Merrimack

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MERRIMACK LODGE

Location: Haverhill

Chartered By: Samuel Dunn

Charter Date: 06/15/1802 II-199

Precedence Date: 06/15/1802

Current Status: Active; charter inactive from 1831 to 1851


NOTES


PAST MASTERS

need list of living PMs

  • Ebenezer Carleton, 1802-1803
  • Moses Brickett, 1804-1805
  • Ebenezer Gage, 1806-1812
  • Moses Wingate, 1813-1814
  • Charles White, 1815
  • David How Jr., 1816-1817
  • Rufus Longley, 1818-1827, 1842-1854
  • Daniel P. Hannon, 1827-1841
  • Elbridge G. Eaton, 1855-1857
  • Rufus Slocomb, 1858-1860
  • David B. Tenney, 1861-1863
  • Francis I. Stevens, 1864-1865
  • John J. Poor, 1866-1867
  • Edward M. Hines, 1868-1869
  • Henry O. Burr, 1870-1872
  • Joshua M. Stover, 1873-1874
  • Hazen K. Swasey, 1875-1876
  • George V. Ladd, 1877-1878
  • Dana J. Flanders, 1879-1880
  • Augustine M. Allen, 1881-1883
  • Charles M. Heath, 1884-1885
  • Edward B. George, 1886-1887; Mem
  • Charles B. Wright, 1888-1889
  • James H. Osgood, 1890-1891
  • Frank P. Stevens, 1892-1893
  • Lester B. LeGro, 1894-1895
  • William W. Roberts, 1896-1897
  • Charles H. Grover, 1898-1899
  • Nelson J. Hunt, 1900-1901 RW
  • Charles E. Durant, 1902-1903
  • Franklin Woodman, 1904-1905
  • Willie A. Trow, 1906-1907
  • Frank H. Sawyer, 1908-1910 Mem
  • Albert B. Hale, 1910-1911
  • George F. Ridgeway, 1912-1913
  • Homer L. Conner, 1914-1916
  • Edmund C. Wentworth, 1917; SN
  • Daniel C. Hunt, 1918; N
  • Evelyn L. Durkee, 1919-1920
  • Arthur H. Veasey, 1921-1922
  • Abner B. Hoyt, 1923-1924
  • Harland F. Hussey, 1925-1926
  • John A. Busfield, 1927-1928
  • Bernard L. Durgin, 1929-1930
  • Frederick S. Marshall, 1931
  • Theodore Goodrich, 1932
  • Frank A. Griffin, 1933-1934
  • Norman P. Wentworth, 1935-1936
  • Carroll E. Haseltine, 1937-1938
  • Otto R. Snow, 1939
  • W. Albert Jermyn, 1940
  • Clifford L. Bartlett, 1941-1942
  • Carroll L. Dunn, 1943-1945; N
  • Earl C. Appleby, 1946-1947
  • James R. Page, 1948
  • Carleton K. Marshall, 1949
  • Raymond H. Tefft, 1950
  • Richard S. Phillips, 1951
  • Philip E. Taylor, 1952
  • Richard W. Chase, 1953
  • Benjamin H. White, 1954
  • Wesley L. Shaw, 1955
  • John O. Widder, 1956
  • Edward L. Mitchell, 1957
  • Clifford S. Gordon, 1958
  • Sidney F. Hicks, 1959
  • Charles H. Anthony, 1960
  • Frederick R. Radcliff, 1961
  • W. Arthur Teed, 1962
  • Ralph M. Woodcock, 1963; N
  • Kingdon H. Hamilton, 1964
  • Harold L. Smith, 1965
  • Robert Eben Hudson, 1966
  • H. Louis Farmer Jr., 1967
  • Hartford H. Field, 1968
  • Henry M. Bryant, 1969
  • Charles W. Durgin, 1970
  • Frank B. Kimball, 1971
  • Charles D. Batchelder, Jr., 1972; N
  • Fred L. Hubley, 1973
  • Robert E. Andrews, 1974
  • Donald E. MacQuarrie, 1975
  • Henry L. Farmer, III, 1976
  • Gordon B. Moran, 1977
  • Richard A. Jensen, 1978
  • William J. Workman, 1979
  • David F. MacKinnon, Sr., 1980, 2004
  • Stephen L. Woodcock, 1981
  • Boris W. Migliori, 1982
  • Robert L. Atwood, 1983
  • Donald B. Culbert, 1984
  • Edwin A. Cassano, 1985
  • Charles I. Alexander IV, 1986
  • Richard A. Wildes, 1987
  • Charles E. Bergeron, 1988
  • Charles A. O’Wril Jr., 1989
  • Charles I. Alexander, IV, 1990
  • Edwin A. Cassano, 1991
  • Joseph W. Willman, 1992
  • Charles A. O’Wril, III, 1993
  • John W. Morgan, 1994
  • John J. Demmer III, 1995-1996
  • Leon K. Wendell, 1997
  • Stephen A. Sanborn, 1998
  • Bradley M. Andrews, 1999-2000
  • Robert E. Barney, 2001
  • Mark R. Boucher, 2002. 2005
  • David H. Beebe, 2003
  • Dana A. Wildes, 2006, 2011
  • Peter R. Brown, 2007-2008
  • Richard W. Pettingill, 2009
  • Neil E. Cook, 2010
  • Peter J. Greelish, 2012
  • Peter Fountas, 2013

