Difference between revisions of "MassachusettsDistricts"

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MASSACHUSETTS MASONIC DISTRICTS

The first division of the Massachusetts jurisdiction into Masonic Districts occurred at the December 1801 Annual Communication, when a committee assigned to revise the Grand Constitutions proposed a system and the creation of a new officer, the District Deputy Grand Master.

It is unclear whether District Deputies were appointed in 1802, but they were in place by 1803, as there are notes in the Proceedings indicating that certain District Deputies were acting under instruction of the Grand Master to dedicate halls and constitute lodges.

The form of districts and the duties of District Deputies were formally established in the 9th Section of the 1811 Grand Constitutions.

1803-1820 DISTRICT ALIGNMENTS

There were 12 districts in existence in 1803, and lodges constituted subsequent to that time were added to the district closest to their meeting place. The Boston (1st) District was by far the largest, while the Islands (12th) District was the smallest. Maine was represented by three Districts (the 9th, 10th and 11th); lodges outside Massachusetts proper, such as those in Ohio or the lodges in Demarara or Puerto Rico were not assigned to any district.

When Maine became a state and established its own Grand Lodge, the districts were reorganized.

Districts in 1803:

1. Boston and Vicinity
2. Newburyport and North Shore
3. South Shore and Cape Cod
4. Southeast
5. Framingham, West and North
6. Central Massachusetts and Worcester
7. North Central Massachusetts
8. Berkshires
9. Southern Maine
10. Central Maine
11. Eastern Maine
12. Islands

1821 REDISTRICTING

With the departure of lodges situated in Maine, Grand Master John Dixwell arranged new districts for the Jurisdiction. The number remained twelve (at least at the outset; a thirteenth district was added some time before 1825). These districts had far fewer lodges than the previous ones. (Note: the 1821 list, beginning on page III-335, does not have names for these districts; these labels are provided as a guide to their location.)

Districts in 1821:

1. Boston and Vicinity (8 lodges)
2. Newburyport and North Shore (9 lodges)
3. South Shore (5 lodges)
4. Southeast (8 lodges)
5. Framingham, West and North (8 lodges)
6. Central Massachusetts and Worcester (8 lodges)
7. North Central Massachusetts (6 lodges)
8. Berkshires (9 lodges)
9. North Shore (9 lodges)
10. Connecticut Valley (8 lodges)
11. Cape Cod (5 lodges)
12. Islands (3 lodges)

When the anti-Masonic movement swept over Massachusetts a few years later, these district alignments would all but disappear along with at least half of the lodges listed in the 1821 roster.

1826 ADDITION OF DISTRICT 13

A 13th District was added at the end of 1826 by Grand Master John Abbot. The first two District Deputy Grand Masters were resident in Taunton; the lodges in this district are assigned based on conjecture, as there is no record in the Proceedings. The following lodges have been designated as 13th District lodges as of 1826:

• Bristol (Attleboro, 1797)
• Fellowship (Bridgewater, 1797)
• King David (Taunton, 1798)
• Star in the East (New Bedford, 1823)
• Mount Hope (Fall River, 1824)

The assumption is that the 3rd District would be centered more north and east (toward Cape Cod Bay) and the 4th District's center would be north and west of the 13th District lodges. Of course, should actual information surface, this organization will be corrected.

1834 GENERAL REVISION

A large number of lodges' charters were surrendered by default at the end of 1834, primarily due to anti-Masonic sentiment, and a number of charters are recorded as having been surrendered or revoked from 1835 to 1845. In 1837, six District Deputies (one of whom also acted as a "Special Deputy") were appointed, but it is not clear how these districts were laid out. The pages for years after 1835 and prior to the general redistricting of 1867 do not have district organization, but do list the names and towns of the appointed District Deputy Grand Masters.

1867 REDISTRICTING

Grand Master Charles C. Dame established 16 Masonic Districts in Massachusetts; beginning with the 1870 Proceedings, returns from each lodge in each district were published annually, providing information on the district organization. In addition, Chile, China and Peru (from 1867-1869) had their own extraterritorial districts. Based on dispensations and charters, the district alignments and lodge lists begin on the pages from 1867 onward.

1. Boston

   Charlestown

   Boston Highlands

   Cambridge

   Salem

   Newburyport

   Lowell

   Greenfield

   Pittsfield

   Springfield

   Worcester

   Milford

   Taunton

   New Bedford

   Barnstable

   Plymouth