BlackstoneRiver

BLACKSTONE RIVER LODGE

Location: Blackstone

Chartered By: Winslow Lewis

Charter Date: 12/12/1856 V-264

Precedence Date: 12/12/1855

Current Status: in Grand Lodge Vault; merged to Montgomery Lodge, Milford, 06/12/1997

PAST MASTERS

Samuel S. White, 1872-1874, 1883
1875?
Leonard T. Gaskill, 1876, 1878, 1882
Charles F. Sisson, 1877, 1878 died in office
Jeremiah Gatchell, 1879-1881; Memorial
George J. Baldwin, 1884, 1885
William H. Hawkins, 1886, 1887
William A. Cole, 1888, 1888
Charles W. Rickards, 1890, 1891
Edward E. Wheelock, 1892, 1893
George W. Maxon, 1894, 1895; SN
Melvin E. Ellis, 1896, 1897, 1901, 1902; SN
Isaac T. Holman, 1898
Ambrose B. White, 1899, 1900; Memorial
John Kinnibergh, 1903
Ansel Holman, 1904
Joseph Hoyle, 1905-1907; SN
Fred M. Bennett, 1908
William R. Booth, 1909
Ralph M. Estes, 1910
Edward J. Saalfrank, 1911, 1912
Joseph F. Barnet, 1913
Duncan B. Cunningham, 1914
William C. Hay, 1915
Harry S. Nelson, 1916
Nelson Slater, 1917
William Carville, 1918
Samuel L. Lampher, 1919
William Spencer, 1920
Harold W. Armstrong, 1921
Philip E. Thomas, 1922; N
Edwin M. Crane, 1923
Louis A. Webster, 1924
William E. Loveland, 1925
Morton C. Matteson, 1926
Ray S. Maxon, 1927
Daniel E. Greene, 1928
Harrison M. Smyth, 1929
Lester H. Matteson, 1930
Andrew N. Maxon, 1931
George A. Arnold, 1932
Edwin M. Crane, 1933; N
Cornelius J. Hauge, 1934
Henry F. Feddern, 1935
John W. Mellor, 1936
John Alden, 1937
Paul E. Larson, 1938
Fred Israel, 1939
Lester E. Carpenter, 1940
Philip L. Voelker, 1941
Jules E. Conrardy, 1942
Joseph D. Rosenthal, 1943
William A. Robbins, 1944
Philip H. Hoyle, 1945, 1946
Harold A. Gustafson, 1947
Gerard A. Lafreniere, 1948
Paul L. Hoyle, 1949, 1954
Raymond G. LaFreniere, 1950-1951, 1955, 1978-1980; N
Neilson A. Darling, 1952
Daniel B. Middleton, 1953
Frank C. Wadsworth, Jr., 1956
Herbert S. Smith, 1957
Joseph D. Rosenthal, 1958
Walter Karasek, 1959
Samuel H. Stein, 1960
Henry C. Feddern, 1961
Alexander Kokolski, 1962
Clinton S. J. Jacks, 1963
Joseph Hoyle, Jr., 1964
Robert E. Ranslow, 1965, 1966
Hollis S. Booth, 1967
Robert F. Taylor, 1968, 1969
Victor J. Karasek, 1970
John J. Salisbury, 1971
Elmer E. Normandin, Jr., 1972
Henry R. Reiner, 1973
Randall L. Faneuf, 1974
Cecil H. Lane, Sr., 1975, 1983
Cecil H. Lane, Jr., 1976, 1981, 1982, 1985
George A. L. Ethier, 1977
Ross N. Fisher, 1984, 1988
Stewart R. Holbrook, 1986; PDDGM
Todd E. Smith, 1987
Ross N. Fisher, 1988
Russell S. Wise, 1989-1992; N
David W. Farrington, 1993, 1995
Richard E. Heon, 1994
Donald E. Guertin, 1996, 1997

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

Petition for Dispensation: 1855
Petition for Charter: 1857 chartered 1856; constituted 1857
Consolidation Petition (with Montgomery Lodge): 1997

ANNIVERSARIES

1955 (Centenary)
1980 (125th Anniversary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

1857 (Heard; Constitution of Lodge and installation; see below)
1879 (Welch)
1927 (Simpson; Cornerstone laying at Blackstone Federated Church)
1940 (Perry; district meeting)
1955 (W. Johnson; Centenary)
1980 (Melanson; 125th Anniversary)
1987 (Ames; consolidation with Montgomery Lodge)

BY-LAW CHANGES

1859 1874 1882 1912 1913 1922 1926 1927 1928 1929 1940 1947 1955 1956 1957 1982 1986

HISTORY

1955 (Centenary History, 1955-281)

OTHER

1870 (Complaint against Olive Branch Lodge)
1872 (Petition regarding formal charity to families of deceased members)

EVENTS

CONSTITUTION OF LODGE, FEBRUARY 1857

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XVI, No. 5, February 1857, Page 155:

At Blackstone, Worcester Co., was consecrated by the Grand Lodge of this State, on Monday evening, Feb. 2, by the usual ceremonies. The officers of the Lodge for the current year were duly installed and the new hall dedicated on the same evening. The exercises were attended by an audience of ladies and gentlemen, and the occasion was one of more than ordinary interest to the fraternity of the neighborhood. After the ceremonies the Brethren and their ladies supped together at Gaskill's hotel.

In the course of the evening, brief and appropriate speeches were made by the Most Worshipful Grand Master, John T. Heard, Esq., John H. Sheppard, C. W. Moore, and W. D. Coolidge, Esqs., and other gentlemen. The Grand Lodge was well represented by its chief officers. They were received with great courtesy and attention, and the presence of the highest officers of the order in this part of the Commonwealth, (never visited before by them as a body,) was a compliment duly appreciated by the new Lodge and the Brethren generally. — B. H. Aurora.

OFFICER LIST, JANUARY 1864

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXIII, No. 3, January 1864, Page 96:

Officers of Blackstone River Lodge, for 1864.

William A. Northup, W M.
Lewis Holmes, S. W.
Ben. Ainsworth, J. W.
John Cady, Treas.
Geo. E. Bullard, Sec.
E. Metcalf, S. D.
E Daniels, J.D.
Thomas Fisher, S. S.
Wm. Walton, J. S.
E. Nichols, Mar.
Moses Farnum, R. A. Benson, J. P. Pillsbnry, Trustees.
J. P. Pillsbury, John C. Scott, J. S. Weedham, Relief Committee.
E. Nichols, Tyler.

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

Edwin M. Crane, DDGM, District 20 (Blackstone), 1933, 1934; N
Melvin E. Ellis, DDGM, District 19 (Southbridge), 1903, 1904; SN
Jeremiah Gatchell, DDGM, District 19 (Southbridge), 1890, 1891, 1892; Memorial
Stewart R. Holbrook, DDGM, District 20 (Blackstone), 1987, 1988
Joseph Hoyle, DDGM, District 22 (Blackstone), 1911, 1912; SN
Raymond G. LaFreniere, DDGM, District 20 (Blackstone), 1975, 1976; N
George W. Maxon, DDGM, District 19 (Southbridge), 1898, 1899; SN
Daniel W. Taft, DDGM, District 4, 1860, 1861; Senior Grand Warden 1902
Philip E. Thomas, DDGM, District 20 (Blackstone), 1939, 1940; N
Ambrose B. White, DDGM, District 22 (Blackstone), 1922, 1923; Memorial
Russell S. Wise, DDGM, District 20 (Blackstone), 1985, 1986; N