Quinsigamond

From MasonicGenealogy
Jump to: navigation, search

QUINSIGAMOND LODGE

Location: Worcester

Chartered By: William Sewall Gardner

Charter Date: 09/13/1871 1871-150

Precedence Date: 06/08/1870

Current Status: merged into Morning Star Lodge, 06/14/2017.


PAST MASTERS

  • Henry C. Wadsworth, 1870-1875
  • 1876?
  • David M. Earle, 1877, 1878; SN
  • Edward W. Ball, 1879, 1880; SN
  • Horace B. Verry, 1881
  • Antipas F. Earle, 1882-1884; SN
  • Edward B. Dolliver, 1887-1889; SN
  • Edward Moulton, 1890, 1891
  • Isaac N. Duke, 1892, 1893
  • Brigham M. Scott, 1894, 1895
  • Benjamin A. Barber, 1896
  • Warren H. Willard, 1897, 1898
  • Thomas T. Booth, 1899-1901; N
  • Arthur C. Scott, 1902
  • Joseph Walter Flagg, 1903, 1904
  • Henry H. Dyke, 1905-1907; Mem
  • Frederick W. White, 1908; Mem
  • Otis C. White, 1909-1911; N
  • James H. Wall, 1912, 1913
  • John McIntosh, 1914
  • Edward A. Mason, 1915, 1916
  • Eugene C. L. Morse, 1917, 1918
  • Harry W. Marsh, 1919, 1920
  • Reuben J. Day, 1921, 1922
  • Lewis W. Everett, 1923
  • Philip A. Parker, 1924
  • Roy N. Grout, 1925
  • Malcom N. Pilsworth, 1926
  • George S. Barton, 1927, 1928
  • Robert C. Eames, 1929
  • Charles W. Johnson, 1930
  • Philip H. Warren, 1931, 1932
  • James H. Colton, 1933, 1952
  • Elbridge R. Holmes, 1934; N
  • Ralph C. Peterson, 1935
  • Leon M. Yatter, 1936
  • Paul S. Smith, 1937
  • Ezra C. Cutting, 1938
  • Carlton S. Ayer, 1939
  • Chester T. Reed, 1940
  • John H(enry). Orr, Jr., 1941, 1945
  • Malcolm W. Atkins, 1942
  • Irving A. Green, 1943
  • Harry D. Orr, 1944
  • Robert C. Eames, 1946
  • Hadley Spear, 1947
  • Paul W. Savage, 1948
  • Idof Anderson, Jr., 1949
  • J. Gordon Mitchell, 1950
  • Ernest C. Burns, 1951
  • Philip H. Warren, Jr., 1953; SN
  • Thomas L. Salter, 1954
  • John E. Barnett, 1955
  • Charles B. Campbell, 1956
  • Rupert H. Robinson, 1957
  • Alden Boyd, 1958
  • James Geddes, 1959
  • Richard W. Smith, 1960
  • Edward E. E. Erickson, 1961
  • Norman C. Crockett, 1962
  • Kenneth B. Hunt, 1963
  • Frank C. Merrill, 1964
  • Donald M. Johnson, 1965
  • Clyde J. Westhaver, 1966
  • George A. Herosian, 1967
  • Philip R. Hey, Sr., 1968, 1969, 1987; SN; Mem
  • John A. Bigelow, Jr., 1970
  • John E. Erickson, 1971
  • William C. Storey, 1972
  • Peter Negoshian, 1973
  • Norman R. Croft, 1974
  • Donald R. Hey, 1975
  • Thomas A. Rucho, 1976
  • Beverly M. Hubbard, 1977
  • Kelton D. Johnson, 1978
  • Theodore M. Torosian, 1979
  • Edward A. Samia, 1980, 1992
  • Richard W. Grant, 1981
  • Edward V. Seaver, 1982
  • Stuart L. Diamond, 1983, 1997
  • Frank C. Merrill, 1984
  • Matthew A. Mallard, III, 1985
  • Kerim G. Asmar, 1986
  • E(rnest) John Reeks, 1988, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2003
  • Richard Diamond, 1989, 2004
  • Bernard S. Witkes, 1990
  • James R. Stanley, 1991, 1998
  • Alan J. Goldsborough, 1994
  • Vasken G. Chagaian, 1995
  • J. Laurence Ciccolo, 1996, 2007-2011
  • Bernard S. Witkes, 2000, 2001
  • Edgar A. Swift, 2005, 2006
  • Dean D. Moss, 2012

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

  • Petition for Dispensation: 1870
  • Petition for Charter: 1871
  • Petition for Consolidation: 2017

ANNIVERSARIES

  • 1891 (20th Anniversary)
  • 1921 (50th Anniversary)
  • 1945 (75th Anniversary)
  • 1970 (Centenary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

BY-LAW CHANGES

1872 1878 1880 1900 1902 1912 1924 1927 1949 1951 1952 1953 1955 1964 1976 2014

HISTORY

  • 1945 (75th Anniversary History, 1945-341; see below)
  • 1970 (Centenary History, 1970-266; see below)

75TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, OCTOBER 1945

From Proceedings, Page 1945-341:

By Worshipful Brother James H. Wall.