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

  • Petition for Charter: 1802
  • Petition for Restoration of Charter: 1851 (see note on restoration below)

ANNIVERSARIES

  • 1902 (Centenary)
  • 1927 (125th Anniversary)
  • 1952 (150th Anniversary)
  • 1977 (175th Anniversary)
  • 2002 (200th Anniversary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

BY-LAW CHANGES

1857 1871 1873 1875 1879 1888 1894 1900 1912 1913 1917 1919 1933 1934 1944 1952 1956 1957 1958 1959 1963 1967 1968 1973 1976 1987 1988 2005 2006 2010 2012

HISTORY

  • 1902 (Centenary historical address, 1902-86; not reproduced in text)
  • 1927 (125th Anniversary History, 1927-160)
  • 1952 (150th Anniversary History, 1952-148; see below)

150TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, JUNE 1952

From Proceedings, Page 1952-148:

By Worshipful Bernard L. Durgin.

At the turn of the 19th century Haverhill was a most attractive New England village of three thousand inhabitants. There was a stone pound for stray animals down here on Main Street where the First National Super Market is; the First Parish meeting house was located on the common; Harrod's Tavern was on the site of the present City Hall. The first bridge had been built across the river in 1794. There were two active shipyards, eight vessels having been launched in 1801. This was the local setting when twelve Masons petitioned the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for a charter. Several of them were revolutionary veterans and had received Masonic degrees in Army Lodges. One of them had been with Washington at Valley Forge and had witnessed the execution of Major Andre. Their petition was granted on June 15, 1802.

The Lodge was named for the river which played such a vital part in their lives. The village owed its existence to the river, for in 1640, Rev. John Ward and his little company had sailed upon it from the sea until they came to a grove of buttonwood trees below the present Mill Street and had chosen that site for a settlement. The Merrimack of 1802 abounded in salmon, sturgeon and shad. Fed by a thousand springs and tributaries in the New Hampshire hills, it flowed unceasingly to the sea, a symbol of power and of constancy, a happy selection surely for the name of our Lodge.

The first meeting place was in a small assembly hall on Water Street. The meeting night was on the Thursday nearest the full moon. They adopted a pay-as-you-go policy, each member paying twelve and one-half cents dues each meeting night. The records show eighteen candidates raised in 1803 and regular growth until 1808, when interest seemed to wane through 1812; but in 1813 and 1814, twenty-two members were admitted, and in 1815, the Lodge moved from the first meeting place to a hall over the new Merrimack Bank, at the corner of Water Street and Colby Lane, later renamed Stage Street.

