Mariners

MARINERS' LODGE

Location: Cotuit

Chartered By: William Sewall Gardner

Charter Date: 12/13/1871 1871-262

Precedence Date: 03/10/1870

Current Status: Active

PAST MASTERS

George J. Miller, 1870, 1872
John B. Baxter, 1873
Thomas Chatfield, 1874, 1891, 1892
William Childs, 1875, 1878-1879, 1884
John M. Handy, 1876, 1877, 1886
Joseph B. Folger, 1880-1881,1885, 1889-1890, 1894, 1898, 1917
Alexander Nickerson, 1882-1883, 1887-1888
Gustavus Nickerson, 1893, 1895
Benjamin F. Crosby, 1896-1897
Harry J. Gifford, 1889, 1900
J. Hayden Higgins, 1901, 1902; SN
Zeno S. Parker, 1903, 1904
William T. Makepeace, 1905, 1906
A. Ernest Nickerson, 1907, 1908
Lorenzo T. Gifford, 1909, 1910
Ezra J. Gifford, 1911, 1912, 1915
John J. Maloney, 1913
Archie D. Handy, 1914
Ernest O. Dottridge, 1916
Bertram F. Ryder, 1918, 1919; N
Peter Campbell, 1920, 1921
Edward E. Landers, 1922, 1923
Milton H. Crocker, 1924, 1925
Herbert L. Snow, 1926, 1927
Freeman N. Nickerson, 1928
William H. Robbins, 1929, 1930
E. Ormand Dottridge, 1931, 1932
Alexander N. Bremmer, 1933, 1934
Ralph W. Vroom, 1935, 1936, 1948
Artemus G. Griffin, 1937
I. Louis Campbell, 1938, 1939
Bertril Lagergren, 1940
Donald E. Higgins, 1941, 1942
Delton C. Hall, 1943, 1947
Warren P. Clark, 1944
Lloyd R. Hadley, 1945
Henry C. Churbuck, 1946
Willard H. Phillips, 1949, 1950; N
Bradford L. Tallman, 1951, 1952
Robert G. Bennett, 1953, 1954
Robert F. Hayden, 1955
Waldo A. Howe, 1956, 1957; N
Warren E. Hansen, 1958
Elmer S. Whiteley, 1959, 1960
Lee H. Burlingame, 1961, 1976; N
Ralph L. Davis, 1962
Phillip G. Brackett, 1963
Stanley F. Alger, 1964
Robert F. Harmon, 1965
Earle C. Williams, 1966, 1967
Nelson B. Nickerson, 1968
David A. Nailor, 1969, 2005, 2006; PDDGM
Chester L. Vogler, 1970
William A. Harmon, 1971, 1975
Marcel L. Perry, 1972, 1985
Walter S. Creswell, 1973
Roger B. Reid, 1974
Edward L. Jenkins, 1977, 1978 PDDGM
Paul H. Wiggins, 1979
Merle A. Davis, 1980, 1981
Kendall G. Jones, 1982 N
Thomas W. Hadley, 1983, 1984, 2004 PDDGM
Harry Erdman, 1986
Lewis D. Brock, 1987
Bradford Lanoue, 1988
Robert W. Bilodeau, 1989
Jack Shohayda, 1990
Robert F. Erickson, 1991
David B. Reid, 1992, 1999
Stephen A. MacNally, 1993
Michael J. McLaughlin, 1994
Ronald L. Jones, 1995
John S. Dingess, 1996
Dwight C. Bowman, 1997
Barry M. Martin, 1998
Herbert B. Jackson, 2000, 2001, 2007
Robert J. O'Reilly, 2002
William G. Fitzgerald, 2003
James H. Birch, 2008
Christopher A. Jones, 2009
Eric C. Nailor, 2010
William M. Wahtola, 2011
William W. Greer, 2012

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

Petition for Dispensation: 1870
Petition for Charter: 1871

ANNIVERSARIES

1945 (75th Anniversary)
1997 (125th Anniversary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

1932 (Chipman)
1934 (Chipman; 2 visits, including dedication of Masonic Hall; Special Communication)
1936 (Allen)
1938 (Perry)
1945 (Wragg; 75th Anniversary; Special Communication)
1995 (Lovering; installation)
1997 (A. Johnson; 125th Anniversary; Special Communication)
2006 (Hodgdon; presentation; Special Communication)
2010 (Pageau)

BY-LAW CHANGES

1877 1904 1907 1922 1923 1929 1934 1946 1949 1951 1954 1967 1971 1978 1980 1988 1996 2012

HISTORY

1945 (75th Anniversary History, 1945-289)
1997 (125th Anniversary History, 1997-75)

OTHER

1872 (Constitution of Lodge by DDGM, 1872-118)
1924 (Petition for jurisdiction, 1924-649; participation in Hyannis cornerstone, 1924-372)
1933 (Petition for jurisdiction, 1933-33)
1945 (Petition for jurisdiction, 1945-480; see below)

75TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, SEPTEMBER 1945

From Proceedings, Page 1945-480:

By Brother William E. Adams.

