Fraternity

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FRATERNITY LODGE

Location: Newtonville

Chartered By: Percival L. Everett

Charter Restored By: Dana J. Flanders in 1911.

Charter Date: 06/13/1876 1876-45

Precedence Date: 09/03/1875

Current Status: merged with Ebenezer Fuller Lodge, to form Fraternity & Fuller Lodge, 05/15/1981. Now part of Norumbega Fraternity Lodge.


PAST MASTERS

  • Horatio B. Hackett, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1911
  • William W. Keith, 1878
  • William I. Goodrich, 1879-1881; SN
  • Edward W. Cate, 1882-1884
  • 1885-1888?
  • Charter Not In Force 1888-1911
  • William O. Hunt, 1912; Mem
  • Edward E. Savory, 1913
  • William S. Osborne, 1914
  • Edward M. Hall, 1915
  • Dwight I. Woodbury, 1916
  • Frank F. Lamson, 1917
  • Elwyn E. Snyder, 1918
  • Edwin O. Childs, 1919
  • Harry E. Bryant, 1920
  • George F. Nudd, 1921
  • George Kellar, 1922
  • Charles S. Ensign, Jr., 1923
  • Frederic W. Woolway, 1924
  • Andrew J. Somes, 1925
  • Harris R. Austen, 1926
  • Roy C. Buck, 1927
  • Harry B. Ross, 1928
  • Charles E. Roach, 1929, 1933
  • Clarence V. Moore, 1930
  • Philip L. Brown, 1931
  • Roscoe C. Moody, 1932
  • Harry C. Nordstrom, 1933
  • Norman E. Ferguson, 1934
  • Buford W. Oakes, 1935
  • Harold W. Knowlton, 1936; N
  • Russell S. Broad, 1937
  • Sidney A. Marston, 1938
  • Endicott P. Saltonstall, 1939
  • Henry W. Hardy, 1940
  • Donald A. Drury, 1941
  • Newton C. Burnett, 1942
  • Robert T. Westermark, 1943; N
  • Sidney R. Williamson, 1944
  • Frank W. Meakin, 1945
  • Cecil R. Crissey, 1946; N
  • Charles P. Edwards, 1947
  • Arthur M. Fogg, 1948
  • Raymond E. Gorman, 1949
  • Ralph A. Nutter, 1950
  • Clayton H. Foster, 1951
  • Herman M. Kehoe, 1952
  • F. Crockett Brown, 1953, 1974; N
  • Allister F. Marshall, 1954
  • Carl A. G. F. Nelson, 1955
  • Richard S. Gates, 1956
  • Douglas A. Snow, 1957
  • Richard W. Loud, 1958
  • A. William Bjork, 1959
  • Floyd A. Dunklee, 1960
  • Stuart V. T. Nelson, 1961, 1978
  • James M. Cail, 1962
  • Richard T. Bessom, 1963
  • Robert M. Fisher, 1964
  • Southard Lippincott, 1965; N
  • Karol R. Zenker, 1966
  • William C. Holder, 1967
  • David L. Murray, 1968
  • Haviland Corliss, 1969
  • Alan R. Chandler, 1970
  • Leigh S. Woodward, 1971; N
  • Joseph J. Doll, 1972
  • Vincent T. Estabrook, 1973
  • David L. Eycleshymer, Sr., 1975
  • Richard P. Ingalls, 1976
  • William F. Gath, 1977
  • James E. Long, Jr., 1979
  • Arthur P. Kelly, 1980

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

  • Petition for Dispensation: 1875
  • Petition for Charter: 1876
  • Petition for Restoration of Charter: 1911
  • Consolidation Petition (with Ebenezer Fuller Lodge): 1981

ANNIVERSARIES

  • 1925 (50th Anniversary)
  • 1950 (75th Anniversary)
  • 1975 (Centenary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

BY-LAW CHANGES

1880 1882 1883 1911 1912 1914 1917 1923 1937 1946 1947 1951 1952 1953 1957 1969 1974 1977 1978

HISTORY

  • 1950 (75th Anniversary History, 1950-141)

75TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, NOVEMBER 1950

From Proceedings, Page 1950-141:

By Worshipful Robert T. Westermark.

PART ONE - THE OLD LODGE

As early as the year 1867, a new Masonic Lodge was considered for Newton, Massachusetts. However, the Brethren of the first Lodge in Newton, Dalhousie, which had been instituted only seven years earlier, did not think it wise to approve the establishment of another Lodge so soon. Therefore the petition was rejected and the matter was held in abeyance until 1874. At this date, another petition was presented to Dalhousie Lodge, but it was pigeonholed and never acted upon.

Finally, in the spring of 1875, sixteen recognized Master Masons, two of whom were members of Dalhousie Lodge, submitted the following successful petition:

To the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Massachusetts.

The undersigned petitioners being Ancient Free and Accepted Master Masons, having the prosperity of the Fraternity at heart, and willing to exert their best endeavors to promote and diffuse the genuine principles of Masonry, respectfully represent,

That for convenience of their respective dwellings, and for
 other good reasons, they are desirous of forming a new Lodge
in the City of Newton, to be named Nonantum Lodge.
They therefore pray for letters of Dispensation, or a warrant
of Constitution, to empower them to assemble as a legal Lodge,
to discharge the duties of Masonry in a regular and constitu
tional manner according to the original forms of the Order
and the regulations of the Grand Lodge.
They have nominated and do recommend


* Brother _____ to be the first Master

  • Brother _____ to be the first Senior Warden and
  • Brother _____ to be the first Junior Warden

of said Lodge.

If the prayer of the petition shall be granted, they promise a strict conformity to all the constitutions, laws and regulations of the Grand Lodge.

Signed:

  • William Ward Keith
  • John Samuel Hayes
  • Edwin Ruthven Frost
  • Edward Henry Fennessy
  • Frederick Eugene Crockett
  • William H. Stewart
  • Edward Everett Burdon
  • George Wesley Miller
  • James Burpee Parker
  • Henry Fleetwood
  • Charles D. Elliott
  • Augustus Williams
  • J. Wesley Kimball
  • Henry Joel Preston
  • Henry Cornelius Hayden
  • William Henry Young

It is interesting to note that this petition was read on May 19, 1875, at Dalhousie's first regular communication held in the splendid new quarters in the block at the corner of Washington and Walnut Streets, Newtonville, built by ex-Governor Claflin for the express use of the fraternity as they outgrew the original quarters in the building of the Methodist Society on Central Avenue, and that this petition was signed by the architect of those new quarters, Brother Henry Joel Preston.

That this petition met with the approval and whole-hearted support of the members of Dalhousie Lodge is evidenced by the facts that it was promptly recommended at Dalhousie's next regular communication on June 16, 1875, and that the petition as submitted to the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts had forty-six signers, exactly half of whom were members of Dalhousie Lodge.