In April, 1870, twenty Ancient Free and Accepted Master Masons petitioned the Grand Lodge for a dispensation to form a Masonic Lodge in Worcester. A dispensation was granted by Most Worshipful William Sewall Gardner, Grand Master, on June 8, 1870, and a Lodge was instituted on that date, being named Quinsigamond Lodge, A. F. & A. M.

The Lodge was constituted and consecrated by the Grand Lodge on December 8, 1871. The charter was presented to the Lodge on this date, precedence in the Grand Lodge and elsewhere as of June 8, 1870. Fourteen of the petitioners for this dispensation signed the By-Laws as charter members June 8, 1870.

This evening we are observing the 75th anniversary of the institution of the Lodge, which occurred on June 8, 1870. Henry C. Wadsworth was appointed the first Master under dispensation June 8, 1870. He was elected Master by the members October 28, 1870. Worshipful Brother Wadsworth served as Master for five years, until 1875. Twelve regular communications were held each year, with occasionally a special. At the close of Brother Wadsworth's term, the membership of the Lodge was 36.

Succeeding Worshipful Brother Wadsworth was Brother J. Marcus Rice, and he served as Master for two years, until 1877. The membership during these two years only increased by two, making 38.

During the last of the year 1877, it was suggested that the Lodge surrender its charter. Wise counsel prevailed and it was decided to continue as a Lodge. Brother David M. Earl was persuaded to accept the office of Master and he was elected in October, 1877. Wor. Brother Earl had joined Quinsigamond Lodge by dimit, having been made a Mason in Hayden Lodge of Brookfield, Massachusetts. Worshipful Brother Earl, from the start of his administration, brought new life into the Lodge. All members pledged loyal support to the Master and Wardens. Applications began to come in and at the end of his term, the membership had increased to 57.

Worshipful Brother Earl invited the Grand Lodge to pay a fraternal visit to Quinsigamond Lodge on April 26, 1878, to witness the work of the Master Mason's Degree. The invitation was accepted.

Nothing of great importance happened from 1891 until Brother Brigham M. Scott was Master, from 1894 until 1896.

In 1896 Worcester was building a new City Hall. The Mayor, A. B. R. Sprague, a member of Quinsigamond Lodge, requested Worshipful Brother Scott, as Master of Quinsigamond Lodge, to invite the Grand Lodge to come to Worcester and lay the corner-stone of the City Hall. This invitation was accepted, and on September 12, 1896, Most Worshipful Edwin B. Holmes, with the officers of the Grand Lodge, laid the corner-stone of the Worcester City Hall. Quinsigamond Lodge was host to the Grand Lodge while in Worcester.

Another memorable visit of the Grand Lodge to Quinsigamond Lodge was in March, 1901. Worshipful Thomas T. Book was Master, and he invited the Grand Lodge to visit Quinsigamond Lodge to witness the conferring of the Third Degree. The invitation was accepted. Elaborate preparations were made for the event and the officers of the Lodge had been thoroughly rehearsed. On March 29th, Quinsigamond Lodge exemplified the Master Mason Degree before Most Worshipful Charles T. Gallagher and officers of the Grand Lodge. The candidate at this communication was Harry L. Wadsworth, son of the first Master of the Lodge. After the close of the meeting, Worshipful Brother Peck, Grand Lecturer, said that the degree work was perfect. Not one mistake was made from opening to closing.

On October 25, 1901, the membership had increased to 176. Brother Arthur C. Scott was elected Master of the Lodge October 25, 1901.

January 24, 1902, Right Worshipful Edward B. Dolliver offered a motion that a committee of five be appointed to consider the matter of raising a charity fund. The motion was carried and the committee, consisting of R.W. Brother Edward B. Dolliver, Wor. Brother Brigham M. Scott, Brother A. B. R. Sprague, Brother W. H. Couglin and Brother Frank A. Smith was appointed, and there was added to this committee the Secretary, Brother James H. Wall. After several meetings, the committee decided to send a letter to every member of the Lodge, asking for subscriptions, such donations to be paid yearly for five years, or in one sum, and replies began to come in at once and very generous.

On May 25, 1903, the funds donated and subscribed, amounting to $4,180.00, were presented to the Lodge by a Deed of Trust, signed by one hundred members of Quinsigamond Lodge. By the terms of the Trust, every initiate or affiliate, in addition to the initiation fee, must contribute $25.00 to this Charity Fund, precedent to his membership. The Charity Fund now amounts to approximately $30,000.

