight.

The Pilgrim's voice is hushed, he lies at rest
On yonder hill, 'neath stones of ancient hue.
The ashler rough his Pilgrim feet once pressed
Is still a shrine to all whose hearts beat true.

Upon the tombs of some who slumber there.
Rude carved by loving hands, long since at rest,
The hour-glass, the compasses and square
The age of Pilgrim Masonry attest.

They founded Plymouth Lodge—the century hand
No shadow casts upon its dial vast—
A shrine e'en worthy of the Pilgrim band.
First bulwark of the Pilgrim faith, and last.

They wrought the ancient Temple to restore;
They strove with all the ancient builders' art
That peace and love might dwell forever more
Within the temple of the human heart.

We greet you, friends, who on this happy day
Are Pilgrims to this century-aged shrine.
Your happy smiles and happy voices gay,
As happy hearts and hands with ours entwine.

Will keep the memory of this moment bright
When all the pomp and glory shall depart.
And thoughts of those now but a vanished light
Tug at the inner recess of the heart.

For some we knew and loved the best of all.
Who freely gave of life and light and love,
Have answered "ready" to the Master's call
And crossed the threshold of the Lodge above.

Ah! could our eyes but see beyond the veil,
Our ears but listen to the unseen choir,
The unseen guest might here to-day prevail
O'er those still pregnant with the living fire.

We greet them too; who knows how brief the years
Ere we too follow in the paths they've trod;
Their light seen dimly through a mist of tears
May guide our footsteps upwards unto God.

So when the summons from the Lodge to be
Shall come to as from yonder shining star
And proffer to our souls the last degree
The Master can confer—'twill not seem far.

Close, Angel of the perfect Lodge above,
Recorder of the hopes and joys and tears
Of all the Brethren of the Master's love,
Thy records of this latest hundred years.

Turn back the glass; the swiftly falling sands
Another century's countless hours must run
And bring to us from lately folded hands
New duties by those folded hands begun.

We must not fail, the great All-Seeing Eye
That guards their sleep will guard our waking hours
And give us strength to bear the torch on high,
Inspired by incense from the century flowers.

OTHER

  • 1829 (Report on delinquency, IV-129)
  • 1852 (Remission of dues granted, V-420)
  • 1872 (Participation in Standish Monument cornerstone laying, 1872-151)
  • 1881 (Jurisdictional dispute, 1881-66)

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS


DISTRICTS

1825: District 3

1851: District 5

1867: District 16 (Plymouth)

1883: District 25 (Hingham)

1911: District 27 (Plymouth)

1927: District 27 (Plymouth)

2003: District 18


LINKS

Lodge web site

Massachusetts Lodges