Organizing meetings for this new Lodge were held in the new Masonic Hall, Newtonville, by courtesy of Dalhousie Lodge on August 9 and 24, 1875. These organizing meetings nominated the officers for the new Lodge:

  • Wor. Horatio Balch Hackett, Jr. as Worshipful Master
  • Bro. William Ward Keith as Senior Warden
  • Bro. John Samuel Hayes as Junior Warden
  • Bro. Benjamin Franklin Brown as Treasurer
  • Bro. Francis Elder as Secretary

All except Bro. Hayes were Dalhousie men.

They set the fees for degrees at fifty dollars, elected one committee to write the By-Laws and another to procure the working tools and other paraphernalia necessary to place the Lodge in good working order, assessed the signers of the petition five dollars each to provide a working fund for the Lodge and determined upon the name "Fraternity" instead of "Nonantum" for the new Lodge.

Thus the petition as submitted to the Grand Lodge bore the names of the three Brothers proposed for Master and Wardens and the newly selected name "Fraternity" instead of "Nonantum." In addition, the following Master Masons also signed the petition:

  • William Ira Goodrich
  • John Bliss
  • Horatio Balch Hackett, Jr.
  • Charles Ridgely Brown
  • Henry Oakes Martin
  • William Bartlett Spear
  • William B. Fowle
  • Frederick Curtis Lyon
  • Allston Waldo Whitney
  • Charles Thomas Pulsifer
  • Edward Kent Wilson
  • Edward A. Ellis
  • Benjamin Franklin Brown
  • Francis Elder
  • George Bartlett Jones
  • Frank I. Morrill
  • Lyman Phillips Gerould
  • David Storer Simpson
  • Frederick Johnson
  • Edwin Bradbury Haskell
  • John Stetson
  • Edward R. Seccomb
  • Henry Otis Billings
  • Gorham D. Gilman
  • Revilo Leonard Hinds
  • William Jones
  • Jonas Galuska Salisbury
  • Samuel Farquhar
  • David W. Farquhar
  • Oscar Baylies Truesdell

This petition was favorably received by Most Worshipful Percival Lowell Everett, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, who was pleased to issue on September 3, 1875, the warrant of dispensation under which Fraternity Lodge was to work for a year.

The men who founded our Lodge came from all walks of life. Some took an active part in the administration of the City of Newton; others were merchants, salesmen, bookkeepers, manufacturers, druggists, physicians, engineers, skilled artisans, a broker, an editor of the Boston Herald, an architect, the Deputy Chief of Police of the City, a truckman, an Army Captain and the village blacksmith.

It may be helpful to place the time in history when our Lodge was organized.

The year 1875 was the low point in the severe financial depression and panic that gripped the country during the 1870s and which cast a shadow of the ill fortune that was all too soon to engulf the new Lodge. That year also was the year of the great centennials. On June 17, 1875, the Grand Lodge organized a great parade to Bunker Hill for the purpose of solemnizing the one hundredth anniversary of the death of our illustrious Past Grand Master, Major General Joseph Warren. On July 3, 1875, Harvard College invited the Grand Lodge to take a prominent part in celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the assumption of command of the colonial forces by Worshipful Brother General George Washington at the old elm on historic Cambridge Common. 1875 was also the year that the Grand Lodge restored the ritual "to its former purity" and Most Worshipful Percival Lowell Everett said, "It is gratifying to witness the desire on the part of the Brethren to learn the Grand Lodge work, and the wholesome rivalry among the Lodges as to which can exemplify it best."

This set the standard adopted by our first Master, Worshipful Horatio Balch Hackett, and so ably carried on by our present senior Past Master, Worshipful Dwight Larcom Woodberry, and his successors to the present day. Fraternity Lodge has always taken just pride in the excellence of the ritual of the officers.

Our first Master, Worshipful Horatio Balch Hackett, according to the stories of those who knew him, was a precise ritualist with a fine expression. In fact, the first mention of an official visit from Dalhousie Lodge occurs in the minutes of January 9, 1877, which read: "The Lodge was agreeably entertained and instructed by a rehearsal of the lectures by the Worshipful Master assisted by Worshipful Master Brackett of Dalhousie Lodge."

The first regular communication of Fraternity Lodge under dispensation was held on the second Tuesday of the month, September 14, 1875, in the same apartments used by Dalhousie Lodge. Subsequent regular communications were held on the second Tuesday of each month. This first communication confirmed the acts of the August meetings and received its first petition for degrees from Walter Franklin Edmands, a young man thirty-three years of age, a merchant, residing in Auburndale.

At the second regular communication on October 12, 1875, Walter Franklin Edmands was elected to receive the degrees, and on the same night, was initiated an Entered Apprentice. He was passed a Fellowcraft on January 11, 1876, and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on February 8, 1876, thus becoming the first member of the Craft to receive his degrees in Fraternity Lodge.

From its beginning, our Lodge and its members have always been interested in Masonic instruction. At the fourth communication on December 14, 1875, the Lodge voted to sanction a petition for a Newton Lodge of Instruction, and when this Lodge was formed, undertook to defray one-half of the expenses of that body.

The By-Laws of the Lodge were accepted at the tenth regular communication held on June 13, 1876.

The July and August, 1876, regular communications were omitted, which custom has usually been followed ever since.

On September 12, 1876, the Lodge adopted our official seal, described in the minutes of that meeting as follows:

The Seal shall be a Terrestrial Globe in space encircled by a band inscribed with the word Fraternity signifying the universality of Masonry and illuminated by three lights placed in the East, West and South which illustrate the true mission of the three great lights in masonry with a circular border inscribed: Fraternity Lodge F. & A. M. Newton Instituted September 3rd A.L. 5875.

The Charter of Fraternity Lodge was issued by Most Worshipful Percival Lowell Everett on September 13, 1876. There were fifty-one Charter members. Of the forty-six original petitioners, one had died, Brother Augustus Williams. While working during its first year under dispensation, Fraternity Lodge had raised and elected to membership six Master Masons — Brothers Walter Franklin Edmands, Josiah Brown Chase, Theodore Woodman Gore, George W. Morse, John G. Blaisdell and Henry Lyman Bixby.

The first annual meeting was held on October 10, 1876. The Worshipful Master, Senior Warden, Treasurer and Secretary were re-elected to serve another term and Right Worshipful William Ira Goodrich was elected Junior Warden. Pending financial difficulties, not recognized at this time, were forecast in the Treasurer's report, which showed a deficit after the first year's operations of $288.91.

In an impressive ceremony on November 14, 1876, Fraternity Lodge was constituted and was presented its Charter by Most Worshipful Percival Lowell Everett, who installed the officers in their respective stations.