Brother Reuben J. Day was Master from 1920 to 1922. During his term, the fiftieth anniversary of the constitution and consecration of the Lodge was observed on December 8, 1921. This was attended by Most Worshipful Arthur D. Prince, Grand Master, and officers of the Grand Lodge. Rev. Brother Joseph Fort Newton of New York City was the speaker of the evening.

Worshipful Irving A. Green was Master from 1942 to 1943. A reunion of members was held May 21, 1943, at which twenty members, for forty years or over, were present. Six of those twenty members have passed away in the last two years.

Worshipful Harry D. Orr was Master from 1943 to 1944, and during his term, the principal event was the contribution ol the members for the Masonic Military Service Activities. The quota for the Lodge was $1600, and the donations amounted to $2000.

Twenty-one members of the Lodge served in the first World War. In the second World War, thirty-two members served, and so far as has been reported, nineteen sons and relatives of members served. Two sons of members made the supreme sacrifice. There were no casualties of members in either war.

Such is a brief history of Quinsigamond Lodge. There she stands! She seeks no praise. Her history is recorded on every page of her records. It is known by the Fraternity throughout the Jurisdiction. It has borne the Masonic light, not only in the Lodge, but it shines outside, in the world in the lives of its devoted and loyal members. The past is secure.

The Lodge has survived the trials and disappointments of its early years. May its light still further shine until time shall be no more!

CENTENARY HISTORY, MAY 1970

From Proceedings, Page 1970-266:

By Worshipful Matthew A. Mallard, III.

PROLOGUE

In the beginning twenty men forsook the seven existing Masonic Lodges in Worcester County and formed Quinsigamond Lodge. Of many and varied backgrounds — a manufacturer, a soldier, a public official, a physician is the recorded vocations of some of them — all were inspired to achieve a single purpose and goal. What must have fashioned their thinking, their initiative, their confidence, and their wherewithal? What conditions of the Fraternity were not to be fully realized in these other lodges to foment this permutation? What practices or customs impelled these distinguished, yet ordinary men to seek from the Grand Master dispensation to organize yet another lodge?

Progress in any direction dictates change and only a dissatisfaction with existing conditions actuates such change. Suffice it to say whatever the motives the foundation was strong, the organizers were prudent, and the development itself forceful and substantive enough to establish a record of one hundred years existence.

These hundred years have been prosperous for the Order of Freemasonry and in this prosperity each of the lodges shared. The Order as a permanent institution has occupied and filled a more permanent place in Worcester County, exerting an influence for the betterment of every individual in the community, not a small part because of the existence of Quinsigamond Lodge. There is something beyond the mere good fellowship and sociability necessary to make an organization stable and durable. The imperishable principles which are the very foundation of Freemasonry are themselves a just measure for determining its success or usefulness. But that something which makes each of us glad that we are permitted to pass a few years in association with our fellow Brothers in Quinsiga-mond Lodge, is the basis for this tribute being paid to our institution for its one century of being. Henry C. Wadsworth was the first to affix his name to our By-Laws, the one thousand and seventy-third name was the latest to be recorded . . . THEREIN IS OUR HISTORY.

THE EARLIEST HISTORY

The earliest history of Quinsigamond Lodge has been methodically recorded in the "Fifty Year History, Quinsigamond Lodge, A. F. & A. M.", compiled by Bro. Clarence D. Mixter, Secretary 1908-1918. In the book, which is available in our Masonic Temple Library as well as the Library of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, these first fifty years of our Lodge are meticulously chronicled by the Historical Committee and "every event and item of real interest which has occurred" was recorded. Therefore, following a brief summation of the earliest years, the emphasis of this, our centennial history, will be on the fifty years after 1921.

In April 1870 a petition was forwarded to Most Worshipful William Sewall Gardner, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, seeking dispensation to form a new Lodge of Masons in Worcester and to be named Quinsigamond Lodge, A. F. & A. M. The petition was signed by twenty Master Masons who had demitted from Morning Star, Montacute and Athelstan Lodges to form this new Lodge.

The Lodge was constituted and consecrated by the Grand Lodge on December 8, 1871 and the Charter was presented to the Lodge on this date, precedent in the Grand Lodge and elsewhere as of June 8, 1870. Of the twenty petitioners, Bros. John D. Washburn, George E. Francis, Charles B. Whiting, D. W. Knowlton and A. A. Goodell did not sign the By-Laws to join the Lodge and Bro. Edward Howe died before the Charter was granted. The following fourteen Charter Members signed the By-Laws on June 8, 1870 and eleven were then nominated to the stations:

  • Henry C. Wadsworth, Worshipful Master
  • Seneca M. Richardson, Senior Warden
  • Joseph Marcus Rice, Junior Warden
  • Ransom Mills Gould, Treasurer
  • William G. Strong, Secretary
  • Eminel P. Halsted, Senior Deacon
  • Harvey B. Wilder, Junior Deacon
  • James L. Burbank, Senior Steward
  • Alfred D. Warren, Junior Steward
  • Silas W. Goddard, Inside Sentinel
  • Ossian L. Hatch, Marshal

