Mosaic

MOSAIC LODGE

Location: Danvers

Chartered By: William Sewall Gardner

Charter Date: 09/13/1871 1871-96

Precedence Date: 08/30/1870

Current Status: in Grand Lodge Vault; merged with Amity Lodge to form Amity-Mosaic Lodge, 03/19/2004 (2004-33).

PAST MASTERS

Need living PMs

George Tapley, 1871
Albert W. Howe, 1872
Richard B. Hood, 1873, 1874, 1884
Andrew Elwell, Jr., 1875, 1876
Charles Newhall, 1877, 1878, 1883
Samuel L. Sawyer, 1879, 1880; Mem
W. Winslow Eaton, 1881, 1882
Chauncey S. Richards, 1885, 1886; Mem
J. Warren Derby, 1887
Walter A. Tapley, 1888, 1889
James A. Beckford, 1890
Frank O. Staples, 1891, 1892
George O. Stimpson, 1893
Charles H. Preston, 1894
Wendell P. Patch, 1895
Samuel B. Hoar, 1896, 1897
Arthur W. Beckford, 1898, 1899; SN
J. Ellis Nightingale, 1900
C. Dexter Richards, 1901, 1902
Frederick M. Peabody, 1903
George Little, 1904, 1905
Lester S. Couch, 1906; Mem
Winsor C. Nickerson, 1907, 1908
Ralph F. Abbott, 1909, 1910
Ernest S. Richardson, 1911
Charles J. Trak, 1912
Fred U. French, 1913, 1914
Charles H. Ingalls, 1915
Vinal W. Smith, 1916
G. Warren Towne, 1917, 1918
Percy L. Burnes, 1919, 1920
Thurman Leslie, 1921
George L. Merrill, 1922, 1923
William H. Garvin, 1924
Arthur W. Gay, 1925
Clifton J. Comey, 1926
Albert D. Conant, 1927
Edward E. Putnam, 1928
Alden P. Crosby, 1929; N
Franklin Hammond, 1930
George A. Ingalls, 1931
Harold K. Parker, 1932
Walter B. Morse, 1933
Henry E. Rider, 1934, 1935
Henry E. Littlewood, 1936, 1937
Clarence W. Russell, 1938
Ralph E. Day, 1939, 1940
Joseph L. Stotler, 1941
Stanley N. Preston, 1942, 1943
Linwood Kimball, 1944
Clarence E. Chapman, 1945
Claude M. Parker, 1946
C. Everett Elliott, 1947; N
Frank N. Cooke, 1948
Arthur P. Prentiss, 1949
Dewey E. King, 1950
Richard W. Holmes, 1951
G. Everett Blanchard, 1952
Leslie B. Fales, 1953; N
Robert H. Deering, 1954
Walter K. Anderson, 1955
Emerson A. Wall, 1956
Clyde S. Hermigar, 1957
Calvin R. Potter, 1958
D. Wayne Woodman, 1959
Harvey M. Lewis, 1960
Ralph A. Morrison, 1961
Eugene O. Batastini, Jr., 1962
LeRoy H. Smith, 1963
Robert A. Peterson, 1964
Robert F. Easler, 1965
Frederick R. Lawson, 1966
Harold A. L. Foss, 1967
Henry H. Barrowclough, Jr., 1968
Arthur J. Landers, 1969
Norman R. Durkee, 1970
Ralph A. Cardarelli, Jr., 1971
Robert S. Wall, 1972
Philip Pergola, Jr., 1973; PDDGM
George W. Miller, 1974
Harold E. Carter, 1975
Nardi G. Laurenzo, 1976, 1995
Carl F. Aylward, 1977; PDDGM
Charles P. Russell, Jr., 1978
Chester R. Harris, 1979; PDDGM
Kenneth B. Marshall, 1980
Norman F. Gage, 1981
Peter G. Gardyna, Sr., 1982
Ernest Leonard Foss, Jr., 1983
Willard G. Steadman, III, 1984
Charles W. Ritter, 1985
Jerome P. Paige, 1986
Donald R. Daly, 1987, 2003, 2004
Robert M. Walters, 1988, 1997, 1998
Robert H. Parker, 1989
Peter G. Gardyna, Jr., 1990
Daniel G. Aylward, 1991, 1999, 2000
Donald R. Isbell, 1992
Robert H. Haskell, 1993
James Karolides, 1994
Donald B. McIlvin, Jr., 1996
Stanley M. Finkenthal, 1998

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

Petition for Dispensation: 1870
Petition for Charter: 1871
Consolidation Petition (with Amity Lodge): 2003