The most distinguished Mason of the old Lodge was our third Worshipful Master, Right Worshipful William Ira Goodrich, who was honored by appointment as District Deputy Grand Master at the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge on December 27, 1882, just at the time when the Grand Master, Most Worshipful Samuel Crocker Lawrence, redistricted the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, whereby Fraternity Lodge was changed from the Fourth to the Fifth District. Thus Right Worshipful Brother Goodrich became the first District Deputy Grand Master of our Fifth District.

The only member of the old Lodge who served continuously in one office was our first Tyler, Worshipful George E. Bridges, Past Master and Charter Member of Dalhousie Lodge. The early minutes do not record the appointed officers, but Brother Bridges is the only Tyler mentioned in the old records, but as he was also the Tyler of Dalhousie Lodge, it is supposed he served from 1875 until 1885.

Dr. William Otis Hunt, one of the founders of the Newton Hospital, who later became Worshipful Master of our Lodge and District Deputy Grand Master of the Fifth District and played such an important part in the activities of the restored Lodge, was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason at the twenty-fifth regular communication of Fraternity Lodge held on January 8, 1878.

On February 10, 1880, Brother Edwin O. Childs, a member of Dalhousie Lodge and the father of Fraternity's most distinguished Mason, was elected to membership. Later, he became the first Secretary of the present Lodge when the Charter was restored in 1911.

The financial position of the new Lodge was precarious from the beginning. As has been mentioned previously, the first year ended with a deficit of $288.91.

At the end of the second year, the Treasurer reported a net book balance of $32.96. By October, 1880, the balance of cash on hand was reported as $6.96. In 1880, a new Secretary was elected and he was soon to precipitate the pending financial crisis.

To add to the financial burdens, the Grand Lodge endeavored to eliminate the Grand Lodge debt, which was over $100,000, by imposing a tax on the constituent Lodges. In fact, the sixty-fourth meeting of Fraternity Lodge, and its fifth special communication, was held to receive Most Worshipful Samuel Crocker Lawrence, Grand Master, and to accompany him in a visit to Dalhousie Lodge where he spoke to both Lodges concerning the importance of commuting the tax imposed by the Grand Lodge.

The next few years saw a rapid decline in the Lodge's finances. By June 13, 1882, the Lodge felt obliged to pass the following motion:

On motion it was voted that the Finance Committee be authorized to employ such person as they may deem competent to collect the Quarterages now due the Lodge and pay for such services a sum not exceeding 5 per cent.

On December 12, 1882, the minutes tells us that:

On motion of Wor. Brother Hackett a committee of Five was appointed to see the individual members of the Lodge to induce them if possible to commute the Grand Lodge Tax by payment of $7.00.

In keeping with the times, as another period of depression had set in, the By-Laws were amended on March 6, 1883, to reduce the fees for degrees to thirty dollars.

Again, on June 5, 1883, the records say:

On motion of Wor. Bro. Hackett it was voted that the first three officers be empowered to employ a collector to collect the Quarterages now due paying for the same such commission as may be necessary.

Apparently the attempts to collect dues owed to the Lodge brought to light some disturbing factors. An indication of what was in the wind was the failure of the Lodge to re-elect the Secretary at the annual meeting in November 1883. From then on matters rapidly grew worse. The minutes of the communication of February 5, 1884, report:

Remarks upon the condition of the finances of the Lodge were next in order. On motion of Bro. Young it was voted that the three officers of the Lodge together with the Treasurer and Secretary be a committee to investigate the affairs of the Lodge and report next meeting also that the Secretary is instructed to write to every member of the Lodge requesting them to pay their indebtedness to the Lodge forthwith.

The minutes of the communication of March 4, 1884, include a dun for rent from the Building Trustees:

A Communication from the Trustees requesting the payment of Five Hundred Dollars now Due for two years and a half rent of Masonic Hall was read.

>

They also report the attempt of the Lodge to do something about living within its income:

On motion of Bro. Preston it was Voted that the Secretary be instructed to write to the Trustees — praying that the Trustees will allow Fraternity Lodge the use of Small Hall for one year from April 1st with the privilege of using all the apartments once in the year for the sum of $50.00. Fifty Dollars and payment of gas bills and also that the Lodge relinquishes all right to the use of the Lodge Hall except as heretofore mentioned in this petition.

The Trustees were willing to help apparently, because subsequent meetings were held in the Small Hall.

However, this action did not satisfy all of the Brethren, for two months later, on May 6, 1884, the records tell us that Brother Frank H. Wheelock preferred charges against the former Secretary as follows:

I, Frank H. Wheelock, do hereby prefer the following charges against Brother (the former Secretary) 1st that the said (Brother) was guilty of Unmasonic Conduct in the following manner — To Wit — At various times during the period extending from October 1880 to October 1883 he the said (Brother) did appropriate to his own use certain fees and money of Fraternity Lodge Newtonville which fees and money were collected by him as Secretary of said Lodge.

The accused Secretary failed to appear to answer these charges nor did he take any other action to refute them. Thereupon, the following year, the Lodge took the charges under consideration. However, the members were reluctant to press charges against their former Secretary and the matter dragged on. Brother Wheelock was disgusted and expressed his feelings by taking a dimit on March 3, 1885.

The regular communication of April 7, 1885, was held and then the Lodge was inoperative until the regular communication of November 3, 1885, which was the official visitation of the District Deputy Grand Master. It was not possible to straighten out the affairs of the Lodge, so the annual election of officers waf omitted, and instead, a committee, which had been appointed to study the situation, recommended it would be expedient to surrender the Charter.

The Lodge was then inactive for several years. The 100th regular communication was held on May 1, 1888, at which it was proposed to take action on surrender of the Charter at the regular communication in June.

On June 5, 1888, the old Lodge met for the last time.

Action was taken against the former Secretary, who apparently had contributed to the Lodge's financial difficulties, by declaring his membership "forfeited for non-payment of dues."

The final action was taken as the minutes read:

Voted— that W. Brother Hackett be a committee of one, to close the affairs of the Lodge and to deliver its charter and other property to the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge.

It was a bitter commission for Wor. Brother Hackett to accept. He had started the new Lodge with such high hopes and now he was to deliver its death blow.

With tears in his eyes, and with a solemn vow never to set foot again in a Blue Lodge unless it be Fraternity, Wor. Brother Hackett surrendered the Charter of Fraternity Lodge to the Grand Lodge on June 13, 1888.