  • Josiah Pickett

  • Augustus B. R. Sprague

  • Lyman Brooks

Henry C. Wadsworth was appointed our first Master under dispensation and was elected to that office by vote of the membership at the first Communication on October 28, 1870, He was re-elected four more years until October 1875 holding twelve Regular Communications each year and occasionally a Special. When Bro. J. Marcus Rice succeeded him as Master, the Lodge had thirty-six members and increased by only two in the next two years. At this time the prevailing sentiment was to surrender the Charter and only the wise counsel that persuaded Bro. David M. Earle to accept the office of Master in October 1877 saved our Lodge. From the start of his administration he brought new life into the Lodge, receiving pledges of loyal support from the members and eventually the membership increased to 57 by the close of his term. The membership thereby continued to increase each year and it became three hundred seventy-five on December 1, 1921, the date on which this earliest history ends. Two further events in the earliest history deserve note in this centennial book; the laying of the cornerstone of City Hall and the unique formation of our Charity Fund.

In 1896 when Worcester was building a new City Hall, the Mayor, A. B. R. Sprague, a Charter Member of Quinsigamond Lodge, requested Wor. Brigham M. Scott to invite the Grand Master to the ceremonies of the laying of the cornerstone. On September 12, 1896, Most Worshipful Edwin B. Holmes accepted the invitation and with the Suite of Grand Lodge Officers he laid the cornerstone of Worcester's City Hall.

Wor. Theodore C. Bates made the original motion in Grand Lodge for the establishment of a "Charity Fund", which resulted in the formation of the Masonic Education and Charity Trust. This prompted R. W. Edward P. Dolliver, Wor. Brigham M. Scott, Bro. A. B. R. Sprague, Bro W. H. Coughlin, Bro. Frank A. Smith and later Wor. James H. Wall to be appointed to a committee to consider the matter of raising a Charity Fund for Quinsigamond Lodge. On May 25, 1903, with funds donated and subscribed, amounting to $4,180 and presented to the Lodge by a Deed of Trust signed by one hundred members, Quinsigamond Lodge became the first Lodge to form such a fund. The fund is collaterally unique in that the Trust Deed states that if the Lodge fails to carry out the provisions or should surrender its Charter, then all of the monies accrued are to be transferred to the Grand Lodge for their disposition.

RECOGNITION TO DISTINGUISHED BRETHREN

The honors to distinctive Brothers who dedicate themselves to the Fraternity and to the community, while all too often are only the rewards of service well done, are on occasion presented as recognition in the form of medals. Quinsigamond Lodge is most proud of its members who have so distinguished themselves as to receive such recognition from the Grand Master and in the case of one Brother to receive the Honorary 33°.

The medals of honor awarded by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts are the Henry Price Medal, the Distinguished Service (or Joseph Warren) Medal, and the Veteran's (or Fifty-Year) Medal.

Henry Price Medal

The Henry Price Medal was named after the man who in 1733 received from Anthony Lord Viscount, Grand Master of England, a Deputation to act as Provincial Grand Master of New England which extended over all of North America. In this capacity he organized the Provincial Grand Lodge of Massachusetts (Moderns) at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston, the first duly constituted Masonic Body in America, and in 1734 granted Benjamin Franklin's petition to establish a Lodge in Philadelphia. Therefore in 1888 the Grand Lodge authorized a medal to be struck which would suitably commemorate the services of the "Founder of Duly Constituted Masonry in America." Unfortunately the significance of the medal was diminished when the bronze medals were purchased extensively by members of Henry Price Lodge of Charlestown. Eventually the Grand Lodge determined that the medals be given to distinguished Masons of extraordinary service as well as to Masons of fifty year membership until 1926 when Grand Lodge felt the need to more emphasize the distinction of the award and struck a separate medal for Fifty-year membership, thereby making the Henry Price Medal the highest honor which it is in the power of the Grand Lodge to confer.

Quinsigamond Lodge has one such recipient of the Henry Price Medal, as it exists since 1926 (several Brothers received the medal in recognition of fifty years of membership), R. W. Otis C. White, Jr.

Joseph Warren Medal

The Distinguished Service (or Joseph Warren) Medal was named after the man who, having received his degrees in the Lodge of St. Andrew in Boston in 1761 and being its Master in 1768, was granted on May 30, 1769 a Commission from George Earl of Dalhousie, Grand Master of Scotland, to act as Provincial Grand Master of Masons in Boston, New England, and within 100 miles of the same. This was extended in 1772 to cover all of North America. In this capacity on December 27, 1769, he organized the Provincial Grand Lodge of Massachusetts (Ancients) at the Green Dragon Tavern, Boston, and continued as its Grand Master until his death at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. This Grand Lodge (Ancients) on March 8, 1777 became the first independent Grand Lodge in the United States, it being independent of that Grand Lodge organized by Henry Price (Moderns), and on March S, 1792 the Ancients united with the Moderns to form the present Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts.