Merrimack Lodge, of course, felt the force of the anti-Masonic feeling that spread over the country in the late 1820's. Whereas ten new members were admitted in 1827, there was only one in 1828; and then there was no one admitted until the Lodge was reorganized in 1852. On December 13, 1843, it was voted to dissolve the Lodge and return the charter to Grand Lodge. In the meantime, great changes had been taking place in the town. The population, which had increased only slightly between 1790 and 1820, practically doubled itself by 1840, from 3,070 to 5,877. Combs and hats were manufactured and shoe-making, which had begun in 1812, had increased to such an extent that there were forty-two manufacturers in 1837. In 1836 Rufus Slocumb was using forty-one horses and eight oxen to transport freight to Boston. The Boston & Maine was extended from Andover to Bradford in 1837. Following the panic of 1837, business increased slowly until gold was discovered in California, which increased the westward migration and opened up new markets for manufactured goods.

Merrimack Lodge as a regularly constituted Masonic body was dormant for eight years, but the pure principles of Masonry have ever been safely deposited in the repository of faithful breasts; and on December 11, 1851, a group of Brethren laid a petition before Grand Lodge for the restoration of the charter, and the first meeting was held nearly a year later. The year 1853 marked an important innovation in the town's shoe-making, for it was in that year that the first sewing machine for stitching uppers was put into use. The meeting night was changed to Wednesday and the place to the Masonic Block on Fleet Street, the present location of 20th Century Baking Company. Then began a long steady growth, apparently not interrupted too greatly by the Civil War.

Over the years Merrimack Lodge had evidenced an interest in new Lodges. As early as 1822 Brethren from Andover had sent a petition asking Merrimack Lodge to help them secure' a charter. Approval was granted and Saint Matthew's Lodge was chartered, with eighteen of the original twenty-six members having been raised in our Lodge. In 1823, Warren Lodge of Amesbury extended their thanks for the assistance given in obtaining their charter. Assistance was also given to Brethren in Methuen and Lawrence, and in 1867, to Charles C. Dame Lodge of Georgetown. In December of 1864, several members of Merrimack Lodge met and voted to send back to the Lodge a petition asking for a charter for a second Lodge in Haverhill. I quote from that petition: "It is not intended by this movement to have so much a separation as a division for increased facilities, for harmonious action and labor, in which the officers and members of one lodge can freely visit and mingle with the officers and members of the other and cooperate in all practicable ways as heretofore." It would seem that these were inspired words, for no two Lodges anywhere are more closely knit than Merrimack and Saggahew. Arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder our two Lodges march through the years together, rejoicing in each other's prosperity and each sympathizing with the other in adversity.

MosesWingate.jpg
Moses Wingate, the Oldest Mason Living
Image courtesy of DeYoung Museum, San Francisco

The Lodge has had many important meetings, but none more noteworthy than the one held on October 25, 1869. On that day Moses Wingate, Master of the Lodge from 1813-1815, celebrated his one hundredth birthday. The city was decorated in holiday attire and the Public Schools were closed for the occasion. In the afternoon he was escorted to Masonic Hall, where a reception was tendered in his honor. In the evening his son, the Rev. Charles Wingate, himself more than fifty years old, was initiated into the Lodge. This was probably the first time in the history of Masonry that a Past Master, one hundred years old, sat in the East and witnessed the initiation of his own son.

There was great industrial activity beginning in the early 1870's. Haverhill was establishing itself as the slipper city of the world. Merrimack Lodge grew with the community. The corner stone of the present temple was laid on June 24, 1873. The record of the next forty years is one of great Masonic activity. Except for the brief Spanish War, we were at peace. How serene life was compared to present day turmoil! The temple was remodeled in 1916, being rededicated on December 4 of that year. Those of us who were present will never forget the address of Most Worshipful Melvin M. Johnson on that occasion.