PART TWO - THE PRESENT LODGE

Wor. Brother Horatio Balch Hackett never abandoned his hope that some day Fraternity Lodge would be restored. He worked untiringly to achieve this end. Finally, in 1911, conditions seemed propitious for another Masonic Lodge in Newton. Wor. Brother Hackett interested twelve members of the Old Lodge, five of whom were original Charter members, to join with him in a petition to the Grand Lodge to restore the Charter of Fraternity Lodge. The signers of this petition were:

  • Wor. Horatio B. Hackett
  • R. W. William I. Goodrich
  • Bro. Charles T. Pulsifer
  • Bro. Theodore W. Gore
  • Bro. Lee J. Calley
  • Bro. Henry J. Preston

  • Bro. E. Everett Burdon
  • Bro. Henry W. Kendal
  • R. W. William O. Hunt
  • Bro. Henry C. Daniels
  • Bro. Edwin O. Childs
  • Bro. George H. Benyon
  • Bro. Frank A. Barrows

The petition was approved by the Grand Lodge, and Most Worshipful Dana Judson Flanders, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, accompanied by a distinguished suite, assembled on the third Friday of the month, June 16, 1911, at Newtonville at Fraternity Lodge's 110th meeting and 10th special communication for the purpose of restoring the Charter to Fraternity Lodge. It is interesting to note that regular communications of Fraternity Lodge have been held on the third Friday of the month ever since.

The Grand Master himself "made announcement that 'the conditions having been complied with the Charter is restored,' and directed the Grand Marshal to make proclamation thereof which was done."

The following Brethren were designated as officers of Fraternity Lodge to serve until the annual election in November 1911:

  • Wor. Horatio B. Hackett, Worshipful Master
  • R.W. William I. Goodrich, Senior Warden
  • R. W. William O. Hunt, Junior Warden
  • Bro. Henry W. Kendal, Treasurer
  • Bro. Edwin O. Childs, Secretary

The Most Worshipful Grand Master then installed Worshipful Master Horatio B. Hackett into the office of Worshipful Master. The Senior and Junior Wardens, Treasurer and Secretary were installed by the corresponding Grand Officers.

Thus, under most favorable circumstances, Fraternity Lodge was restored to active, useful Masonic work and has increasingly prospered and brought credit to the craft from that day to the present time.

Some of the events that seem worthy of note in the history of the restored Lodge as recorded in the minutes of our communications are quoted or commented on in the following paragraphs.

The first application for degrees received by the restored Lodge was from Edwin Otis Childs, Jr., born in Newton, Massachusetts, on August 10, 1876, a lawyer, and recommended by his father, then Secretary of Fraternity Lodge.

At the very next meeting, on August 18, 1911, Secretary Childs sponsored for membership a young member of Dalhousie Lodge, who was later to play an important part in the affairs of Fraternity Lodge. He is Dwight Larcom Woodberry, born in Amherst, New Hampshire, on February 1, 1880, a broker, who is the present living Senior Past Master of Fraternity Lodge. He was elected to membership and Edwin Otis Childs, Jr., was initiated an Entered Apprentice on the same date, September 15, 1911. A great personal friendship developed between these two men, which must have been a source of great satisfaction to them as well as to the Lodge who benefitted from their many services. It is worthy of note that Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs presided as Installing Master and Worshipful Dwight L. Woodberry assisted as Installing Marshal at ten ceremonies to install the officers of Fraternity Lodge.

On December 15, 1911, Right Worshipful Edwin Otis Childs, Jr. was made a Master Mason.

At the same meeting, Fraternity Lodge expressed its appreciation to Dalhousie Lodge for the brotherly affection with which that Lodge received the restoration of Fraternity. The following extract is from the minutes of that communication:

The following preamble and vote was unanimously passed,

  • Whereas, not long since we were, Masonically speaking, homeless, destitute and naked — and finding us in this condition our good brethren of Dalhousie Lodge, mindful of the tenets of our order, took us in and sheltered us, clothed us and otherwise did all that was needful, for which we are grateful;
  • Therefore voted, that the Secretary be instructed to convey to our brethren of Dalhousie Lodge the thanks of Fraternity Lodge for the use of their jewels, regalias and aprons until we had our own, and to express to them our deep appreciation of the brotherly love that induced them to give the right hand of fellowship so cordially to Fraternity Lodge as it came back into the Fraternity.

A high point in the first year of the restored Lodge occurred on March 15, 1912, when Most Worshipful Everett Chamberlain Benton, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, paid a fraternal visit for the purpose of presenting the Lodge "a gavel made from Cedar cut in the Forests of Lebanon which he had himself imported from that Country and which during its progress to this Country had never been handled by any other persons than Masons."

Times were good, so the Brethren amended the By-Laws on September 20, 1912, to increase the fees for degrees to fifty-five dollars.

In November of 1912, our Secretary, Brother Edwin O. Childs, fell ill and died on February 20, 1913. During his illness, his son Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs, Jr., took over as Secretary until a dispensation from the Grand Master was received to permit the election of a new Secretary in March of 1913. Fraternity was pleased to accept an invitation from Dalhousie for the full line of Fraternity officers to visit Dalhousie on November 5, 1913, to assist in the work of the evening. This visit was returned by the officers of Dalhousie Lodge on May 21, 1915.

Subsequent minutes report from time to time these happy occasions when the officers of the two Lodges have exchanged visits. Years later, when Norumbega was added to the number of Newton Lodges, this pleasant custom was extended to include that Lodge.

At the annual communication of the Grand Lodge on December 30, 1913, Most Worshipful Melvin Maynard Johnson was pleased to appoint Right Worshipful William O. Hunt as District Deputy Grand Master of the Fifth District. Later when it became customary to recognize the appointment of a District Deputy Grand Master by the presentation of a jewel, Right Worshipful Brother Hunt received such a jewel at our regular communication on January 21, 1921.

The Lodge was saddened by the death of our first Worshipful Master, Worshipful Horatio Balch Hackett, on October 26, 1914. In the spring of 1916, in memory of her husband, Mrs. Hackett presented Fraternity Lodge with ten shares of Newton Masonic Hall Association stock which had belonged to her husband.

An unusual meeting was the visit of the full line of officers of Germania Lodge on April 21, 1916, when they occupied the chairs and performed the work of raising Brothers Herman O. Robb and Hubert A. Rathgeber in German.

On April 27, 1917, the Worshipful Master, with other officers and members of Dalhousie Lodge, paid a fraternal visit to Fraternity Lodge for the purpose of presenting the Lodge with a beautiful American Flag.

June 15, 1917, is the first occasion in the records of Fraternity Lodge where mention is made of a Past Masters' Night. On the invitation of the presiding Master, Worshipful Dwight L. Woodberry, the Past Masters of Fraternity Lodge raised Brother Warren Ellsworth Corkum to the sublime degree of Master Mason.

In recognition of the service to their country by members of Fraternity Lodge during the first World War, Worshipful William S. Osborne recommended on December 21, 1917, presenting each such Brother with a gold square and compass pin with a gold bar inscribed with the name of the Brother and Fraternity Lodge. The Lodge accepted this thoughtful recommendation and the pins were procured.