When the 1926 restrictions were placed on the use of the Henry Price Medal (only to be given to permanent members of Grand Lodge), it became evident that there was a need for some form of recognition of the service rendered in the local field, the Lodge or the district by many lay members of Lodges "who had labored long and well in the interests of their Lodges and their fellows." Thus, in 1930 came into existence the awarding of the Distinguished Service Medal, sometimes referred to as the Joseph Warren Medal, to convey to those members the respect and admiration of their fellow members for the many thoughtful acts they had performed and the effort and time they had devoted to their self-imposed work without thought of reward.

Quinsigamond Lodge is particularly proud to have six recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal: R. W. Henry H. Dyke, Wor. James H. Wall, R. W. Elbridge R. Holmes, Bro. Edward A. Bigelow, Wor. Robert C. Eames and Wor. James H. Colton.

Veteran's Medal

The Veteran's (or Fifty-year Medal) is awarded to any Brother upon the fiftieth anniversary of his raising who, in the opinion of the Grand Master, is worthy of such recognition. By the end of our centennial year Quinsigamond Lodge will have had fifty-one recipients of that honor. To realize continual membership and to maintain an interest in any organization for one-half century is an amazing accomplishment in view of the many frustrations and distractions encountered in the evolution of one's lifetime. Quinsigamond Lodge is proud of the twenty-two living Brothers who possess the medal.

MASONIC SERVICES

Any Master Mason, at his request, may be interred with the highly appropriate ceremonies of the Fraternity. They are performed under the direction of the Master as a token of respect and affection to the memory of a departed Brother. On May 28, 1878 Wor. Ransom Mills Gould, a Past Master of Morning Star Lodge, a life member of Quinsigamond Lodge and one of its founders, one of its Trustees and its Treasurer, having met death tragically by being thrown from his carriage, was the first member to receive the funeral liturgies of the Craft and when R.W. Elbridge Reed Holmes received the same rites on September 30, 1969, he became the forty-sixth member of Quinsigamond Lodge to so avail himself of this Masonic service.

JUNIPER HALL AND THE MASONIC HOME IN CHARLTON

"For the relief of distressed Masons and their dependents" was the principle upon which were established the Masonic Home in Charlton on May 25, 1911 and the Masonic Hospital Juniper Hall in Shrewsbury on December 27, 1927. At the Grand Lodge meeting of December 9, 1908, the Grand Master requested that all Lodges solicit funds for the Masonic Home to be built on the Overlook property in Charlton. By February 26, 1908, Bro. Otis C. White Jr., heading the Lodge's committee on the Masonic Home, reported pledges of $1,100 representing over one-third of our membership. Another check for $350 forwarded on November 28, 1910 prompted the Grand Master to say: "The Masonic spirit displayed by your Lodge is commendable in the extreme." An average of more than seven dollars per member placed Quinsigamond Lodge on the Honor List.

In 1927 the widow of Matthew J. Whittall and grandmother of our Bro. Matthew J. Whittall, II donated to the Grand Lodge the beautiful estate known as Juniper Hall, which had served as her residence. It was her desire and intent that the estate be used as a hospital for the relief of suffering of distressed Masons and their dependents. The Grand Master appointed R. W. Otis C. White Jr., Chairman of the Funding Committee for Juniper Hall and through his efforts $150,000 was raised to pay for an additional wing and to establish a fund for maintenance. Quinsigamond Lodge again distinguished itself by contributing the largest amount of all the then 307 Lodges in the State.

On April 18, 1941, Wor. J. Henry Orr Jr., and the officers of the Lodge performed a Second Degree for the Brothers at Juniper Hall and became the first Lodge ever to do so. At the completion of the work the patients ruefully admitted "we had never expected to have the pleasure of ever seeing a degree again."

When the widow of a member was admitted to Charlton in 1967 she became the eighteenth person from Quinsigamond Lodge to so request such relief.