No sketch of Merrimack Lodge's history, however brief, can be complete unless it notes the manner in which the one hundredth anniversary was celebrated on June 18, 1902. Fortunately, the account of every committee meeting that planned that magnificent affair, written by the hand of R. W. Daniel C. Hunt, is a part of the Lodge's permanent record. To read the speech of M. W. Charles T. Gallagher, the oration of Rev. Edward A. Horton and the toasts given at the banquet is a thrilling experience. With nostalgic interest we read that rooms were engaged at the Eagle House for the ten members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Schubert Male Quartet and that transportation was furnished by six hacks from Ballard and Boynton's stable.

In the last generation we have passed through two world wars and a worldwide depression. The principles of Masonry, however, remain unchanged and in good times and bad the officers and members of Merrimack Lodge have gone on initiating, crafting and raising men of good report into our time-honored institution.

Throughout the long years, the Lodge has ever been the handmaid of the church in Haverhill. Many, many active laymen and ministers have been numbered among its members and in this partnership have endeavored to point the way to a better life, at the same time reaching out a helping hand in countless instances of brotherly love and affection.

So, for 150 years the Holy Bible supporting the Square and Compasses has been open upon the altar of Merrimack Lodge and hundreds of us have knelt before it to take upon ourselves our Masonic obligations. God grant that the influence of Merrimack Lodge may spread in ever widening circles down the avenues of time, and when the time comes for each one of us to transfer his membership to the Celestial Lodge above, may he be able to say with St. Paul: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."

OTHER

  • 1831 (Conveyance of lodge property)

EVENTS

RESTORATION OF CHARTER, NOVEMBER 1852

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XII, No. 2, December 1852, Page 61:

Haverhill, Mass., Nov. 17, 1852.

Bro. Moore:—Merrimack Lodge, Haverhill, in this State, having petitioned the Grand Lodge to restore them their charter, which was given np in the "time that tried men's souls," have had the same restored to them, and met on Tuesday evening last, and organized by the choice of:

  • Dr. Rufus Longley, Master
  • Elbridge J. Eaton, S. W.
  • Timothy J. Goodrich, J. W.
  • Isaac Harding, Treasurer
  • John Edwards, Secretary
  • Rufus T. Slocomb, S. D.
  • Eben, D. Bailey, J. D.
  • Barzilla Davis, S. S.
  • Andrew Johnson, J. S.

Their charter bears date 1802—and for many years, was one of the best working Lodges in the State. With the help of a few Apprentices, and with their own endeavors, they are determined to make it as useful and influential as in its palmiest days.

Yours, Fraternally, C. O. E.

PRESENTATION, FEBRUARY 1862

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXI, No. 4, February, 1862, Page 61:

At a meeting of Merrimack Lodge of F. and A. Masons, at Haverhill, held on Wednesday evening, Jan. 1, R. T. Slocomb, Esq., was presented with a "Past Master's Jewel", as a New Year'a Gift, by the members of the Lodge. The presentation (says a Haverhill paper) was made by Rev. C. H. Seymour, in a speech of much eloquence and beauty, and was appropriately responded lo by Brother Slocomb in his usual off-hand and ready manner. Brother Slocomb has presided as Master of Merrimack Lodge for the last three years, with dignity and. ability; and this token of the esteem of his Brethren is a well-deserved tribute to his fidelity and skill in the science of Freemasonry.


GRAND LODGE OFFICERS


DISTRICTS

1803: District 2 (Newburyport and North Shore)

1821: District 2

1835: District 2

1849: District 2

1854: District 3

1867: District 6 (Newburyport)

1883: District 10 (Lawrence)

1911: District 10 (Newburyport)

1927: District 10 (Newburyport)

2003: District 11


LINKS

Lodge web site

Massachusetts Lodges