On the same occasion, Worshipful Dwight L. Woodberry suggested that the Lodge procure a Service Flag. The suggestion was adopted and the Service Flag was unveiled in the Lodge on February 15, 1918, with appropriate remarks by our Junior Warden, his Honor, the Mayor of Newton, Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs. The stars represented the following members of our Lodge who "performed active service in the Great War, 1914-1919":

  • Frank Oliver Avantaggio
  • Lee Wesley Johnson
  • Lawrence H. Bankart
  • Warren Beebe
  • George H. Benyon
  • Daniel B. Burnett
  • Sheridan R. Cate
  • George H. Daniels
  • Curtis Delano
  • Waldo A. Enholm
  • John Oliver Graves
  • Albert Leslie Gray, Jr.
  • Paul Hatch
  • John H. Heald
  • Stafford B. Hobbs
  • Clarence L. Howard
  • Aldridge E. Hunt
  • Frank A. Mack
  • Augustus P. Osterlund
  • Fred C. Perkins
  • Edward Francis Quinlan
  • Harold Woodbury Shedd
  • Lee L. Smalley
  • Andrew J. Somes
  • Edward M. Stannard
  • Robert E. Stone
  • Eustace P. Strout
  • Edward G. Taylor
  • Frederick C. Toole
  • Albert H. Waitt
  • George W. Wylie
  • Charles N. Young
  • Gerald F. Zedren

Later a permanent Roll of Honor bearing these names was placed in the Masonic Apartments.

That the Lodge was interested in the well-being of its members in the service was further evidenced by the recommendation of our Treasurer, Brother Joseph E. Masters, that the Worshipful Master appoint Brethren from time to time to write those who have entered the service. A quarter of a century later, Worshipful Brothers Newton C. Burnett, Robert T. Westermark and Sidney A. Williamson carried on this practice by writing newsy letters to the Brethren who were in the service during World War II. Because of the danger to the Brethren by being identified as Masons, which would have incurred the special hatred of the Nazis, this time, the Lodge did not present identification pins, but instead, sent other suitable gifts to cheer our boys at Christmas time.

Very appropriately, on Patriots Day, April 19, 1918, the Lodge was honored by a fraternal visit by about fifty members of the Newton Constabulary and members of the State Guard, who worked the Master Mason degree on a class of five candidates.

On April 16, 1920, the Lodge voted to raise the annual dues from seven dollars to the present dues of eight dollars to become effective in November, 1920. On the same evening, Fraternity was happy to give approval to the petition to establish a new Lodge in Newton, to be called "Norumbega Lodge."

To coincide with the general sharp advance in prices, Fraternity Lodge voted to increase the fees for degrees to the present fees of seventy-five dollars to become effective September 18, 1920.

In the early days of the Lodge, the minutes tell us that it was customary to examine the candidates on the perfection of their knowledge of the lecture of the preceding degree in open lodge before they were permitted to advance to the next degree. This, no doubt, was instrumental in developing that excellence of ritual for which our officers have been well-known. In recent years, due in part to the large number of candidates for degrees, this practice has seldom been invoked.

The first mention of a Senior Wardens' Night, when the Senior Wardens of the District were guests of the Lodge and assisted in the work, occurs in the minutes of the communication of February 25, 1921, when Worshipful Harry E. Bryant was Master.

The Grand Lodge returns for 1921 report that ninety-one Brethren were initiated into the sacred rites during Worshipful Brother Bryant's administration, which is the highest number of initiates ever received by a Master of Fraternity Lodge.

Fraternity Lodge's entire line of officers visited Norumbega Lodge on January 9, 1922, to assist in the work. This visit was returned on January 18, 1923, when Worshipful Master Gerald Zedren of Norumbega Lodge, accompanied by his officers, was entertained by Fraternity Lodge.

Although Fraternity Lodge missed the grand occasion of the dedication of the present Masonic apartments, corner of Newtonville Avenue and Walnut Street, Newtonville, on October 6, 1897, because the Lodge was inoperative at that time, Fraternity took part in defraying the expenses of this project, as evidenced by the minutes of the Communication of January 20, 1922, which report that the Lodge voted to buy $3,000 worth of second mortgage bonds of the Newton Masonic Hall Association. Later, these bonds were written off as a gift to the Association, as voted at the meeting of April 18, 1924.

Under the direction of Fraternity Lodge, the Masonic Service Association held, on October 20, 1922, a joint meeting of the three Newton Lodges, at which Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs made "an eloquent, forceful, instructive and delightful address to the brethren." "There were 220 Masons present, representing 28 Lodges."

A thrilling evening was the communication of February 16, 1922, when Brother Sinclair Weeks, later United States Senator from Massachusetts, was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason by a Degree Team of members of the famed Yankee Division, with Brother General Clarence R. Edwards making a presentation of a pin on behalf of former members of Brother Weeks' Battery.

Worshipful Charles S. Ensign, Jr. invited the Past Masters' Association of the Fifth District to visit the Lodge and assist in the work on December 21, 1923. Fraternity Lodge has always taken an active part in sponsoring the Order of DeMolay and made substantial contributions to assist in the forming of a Newton Chapter in the spring of 1924. At that time, Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs was
appointed to represent Fraternity Lodge in all matters pertain
ing to the Order of DeMolay, which appointment he faithfully 
discharged until his death in May, 1950.

The Brethren witnessed the unusual occasion of the complete corps of officers of both Dalhousie and Norumbega visiting Fraternity on May 22, 1925, to assist in the work of the Master Mason Degree.

The year 1925 was the Fiftieth Anniversary of Fraternity Lodge. Unfortunately, the Lodge had been unable to celebrate its Twenty-fifth Anniversary because it was inoperative in 1900. Therefore, to arrange a fitting celebration of this anniversary, Worshipful Frederic W. Woolway designated Friday, October 2, 1925, and Sunday, October 4, 1925, as the dates on which special
exercises would be held to honor the occasion and appointed the
following Committees to make the appropriate arrangements:

  • Honorary Chairman, R. W. William O. Hunt
  • Chairman, Wor. Charles S. Ensign, Jr.
  • Secretary, Wor. Harry E. Brvant
  • Treasurer, Bro. Joseph E. Masters
  • Dinner Committee
    • Wor. William S. Osborne, Chm.
    • Wor. George Kellar
  • Entertainment Committee
    • Dwight L. Woodberrv, Chm.
    • Edward M. Hall

  • Ticket Committee
    • Wor. Frederic S. Pry, Chm.
    • Harry E. Bryant

  • Memorial and Program Committee
    • Wor. Harry E. Bryant, Chm.
    • R. W. William O. Hunt
    • R. W. Edwin O. Childs
  • Sunday Service Committee
    • R. W. Edwin O. Childs, Chm.
    • Wor. Frederic W. Woolway