CHARTER MEMBERSHIP

The twenty founding charter members of Quinsigamond Lodge were members of Morning Star, Montacute and Athelstan Lodges. Twelve members of Quinsigamond Lodge served as charter members of Boylston, Isaiah Thomas, Joel H. Prouty and Matthew John Whittall Lodges with three of our original charter members, Bros. Knowlton, Brooks and Burbank, serving in the same capacity in the founding of the older Montacute and Athelstan Lodges. Our members and the Lodges they helped found were:

  • Bro. Henry Pierce: Boylston Lodge, March 14, 1877
  • R. W. Frederick W. White: Isaiah Thomas Lodge, January 19, 1921
  • R. W. Thomas T. Booth: Isaiah Thomas Lodge, January 19, 1921
  • Wor. John Tuck: Joel H. Prouty Lodge, March 29, 1927
  • Wor. Lewis W. Everett: Matthew J. Whittall Lodge, April 23, 1929
  • Bro. Thomas F. Hickey: Matthew J. Whittall Lodge, April 23, 1929
  • Bro. Edwin L. Smith: Matthew J. Whittall Lodge, April 23, 1929
  • R. W. Frederick W. White: Matthew J. Whittall Lodge, April 23, 1929
  • R. W. Otis C. White, Jr.: Matthew J. Whittall Lodge, April 23, 1929
  • Bro. Stanley B. Dowd: Matthew J. Whittall Lodge, April 23, 1929
MEMBERSHIP

On March 25, 1927 the Lodge voted "that no application for degrees or membership shall be considered by the Lodge when total membership shall consist of six hundred members" feeling that the income from that number would be sufficient to meet the reasonable and necessary costs, yet would make available enough talent to choose from to maintain the high standards of the Lodge's officers without destroying the chances for "intimate acquaintances among the members."

The closest the Lodge ever came to this ceiling was in Wor. George S. Barton's year as Master when the membership was four hundred eighty-three. During Wor. Reuben Day's years as Master, 1920-1922, the Lodge gained the most new members in one year, sixty, as well as experiencing the highest average attendance during any one year, sixty members per meeting. Wor. Leon Yatter in 1936 experienced the largest loss with twenty-three members who either demitted or died. The present membership of the Lodge is three hundred and eleven.

SIXTH LODGE OF INSTRUCTION

On January 6, 1928 the Lodge was assembled to consider joining in a petition with the other Lodges in the 21st and 22nd Masonic Districts to establish a Lodge of Instruction. The Lodge voted to so join and the petition to the Grand Master for dispensation was granted. The Sixth Lodge of Instruction was organized March 30, 1928 and R. W. Otis C. White, Jr. was elected to serve as its first Master. R. W. Herbert P. Bagley of Morning Star Lodge and R. W. Edward M. Woodward, Jr., of Montacute Lodge were elected to serve as the first Senior and Junior Wardens respectively. Besides R.W. Otis C. White, Jr., other Past Masters of the Sixth Lodge from Quinsigamond Lodge were R.W. Elbridge R. Holmes, 1937-1938, Wor. Paul S. Smith, 1939-1940, and Wor. Idof Anderson, Jr., 1958-1959 and Wor. Frank C. Merrill presently serves as an instructor.

PAST MASTERS' NIGHT

At a Special Communication on February 15, 1935, Wor. Ralph C. Peterson requested that Wor. James H. Wall be escorted to the East to introduce his fellow Past Masters in the order in which they had served as Masters of the Lodge. When the fourteen Past Masters, beginning in seniority with R.W. Henry H. Dyke and ending with Wor. Elbridge R. Holmes, assumed their various stations to perform the Fellow Craft degree on Bros. Clifton Davics and Roger Taylor, they thus instituted Past Masters' Night, a custom continued almost without exception every year since.

PRESIDING JUNIOR WARDENS' NIGHT

On September 20, 1940, the Master Mason degree was exemplified by the presiding Junior Wardens of the Lodges of the Brookfield 21st and the Worcester 22nd Districts under the direction of our then Junior Warden, Bro. Malcolm W. Atkins. All the stations were filled with Junior Wardens including Bro. Leonard Rawn of Franklin Lodge who was at the Third Gate. This was the first time an exemplification of this kind had ever been done in Worcester.

The only other time Quinsigamond Lodge was host to presiding officers of the district was this past May 2, 1969 when Wor. Matthew A. Mallard III welcomed the presiding Masters of the Lodges in the Worcester 22nd District, with Senior Wardens at the Gates and the Master Mason degree was performed on Bros. William O'Connell and Robert Willis.

FORTIETH REUNION

On May 21, 1943 the occasion of a Fraternal Visit from R. W. Thomas S. Roy, the District Deputy for the Worcester 22nd District, the Worshipful Master announced the meeting was called "as a reunion of all the older members of the Lodge to meet and exchange Masonic greetings with the younger members." Dr, Roy, not in his official capacity, but as a guest of our Lodge, then spoke of the earliest days of Masonry "when the Guilds were operative Masons" to the establishment of speculative Masonry at the "Goose and Gridiron Tavern in London in 1717." In citing the influence of the Order in the War of Independence, he quoted a distinguished Grand Master, M. W. Melvin M. Johnson, who stated: "Had it not been for Masonry there never would have been a United States."

Twenty members of our Lodge were then honored for their forty or more years of membership with Wor. John Mcintosh and Bro. Charles G. Browning receiving Fifty-year Veteran's Medals. When Brother Browning died in 1952, he was the oldest member at ninety-four and in years of membership, sixty-nine and the Lodge so made that inscription on his tombstone.