ANNIVERSARIES

1946 (75th Anniversary)
1970 (Centenary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

1905 (Sanford; Reception and banquet)
1908 (Blake)
1910 (Flanders)
1916 (M. Johnson)
1918 (L. Abbott; Patriotic Night)
1921 (Prince)
1946 (Perry; 75th Anniversary; Special Communication)
1970 (Jaynes; Centenary; Special Communication)
2004 (Hicks; Consolidation; Special Communication)

BY-LAW CHANGES

1876 1879 1883 1897 1909 1913 1914 1920 1922 1923 1925 1927 1930 1932 1940 1953 1955 1956 1957 1961 1964 1965 1972 1975 1976 1978 1981 1982 1983 1989 1990 1995

HISTORY

1946 (75th Anniversary History, 1946-279; see below)
1970 (75th Anniversary History, 1970-458)

75TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, OCTOBER 1946

From Proceedings, Page 1946-279:

By Brother Charles Sutherland Tapley.

We are here assembled to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of Mosaic Lodge, and so for a brief time, we turn our thought to 1871. The expiration of seventy-five years affords a vantage point from which to view the progress of Mosaic Lodge.

It is no mean honor to represent the Lodge upon this occasion, and the few remarks that I shall make are very inadequate to the real sentiment that we feel, but I am sure that they are in the spirit of each of the members of the Lodge.

Someone has said that the greatest thing in the world is Man, and that the greatest thing in Man is Mind. The founders of this Lodge were Builders of Manhood and developers of those qualities of mind which make for strength.

Organized Masonry in Danvers dates from 1778, when United States Lodge was chartered, being the seventh Lodge chartered by the Massachusetts Grand Lodge, which was organized in 1769. The membership of United States Lodge was made up of men from Danvers, Beverly and Wenham. It was always small and the mode of traveling in those days was slow and tiresome.

Our knowledge of United States Lodge is quite limited because the Charter, jewels, regalia and doubtless the records and by-laws, were destroyed in 1805, when the house of Richard Scidmore, Tyler of the Lodge, burned.

The Brethren in Danvers were patriotic and influential men who were among the first citizens of the town.

The last mention of United States Lodge is in the records of the Grand Lodge in 1788.

Jordan Lodge was chartered in 1808, and the first meetings were held in the Old Berry Tavern, but in 1810 the Lodge moved to the south part of the town, which is now Peabody. In 1864 Amity Lodge was chartered, with twenty-six members, twenty-five of whom were released from Jordan Lodge.

In the month of June, 1870, a number of the Brethren deeming it advisable to form a new Masonic Lodge, sent a petition for a warrant of dispensation for that purpose to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The following are the names of the petitioners:

L. P. H. Turner
Josiah Ross
Edwin T. Waldron
Alfred Fellows
George Kenney
Samuel C. Putnam
Gilbert B. Emerson
Nathaniel Bragdon
John H. Pousland
Putnam T. Derby
Ira P. Pope
Albert W. Howe
Nathan Pratt Jr.
Harrison O. Warren
John T. Ross
J. Warren Mead
Francis A. Couch
William H. Brown
George H. Perkins
Henry A. Perkins
Walter S. Merrill
George Tapley
William J. C. Kenney
Gilbert A. Tapley
E. A. Lord
S. Fairfield Gray
Chauncey S. Richards
John R. Langley
John C. Butler
Richard B. Hood
George J. Sanger
W. Winslow Eaton
George W. French, Jr.
Frederick B. Wentworth
 Ariel H. Gould

Of this group, I remember seven.

The petitioners held a meeting at Masonic Hall, Danvers, Wednesday evening, June 22, 1870, at which time the following officers were chosen:

George Tapley, Worshipful Master
Albert W. Howe, Senior Warden
Josiah Ross, Junior Warden
L. P. H. Turner, Treasurer

George H. Perkins, Secretary

Worshipful Brother George Tapley received the degrees in Jordan Lodge in 1857, and was installed Junior Warden the same year. He was Master of Jordan Lodge in 1859, 1860 and 1861, and was made an Honorary Member in 1892. He was also the first Master of Amity Lodge, serving in 1863 and in 1864. He was the first Master of Mosaic Lodge, and was Chaplain of the Lodge for many years. Worshipful Brother Tapley was constant in his attendance at the meetings and always had a handshake and a word of welcome for everyone.

Worshipful Brother Albert Howe was Master of Amity Lodge in 1865, and of Mosaic Lodge in 1872. In 1904, having been elected an Honorary Member of this Lodge, he wrote the Lodge a letter of considerable interest.