  • Finance Committee
    • Wor. Charles S. Ensign, Jr., Chm.
    • Wor. Frederic W. Woolway
    • Bro. Joseph E. Masters

On Friday evening, October 2, 1925, the members of Fraternity Lodge assembled at the Masonic Temple, Newtonville, for dinner, followed by entertainment and appropriate exercises to celebrate their Fiftieth Anniversary. This was not a communication of the Grand Lodge or of Fraternity Lodge, though the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Dudley Hays Ferrell, was in attendance. Worshipful Harry E. Bryant, then Secretary of the Lodge, gave an interesting resume of the events of the preceding fifty years, but unfortunately, it was a verbal presentation and was not recorded for posterity. However, the present writer is indebted to Worshipful Brother Bryant for his reminiscences of this occasion. Following these exercises, the Lodge had a special program on Sunday evening, October 4, 1925, at Trinity Church, Newton Centre, when Reverend Brother Edward T. Sullivan conducted the service.

Fraternity Lodge was honored by a visit at the communication of April 9, 1926, from Most Worshipful Frank Leslie Simpson, who addressed the Brethren "on matters of vital interest to Masonry." This meeting was attended by the officers of Dalhousie and Norumbega Lodges, as well as the other Lodges of the Fifth District.

Fraternity Lodge has taken a great interest in the Masonic Home at Charlton, Massachusetts. We have sponsored two guests at the Home — one, a Brother, and the other, the widow of a Brother. Our officers have visited the Home on several occasions to work the degrees for the pleasure of the Brethren residing there. The first occasion was a Fellowcraft Degree on May 15, 1926. The next occasion was a Master Mason Degree on June 25, 1927. Since that time, Fraternity Lodge has been active in sponsoring various gifts to the Home, including the fine organ presented in the fall of 1935.

In October, 1926, the fiscal year of Fraternity Lodge was changed to coincide with the fiscal year of the Grand Lodge — to run from September 1st of one year through August 31st of the following year.

In December, 1926, Most Worshipful Frank Leslie Simpson, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, divided the old Fifth District into the Waltham Fifth and Brighton Fifth Districts, Fraternity Lodge being placed in the Waltham Fifth.

At the meeting of January 21, 1927, the minutes record for the first time the announcement of a Ladies' Night to be held on February 10, 1927. This was during the administration of Worshipful Harris F. Austen.

On May 17, 1929, at the 500th meeting and 278th regular communication of Fraternity Lodge, Brother Harry Winston Mercer was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason by the members of the Advisory Council of DeMolay, assisted by a Fellowcraft Team composed of former DeMolay members.

A feature of the work of the evening of September 20, 1929, was the initiation of Brother Richard Field Hunt by his grandfather, Right Worshipful William O. Hunt. On December 30, 1929, Right Worshipful Brother Hunt raised this grandson to the sublime degree of Master Mason, assisted by his three sons, all of whom he had previously raised.

On November 15, 1929, Right Worshipful Brother Hunt was presented a Veteran's Medal by direction of Most Worshipful Herbert Warren Dean, in recognition of his fifty years of service to the craft as a Master Mason.

Past Grand Master, Most Worshipful Dudley H. Ferrell, assisted by Right Worshipful Frank H. Hilton as Marshal, installed Brother Philip L. Brown as Worshipful Master of Fraternity Lodge at the annual communication on November 20, 1931.

Dalhousie and Norumbega Lodges joined with Fraternity Lodge at Fraternity's communication of March 25, 1932, to commemorate the Bi-Centennial of the birth of Worshipful George Washington. An inspiring address on "Washington, the Mason and Citizen, and Washington's Message for Today" was delivered by our orator of unusual ability, Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs.

A tragic event in the history of our Lodge was the death while in office of our presiding Master, Worshipful Roscoe Charles Mooday, on January 14, 1933. Funeral services for our Worshipful Master were conducted at the 545th meeting and the 232nd special communication of the Lodge on January 17, 1933, and the customary Masonic Burial Rites were performed at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Newton Centre. The Most Worshipful Grand Master issued a dispensation for the election of a new Master and Worshipful Charles E. Roach had the distinction of being elected to serve the Lodge as its Master for the second time, he having already served a term as Master during 1929-1930.

During the 1930s the Lodge was fortunate in developing a Lodge Chorus under the direction of Worshipful Frank W. Meakin, who later, in 1945-1946, was Worshipful Master. During this period, the minutes frequently mention with appreciation the appropriate and inspiring music furnished by the Chorus at our meetings.

The Lodge witnessed the unusual ceremony of having its Worshipful Master, Brother Buford W. Oakes, installed into that office by his father, Worshipful Afa Oakes, Past Master of Mystic Lodge No. 56, Stowe, Vermont, at the installation ceremonies on November 15, 1935.

In the early 1920s when unemployment was a problem, and later, in the 1930s when the country underwent a most severe financial depression, Fraternity Lodge appointed a committee of unemployment which did fine work in finding jobs for our Brethren who needed help. Particular recognition should be given to Worshipful Clarence V. Moore who gave so much of his time to sponsoring this work during the 1930s.

It was Worshipful Brother Moore, who as Chairman of the Service Committee, headed the work to bring relief to the sufferers of the terrible flood in the Merrimack and Connecticut Valley areas in April of 1936. Within a matter of a few days, five truck loads of clothing and provisions had been collected in Newton and sent to the stricken cities of Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill and Hadley, Massachusetts — a practical demonstration of brotherly love not confined to the Masonic Fraternity.

On January 15, 1937, Worshipful Dana S. Sylvester, Past Master of Beth-horon Lodge, raised his son, Brother Harlow Scott Sylvester, to the sublime degree of Master Mason.

One of the most colorful meetings of Fraternity Lodge was the special communication on March 31, 1939, held for the purpose of honoring Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs by presenting him with an appropriate jewel in recognition of his appointment as Deputy Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts by Most Worshipful Joseph Earl Perry. This "happy and memorable occasion" was attended by the Most Worshipful Grand Master, accompanied by a distinguished suite of Grand Lodge Officers.

Another notable occasion, remembered by the Brethren, was the installation of Worshipful Endicott P. Saltonstall, cousin of Right Worshipful Leverett Saltonstall, on November 17, 1939, by Right Worshipful Horace T. Cahill, then Lieutenant-Governor of Massachusetts, assisted by Most Worshipful Samuel Holmes Wragg, High Sheriff of Norfolk County. His Excellency, Right Worshipful Leverett Saltonstall, then Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and now United States Senator from Massachusetts, who was raised in Fraternity Lodge on May 11, 1923, attended the ceremonies and addressed the Brethren.