When all the Brethren clasped hands "Masonic friendship prevailed and each Brother expressed the thought that he was happy to be present on this occasion." After all the members joined in singing "Auld Lang Syne," it was noted that since this was the only time in the history of the Lodge that such a reunion of its members had taken place "then it must be recalled as an outstanding event in the recorded history of Quinsigamond Lodge."

HONORS FOR WORLD WAR II SERVICE

On December 22, 1944, Wor. J. Henry Orr, Jr., by dispensation from the Grand Master, conferred the Master Mason degree on Bro. Philip H. Warren, Jr., one week after he had received his Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft Degrees, a custom practiced usually only during wartime. Following the degree work the Master paid homage to all the members and their relatives who served during the war. The names of thirty-two members of the Lodge and nineteen sons and relatives were then read and recorded.

Our Lodge is fortunate in that of the twenty-one members who served in World War I and of the thirty-two members who served in World War II, there were no casualties of members in either war. However, two sons of members did make the supreme sacrifice.

SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

Wor. J. Henry Orr, Jr., received Most Worshipful Samuel H. Wragg, Grand Master of Massachusetts, on October 19, 1945 to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of our Lodge. (1945 Mass. 339-344) Wor. James H. Wall read to the Brethren a brief history, entitled "Historical Landmarks," which ended with this passage: "The Lodge has survived the trials and disappointments of its early years. May its light still further shine until time shall be no more!" The Grand Master then noted that even during this period of wartime "Freemasonry in the state was in its most healthy condition initiating over six thousand new members in the year past." After Wor. Robert C. Fames gave the closing prayer, all the Brethren joined in singing "America."

MILITARY DEGREES

When Bro. Charles E. Harris was raised May 16, 1952, at the time serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, all the stations in the Lodge were filled by Quinsigamond Lodge veterans of World War II in their military uniforms. Wor. Lieutenant Commander James H. Colton sat in the East with Wor. Lieutenant Colonel Philip H. Warren, Jr. and Wor. Lieutenant Senior Grade Thomas L. Salter in the West and South respectively. The military ranks extended from Wor. Airman Second Class Rupert H. Robinson who acted as Marshal to our Secretary, Bro. Colonel William M. Snow. The Gates had to be manned by other Colonels in order to outrank the candidate.

On May 14, 1954, our Lodge, by courtesy for Leonard Wood Lodge No. 105, Clark Field, Philippine Islands, performed the Master Mason degree on Bro. Captain Donald F. Anderson with the stations a^ain made up of Quinsigamond Lodge World War II veterans. This time Wor. Philip H. Warren, Jr., occupied the East and Wor. James H. Colton and Wor. Lieutenant Commander Idof Anderson Jr., were in the West and South and Wor. James Geddes served as Marshal, he having been a Lance Corporal Infantry in the Black Watch Regiment of Scotland. Apain the candidate was outranked at the Gates.

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR VETERANS

On May 16, 1952, Wor. James H. Colton received a Fraternal Visit from R.W. Leonard Rawn, District Deputy for the Worcester 22nd District, to present to Bro. Harry C. Young a Fifty-Year Veteran's Medal. He had his Marshal form a committee of Bros. Benjamin Cooper and Charles A. Fischer of Athelstan Lodge, Bro. Leroy B. Spinney of Zarthan Lodge No. 80 in Nova Scotia, and Bro. Archie Lee Purinton of Quinsigamond Lodge as Chairman. When Bro. Purinton presented the medal to Brother Young, he remarked that fifty-four years to the day the four brothers had been marching together in the same regiment on Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish American War.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS

On May 28, 1926 following a banquet in the banquet hall, Quinsigamond Lodge was host to Most Worshipful Frank L. Simpson who not only witnessed a portion of the Entered Apprentice Degree but personally conferred the last section on Bro. Edward S. Otis. He later addressed the Lodge on the "duties and obligations resting upon the members of the fraternity".

The privilege to welcome the next visitor of note came on December 3, 1926, when Congressman George R. Stobbs addressed first the banquet hall guests on matters of national interest and later watched a Fellow Craft degree. Bro. Stobbs again addressed the Brothers, this time relative to the George Washington Memorial and other Masonic matters. On October 21, 1927 the Lodge hosted Bro. Channing Cox, Governor of Massachusetts, first in the banquet hall and later in the Lodge room where he honored the Brethren with an entertaining speech.

Quinsigamond Lodge was particularly proud to receive the next distinguished visitor on June 5, 1953 when Wor. Philip H. Warren, Jr. greeted Most Worshipful Thomas S. Roy for the first time in the Lodge as the Grand Master. It should be noted that M. W. Thomas S. Roy was accompanied by, among others in the Suite, his Grand Marshal, the then R. W. Herbert H. Jaynes, who is now the present Grand Master. The Grand Master raised Bros. Winfield B. Blum and Courtland J. Cross and later presented Bro. Edward J. Cross a 35 year membership certificate. When he asked Bro. Ralph U. Cross to be recognized, he noted that this was the first time he had ever been in a Lodge where three generations of a family were in attendance.