Richard Brainard Hood received his degrees in Jordan Lodge in 1862. He was Master of Amity Lodge in 1868,1869 and 1870, and of Mosaic Lodge in 1873, 1874 and 1884.

Reverend and Worshipful George J. Sanger was Master of Mount Zion Lodge in 1856, 1857 and 1858; was the first Chaplain of Mosaic Lodge and a very active Mason.

The name of "Mosaic" was suggested by Worshipful W. Winslow Eaton and he gave six reasons for its selection:

Because it was an appropriate Masonic word.
Because it was not adopted by any other Lodge.
Its derivation from the ancient Greek and its original meaning — a species of inlaid or tesselated work in imitation of painting by the union of pieces of marble, glass, stones or gems of various colors, carefully inlaid and cemented and which served as walls, floors, and ornamental coverings of columns is itself suggestive and beautiful.
It has been prized and employed for ornaments and used in the finest architecture of ancient and modern times.
It is referred to in the First Degree of Masonry when we are informed that the ornaments of a Lodge are the Mosaic Pavement, surrounded by its beautiful tesselated border and the blazing star in the center, emblematical of human life checkered with good and evil.
Applied to a Lodge, it would denote Masonically a society of friends and Brothers chosen as previous or living stones and cemented in wisdom, strength and beauty into one harmonious whole among whom no contention should ever exist, but the noble contention of who can best work and best agree.

After a brief discussion, the name "Mosaic" was accepted by the committee, and on being reported to the Lodge, was unanimously adopted.

Mosaic Lodge was instituted October 28, 1871. A committee was appointed to make arrangements with Amity Lodge for the use of their lodge room, fixtures, furniture and regalia for the use of the Lodge. A committee was also appointed to procure subscriptions, and another to prepare a code of by-laws.

January 1, 1872, there was a public installation of officers by Worshipful George J. Sanger, which was followed by a banquet at which one hundred twenty-five were seated.

The fiftieth anniversary of Mosaic Lodge began with appropriate services at the Maple Street Church. I remember it with pleasure. Worshipful Charles H. Preston delivered the history of the Lodge and he was followed by Reverend Brother R. Perry Bush, Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, who spoke of the early days of Freemasonry. A procession was formed and the group marched to the hall where lunch was served by ladies of the Order of the Eastern Star. The next evening there was a reception to the Grand Master, followed by a banquet and entertainment at Town Hall.

In 1925 the cornerstone of the new Masonic Temple was laid by the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Dudley H. Ferrell, assisted by Right Worshipful Harry E. Jackson, Chairman of the Building Committee, Most Worshipful J. Albert Blake, Past Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, Worshipful N. Woodbury Bragdon, Master of Amity Lodge, Worshipful Arthur W. Gay, Master of Mosaic Lodge, Arthur K. Bates, High Priest of Holten Royal Arch Chapter, Worshipful Albert Dogherty, Past Master of Amity Lodge, who was in office at the time it was voted to build the Temple, and Worshipful George L. Merrill, Master of Mosaic Lodge at that time.

Three hundred Masons took part in the ceremonies and the parade formed on Conant Street and proceeded by way of Franklin, Poplar, Locust, Maple, Elm and Park Streets to the site of the new building. It was led by nine police officers, followed by the Salem Cadet Band. Color Bearers carrying the American Flag marched at the head of each body. The marchers were followed by the Grand Officers and other distinguished guests in seven automobiles. A. Preston Chase was Chief Marshal of the parade. Later, Caterer Schleuber served nearly three hundred members and guests at Town Hall.

In the seventy-five years of its existence, Mosaic Lodge has done much for the poor and needy and has been a remarkable influence in the Community. In recent years it has been difficult to carry on the many activities because of prevailing conditions, and the bequest of $7,000 from the estate of Mrs. George W. Towne, the widow of Worshipful George W. Towne, is most welcome.

The question inevitably arises: "Have we within ourselves the qualities which will make this Lodge, decades hence, great in achievement and in influence for the public weal?"

Mosaic Lodge was previsioned and was made possible by the anxious solicitude and the purposeful effort of men of times past. We of today are in large degree formulating the Mosaic Lodge of the future. I am making no plea for a restoration of the methods or of the forms of the past. These have rendered their acceptable service and in many cases have completed their usefulness. Nevertheless, in discarding these, or in supplanting them, it is well for us not to discard the spirit which animated them.

To the founders of Mosaic Lodge — the good they did will never die, and the oncoming years will add increasing lustre to their fame!