To observe Patriots' Day on April 19, 1940, Simon W. Robinson Lodge in Lexington invited the complete line of officers of Fraternity Lodge to pay a fraternal visit and assist in the work of the evening. The following year, on April 18, 1941, the officers of Simon W. Robinson Lodge paid a return visit to Fraternity Lodge.

On October 17, 1941, Worshipful Henry W. Hardy initiated the custom of honoring our members who had completed twenty-five years or more of membership in Fraternity Lodge at a dinner and called it "Old-Timers Night." Each member so honored was presented a certificate signed by the Master, Wardens and Secretary, expressing to the member the Lodge's appreciation of his loyalty through the years and conveying to him the affectionate regard of the Lodge. It was a touching scene thus to honor our oldest members. Each, who wished to do so, spoke briefly to the members. The high light was the attendance and speech made by our then oldest living Past Master, Right Worshipful William O. Hunt, who made a very special effort to be present at this important event at the age of eighty-seven years. He was the only living member of the Old Lodge, having been raised at Fraternity's twenty-fifth regular communication on January 8, 1878.

At the installation ceremonies on November 21, 1941, our former Chaplain, Reverend Brother Hugh Heath, installed his son, Reverend Brother Otis Robert Heath, as Chaplain.

The first public installation ever held in Fraternity Lodge was the installation of Worshipful Robert Theodore Wester-mark as Master by Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs, assisted by Worshipful Dwight L. Woodberry, on November 19, 1943. On that date also, Worshipful Newton C. Burnett, retiring Master, presented the Lodge with a new set of jewels to be worn by the Master and Wardens when attending Grand Lodge functions. Subsequently, on May 19, 1944, the original jewels of the Old Lodge were framed and put on permanent display in the Masonic apartments.

On June 16, 1944, a Service Flag in honor of our members who were in the armed forces of our country during World War II was dedicated "with simple, but impressive and fitting ceremonies." The names of the Brothers represented by these stars are as follows:

  • Ovid F. Avantaogio
  • Basil P. Babcock
  • Kenneth Bourne
  • Herbert P. Boyle
  • Russell Sheldon Broad
  • Winslow S. Cobb, Jr.
  • George W. Corkum
  • Donald E. Craig
  • Herbert M. Dunn
  • William J. Ford
  • Clayton H. Foster
  • Irving C. Hall
  • Philip Butler Hamilton
  • Henry W. Hardy
  • Herman R. Hoffman
  • Hubert E. Jenkins
  • Herman M. Kehoe
  • Russell J. MacDonald
  • Karl S. MacLean
  • Richard E. Nolan
  • William H. Pescosolido
  • John S. Proctor
  • Albert B. Quist
  • Albert B. Radway
  • Jesse A. Rogers
  • Thor A. Rylander
  • Ernest C. Smith
  • Everett A. Snow
  • James M. Strang
  • Peter M. Strang
  • Leon G. Trowbridge
  • Richard F. Walter
  • Robert S. Williamson

At our 675th meeting and the 245th special communication on October 6, 1944, Brother Robert Samuel Williamson was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason by our then Senior Warden, Brother Sidney R. Williamson, his father. The Lodge shared in the grief of the father a half year later, on May 18, 1945, when memorial services were held for Brother Robert Samuel Williamson, who had been killed in action over Swatow, South China, on March 20, 1945, and whose star is the only gold star on our Service Flag of World War II.

At the annual communication of the Grand Lodge on December 27, 1945, Most Worshipful Samuel Holmes Wragg honored Fraternity Lodge and one of our distinguished Past Masters, Right Worshipful Harold W. Knowlton, by his appointment as District Deputy Grand Master of the Waltham Fifth District. At Fraternity's regular communication on January 18, 1946, Right Worshipful Harold W. Knowlton paid his first fraternal visit to the Lodge and was presented with a District Deputy Grand Master's jewel.

The Worshipful Master, Brother Cecil R. Crissey, in anticipation of Fraternity Lodge's Seventy-fifth Anniversary, appointed Worshipful Robert T. Westermark as Lodge Historian on February 21, 1947.

On April 22, 1947, the 708th meeting and 251st special communication was held to solemnize the funeral of Right Worshipful William O. Hunt, who died on April 19, 1947.

Another father raised his son in Fraternity Lodge — on October 17, 1947, Right Worshipful Harold W. Knowlton, assisted by Grand Lodge officers, raised his son, Brother William Paine Knowlton, to the sublime degree of Master Mason.

The Worshipful Master at the regular communication of November 21, 1947, announced the death on the preceding day of our Secretary, Worshipful Harry E. Bryant, who had served the Lodge in that capacity for twenty-six years. As a result, the election of a new Secretary was delayed until January 16, 1948. Right Worshipful Brother Knowlton served as Secretary meanwhile. On that date, our present Secretary, Worshipful Cecil R. Crissey, was elected to that office.

In preparation for our Seventy-fifth Anniversary to be celebrated on November 3, 1950, the Worshipful Master, Brother Raymond E. Gorman, appointed a general anniversary committee on April 21, 1950, comprising:

  • R. W. Harold W. Knowlton, Chairman
  • Wor. Raymond E. Gorman, Worshipful Master
  • Wor. Dwight L. Woodberry, Senior Past Master
  • Wor. Cecil R. Crissey, Secretary
  • Wor. Robert T. Westermark, Historian

The Lodge was shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs on May 17, 1950. A Memorial Service was held in his memory at our 758th meeting and 488th regular communication on May 19, 1950. As a testimony of the calibre of the men who have been and are our members, Grand Masters have recognized some of them from time to time for special Masonic honors. We have had one Deputy Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts — Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs; three District Deputy Grand Masters — Right Worshipful Brothers William I. Goodrich, William O. Hunt and Harold W. Knowlton; as well as others appointed to Grand Lodge honors — such as our first Worshipful Master, Brother Horatio B. Hackett, who was Grand Pursuivant, and our present Secretary, Worshipful Cecil R. Crissey, who is the present Senior Grand Deacon. Further, one of our Past Masters, Worshipful Donald A. Drury, our present Treasurer, served the 34th Lodge of Instruction as its Worshipful Master during 1946-1947.

Many of our members have served Fraternity Lodge in many different capacities over the years. It is impossible to mention all of them, but we wish to mention two who have given outstanding service to Fraternity Lodge.

Right Worshipful Edwin O. Childs was the first candidate of the restored Lodge on September 15, 1911, and has served the Lodge continuously in one capacity or another from that date until his death on May 17, 1950. He was installed Worshipful Master of Fraternity Lodge on November 21, 1919. He was a most distinguished Mason and citizen of our community. He served the City of Newton as its Mayor for twenty years. He was a Director of the Young Men's Christian Association and started the Boy's Division at Newton. He was Chairman of the Advisory Board of Newton Chapter of DeMoiay. His great contribution to Masonry was recognized by the award of the Henry Price Medal in 1937, by appointment as Deputy Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts for the year 1939, and by election as an Honorary Member 33rd Degree, A.A.S.R., on September 27, 1939.