Seventy-five years ago Mariners' Lodge came into existence at a meeting called to order by Brother George J. Miller, by authority of a dispensation granted by the Most Worshipful William Sewall Gardner, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts.

The first meeting was held in the attic room of Freedom Hall on March 16, 1870, with the following petitioners present:

George J. Miller, Worshipful Master
John B. Baxter, Senior Warden
John B. Lovell, Junior Warden
Asa F. Bearse, Senior Deacon
Simeon L. Ames, Junior Deacon
Frank Cammett, Senior Steward
Bennett Dottridge, Junior Steward
John M. Handy
Sylvanus Porter
Alonzo L. Phinney
Thomas Chatfield
Stephen B. Tallman, not present, was elected Tyler

The second Wednesday in the month was fixed as the date for the regular communication, but this date was changed on October 12, 1870, to the first Wednesday, on which day it has been held ever since.

At the communication held on December 6, 1871, the first mention occurs of a possible granting of a charter, and on December 13th, the following twenty-three members signed the application to the Grand Lodge:

George J. Miller
John B. Baxter
John B. Lovell
Thomas Chatfield
John M. Handy
Sylvanus Porter
Alonzo L. Phinney
Asa F. Bearse
Bennett W. Dottridge
Jehiel P. Hodges
Frank Cammett
Stephen B. Tallman
Joseph S. Hallett
John Coleman
George H. Fuller
Zenas Crocker, Jr.
V. M. Hutchins
John W. Linnell
H. S. Lovell
C. A. Lovell
Freeman Lovell
Jarvis R. Fisher
J. T. Coolidge, Jr.

At least half the present members can trace their ancestry to these charter members.

At a special communication held on December 15, 1871, Brother J. B. Baxter announced that the Charter had been granted.

On December 26, 1871, Mariners' Lodge was constituted a regular Masonic Lodge by R. W. District Deputy Grand Master Joseph K. Baker and the officers of the Grand Lodge, and the lodge-rooms were dedicated. In connection with the ceremony, the officers of the Lodge were installed by the District Deputy Grand Master at a service in Union Church and an address was delivered by R. W. Charles W. Stephens of St. John's Lodge of Boston. After the evening ceremony, the Brethren and their ladies repaired to Freedom Hall, and to quote the old records, "partook of a very nice collation, after which they retired to their homes seemingly satisfied and happy."

The seal of Mariners' Lodge was designed by Brother W. B. Miller in 1872.

As the name implies, practically all the early members of Mariners' Lodge were seafaring men, and as they were away from home for long periods of time, many of the early communications were held with substitutes in all the chairs.

The first election of officers under the Charter was held on January 1, 1873, and Brother J. B. Baxter was elected Worshipful Master. A special communication on January 29, 1874, marked the first Masonic funeral of the Lodge, upon the death of Brother Hansard Hallett.

Though most of the records of meetings throughout the years constitute a bare statement of the usual Lodge activities, occasional interesting and often humorous touches crept in.

An early public installation was followed by an entertainment at which the ladies were present. The Secretary recorded that "tho all present were not Master Masons, yet they were in fellowship with and often warmly embraced by the Fraternity."

An interesting proof that the Brothers in the good old horse-and-buggy days could move fast if necessary was furnished at a special communication held on June 28, 1870. On this date Candidate William S. Childs was reported favorably by the committee, balloted upon and found clear, and received all three degrees in what must have been a rather full evening. The reason given for Brother Child's rapid elevation to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason was that he was about to embark on a three years' sea voyage.

In the early days the care of the lodge-rooms was auctioned off to the lowest bidder. The price sometimes ran as low as 515.00 per year.

At one meeting, a vote to purchase a new mat for the floor was amended by one practical and cautious Brother to include six new cuspidors.

Smoking was permitted during meetings as late as 1928, when the practice was abolished by vote of the Lodge.

The Lodge continued to meet in its birthplace, the attic room over Freedom Hall, for the first fifty years of its existence before increasing membership brought on discussion concerning a new hall. Various properties in the vicinity were proposed as building sites. It is recorded that one generous Brother offered x build a Temple without expense to the Lodge if it would change its name to his. This offer was unanimously rejected.

The old Congregational Church next door, known as the ""White Church" was proposed as a Lodge-hall about 1924 and negotiations for the property were finally concluded in 1929. For the next five years many members of the Lodge worked all their spare time in the reconstruction of the building. The new hall was dedicated on November 23, 1934, by the Grand Master and Suite at a special communication.

The first regular communication in the new hall was held on December 5, 1934. A mortgage of $3000 assumed by the Lodge has been reduced to $1000 by the efforts of the members.

The membership is now 108 and has held up remarkably well throughout the years, in spite of the small area under the jurisdiction of the Lodge. This area has never been actually defined, but appears to include only a few thousand feet from the lodge-hall in all directions. As half of this area is in the Atlantic Ocean, it has been suggested that Mariners' Lodge will be forced to obtain their candidates by shanghaing them from passing vessels.

Although we have had the usual cases of minor disagreements incident to all large families of our advanced years, peace and harmony have always prevailed in the end, and Mariners' Lodge is now sailing foursquare to the wind, with her bow firmly pointed toward a bright and prosperous future.