Worshipful Dwight L. Woodberry, our Senior Past Master, became a member on September 15, 1911, and our Worshipful Master on November 17, 1916. He served the Lodge for sixteen years in various official capacities. Besides, he is always serving the Lodge in many different ways, such as assisting in instruction of officers, qualifying newly-elected Masters, and as Installing Marshal at installations.

Also, it is only fitting that we should give recognition to the following Brethren who have served Fraternity Lodge in the same capacity for ten years or more:

  • Bro. Joseph E. Masters, Treasurer for 17 years, 1913-1930
  • Wor. Harry E. Bryant, Secretary for 26 years, 1921-1947
  • Rev. Harry Lutz, Chaplain for 10 years, 1911-1921
  • Wor. R. Franz Reissmann, Organist for 31 years, 1918-1921, 1922-present date
  • Bro. Burton W. Moore, Electrician for 35 years, 1915- present date. (He is the only Electrician the current Lodge has ever had.)
  • Wor. Harry W. Twigg, Tyler for 26 years, 1924-present date
  • Wor. Clarence V. Moore, Proxy to Grand Lodge for 18 years, 1932-present date
  • Bro. Michael Chirurg, Representative, Board of Masonic Relief for 20 years, 1930-1950
  • Wor. George Kellar, Trustee of Charity Funds for 12 years, 1923-1935
  • Bro. Charles K. Badger, Trustee of Charity Funds for 10 years, 1923-1933
  • Wor. Charles E. Roach, Trustee of Charity Funds for 17 years, 1933-present date
  • Wor. Norman E. Ferguson, Representative, Masonic Building Associates for 14 years, 1936-present date. (He has served as Clerk of the Associates during that time.)

Thus, during our seventy-five years, up to the close of our fiscal year on August 31, 1950, Fraternity Lodge has held 762 meetings for Masonic purposes, 489 regular communications and 273 special communications; forty-two Brethren have presided as Worshipful Master; 858 Brethren have been initiated into the Sacred Art; 498 are at present members.

As we face the future, we are grateful to all the Brethren during our history who have held high the torch of Masonry, not only to the great citizens who have left their mark on the history of our country as well as the Lodge, but also to our most humble Brother who has practiced the tenets of our profession in his daily living and in his small circle of influence. For in Fraternity Lodge, so appropriately named, the true spirit of fraternity has always been practiced — the Mayor of Newton, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a United States Senator, a college president and a host of other distinguished citizens have met upon the level with the humblest citizen, recognizing each other only for the goodness of character required of every man before he may be made a Mason.

"May the blessing of Heaven rest upon us and all regular masons; may brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue cement us."

OTHER

  • 1887 (Grand Lodge committee investigation, 1887-166)
  • 1888 (Committee report, 1888-25; Surrender of charter, 1888-74)

EVENTS

INSTITUTION OF LODGE, JUNE 1911

From New England Craftsman, Vol. VI, No. 11, August 1911, Page 370:

A Special Communication of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was held in Newtonville, Mass., November 14, 1876 for the purpose of instituting Fraternity lodge and installing its officers. Most Wor. Percival L. Everett was Grand Master at that time, Charles A. Welch, Deputy Grand Master; William D. Coolidge, acting Senior Grand Warden; Lucius W. Lovell, acting Junior Grand Warden ; John McLellan, Grand Treasurer: and Thomas W. Davis, acting Recording Grand Secretary.

The charter of the lodge, which was signed by 51 brethren, was read by the acting Grand Secretary. The several officers of the lodge were installed by the Grand Master and his officers. The lodge passed through an experience of nearly eleven years and then surrendered its charier to the Grand Lodge.

Since then conditions have changed and a number of the original brethren have petitioned the Grand Lodge for the return of the charter, which on the evening of June 16, was restored to them by the hands of Grand Master Dana J. Flanders.

What makes the revival of importance the minds of those directly concerned is that the present Master, Horatio B. Hackett, is the one who filled the chair at the first birth — a span of thirty-six years; the Senior Warden now was the third presiding officer; the present Junior Warden sat in the west win i the lodge went out of existence and the Treasurer of today was then in the south.

Of the Grand Lodge officers whose names are mentioned above as taking part in the first installation of Fraternity Lodge all but Rt. Wor. Thomas W. Davis have passed from earth life to the home beyond and it is an interesting fact that it was his duty to discharge at this time the same duty that he performed on the first occasion.

After the Grand Master announced the object of the session Grand Secretary Davis read the charter, which has been held by the Grand Lodge nearly a quarter of a century and was signed by Grand Master Everett.

"The conditions having been complied with the charter is restored," said Grand Master Flanders, and the grand marshal made tin proclamation.

Five of the eight applicants who signed tli petition for restoration were designated as officers. They are: Horatio B. Hackett, Worshipful Master; William I. Goodrich, Senior Warden; William O. Hunt, Junior Warden; Henry W. Kendal, Treasurer, and Edwin O. Childs, Secretary. The others are: A. C. Daniels, Charles T. Pulsifer and Theodore W. Gore. A number of applicants are in waiting.

The appointive officers so far selected are Rev. John Matheson, Chaplain: George H. Benyon, Marshal; George H. Brown, organist: and E. E. Williams, Tyler.

Grand Master Flanders installed Worshipful Master Hackett and said that he was happy to place in his hands the old charter. The Senior and Junior Wardens, the Treasurer and Secretary were installed by the corresponding grand officers, while the acting Deputy Grand Master inducted those who had been appointed.

In his address the Grand Master congratulated the lodge that there were enough of the old members living to ask for a revival of the charter. He remarked that there were sixty thousand Freemasons in the State, a gain of one hundred per cent in twenty years, while the increase in lodges during that time was twelve, he believed in more and smaller lodges, which he thought best for the Craft.

50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, OCTOBER 1925

From New England Craftsman, Vol. XX, No. 12, October 1925, Page 464:

Fraternity Lodge of Masons of Newton observed the 50th anniversary of its organization with special exercises recently. One night was designated "Old Home Night," and the program included a supper and entertainment for members of the lodge. Sunday evening, October 11 at 7:15 o'clock there was a special program in Trinity Church, Newton Centre, with an address by the Rev. Edward T. Sullivan. The committee in charge was William O. Hunt, Charles S. Ensign, Jr., and Harry E. Bryant.


GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

OTHER BROTHERS


DISTRICTS

1875: District 4 (Cambridge)

1883: District 5 (Newton)

1911: District 5 (Waltham)

1927: District 5 (Waltham)


LINKS

Massachusetts Lodges


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