On October 2, 1953 after Wor. Thomas L. Salter had been installed Master by his father-in-law, Wor. Paul S. Smith, a most meaningful circumstance, he assumed the East and announced that R.W. Leverett Saltonstall was to visit the Lodge. After the Lodge was closed, the United States Senator from Massachusetts addressed the assemblage.

Wor. Donald M. Johnson hosted the Grand Master of Masons in Connecticut on May 28, 1965 during a Fraternal Visitation for R.W. Peter H. Surabian. Most Worshipful William Campbell, who was in the District Deputy's Suite, announced that he was in Quinsigamond Lodge in an unofficial capacity, as the personal friend of Bro. Robert R. Rawstron who was formerly a member of our Lodge. His address to the Brethren concerned the close fraternal bonds between the two Grand Lodges. Since his visit, we have strengthened those bonds by returning to his State as a group to attend the installation of Wor. Bro. Rawstron.

ST. MARTIN'S LODGE

On February 27, 1885 the membership of Quinsigamond Lodge, then eighty-two, voted to send ten dollars to St. Martin's Lodge in Chatham in response to a request for aid, thus beginning the ties between the two Lodges that have continued to this day. They were renewed on February 17, 1956 when Wor. Charles B. Campbell invited Wor. Frank T. Weinz and his officers to our Lodge and the exchange of degree work between Worcester and Chatham was inaugurated. This exchange has continued each succeeding year since and when Wor. John F. Carr comes to Worcester this year it will be the twenty-ninth visit between the two Lodges.

Besides the degree work the trips to the Cape have included boat cruises, beach buggy rides, swimming, clamming and all the activities that we inland denizens get to experience only rarely, along with numerous tours through the Radar Station, the Coast Guard Station, the Ocean Spray cranberry bogs and factory and the Plimouth Plantation to name just a few of the more recent excursions. In return the recent Worcester visits have included tours of the Higgins Museum, Carlings Brewery, Sprague Electric Company and Sturbridge Village along with perennial visits to, what is perhaps the most powerful area attraction, Spags.

That these visits have continued over the many years is a most salient demonstration of the true spirit of fellowship. That we've never said a thing about the ten dollars . . . is even truer demonstration.

EXCHANGE OF VISITATIONS

On November 5, 1943, our Lodge was host to Wor. Elroy B. Dean and all the officers of Matthew John Whittall Lodge of Shrewsbury and they performed the Fellow Craft degree on Bros. Arthur H. Swift and Lawrence V. Hendrickson. We and Montacute Lodge had exchanged visitations in the earlier years, but it had been some time since we had renewed the practice of performing in other Lodges. Thus, when the officers of Matthew John Whittall Lodge came to our Lodge, the custom was begun which was to continue through the years to where our Lodge now exchanges visits with at least two Lodges each year.

Wor. James H. Colton and his officers conferred the Master Mason degree on two Brothers in Olive Branch Lodge in Mill-bury on May 19, 1952. Then, on June 20, 1952, Wor. John L. McKie of Olive Branch Lodge brought his officers to Quinsiga-mond Lodge where they raised Bro. Edward E. E. Erickson.

On May 8, 1953, Wor. Carl E. Peterson and the officers of Joel H. Prouty Lodge in Auburn visited our Lodge and performed the Fellow Craft degree on Bro. Winfield B. Blum. In turn Wor. Philip H. Warren, Jr., brought his officers to Auburn on May 26, 1953 to work the same degree on three Brothers of Joel H. Prouty Lodge. When Wor. Frank C. Merrill and his officers returned to Auburn January 7, 1964 and again performed the Fellow Craft degree on one candidate, the alliance between the two Lodges was restored and has continued, like that of St. Martin's Lodge in Chatham, to this day.

The friendships gained and the Masonic knowledge imparted have made these close ties between the Lodges most beneficial and certainly most enjoyable.

TWO DISTINGUISHED BROTHERS

Bro. Hugo W. H. Beth was born in Oldenberg, Germany, on January 11, 1874 and was raised in Quinsigamond Lodge on December 27, 1907 and on January 17, 1958, R. W. George A. Russell, District Deputy for the Worcester 22nd District, presented him his Fifty-year Veteran's Medal.

Bro. James Mitchell was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 26, 1879 and was raised in Quinsigamond Lodge on June 4, 1909 and on March 25, 1959, R. W. Russell D. Waldron, District Deputy for the Worcester 22nd District, and the officers of the Lodge traveled to the Masonic Home in Charlton, his residence at the time, to present to him his Fifty-year Veteran's Medal.

Brother Beth, at the age of ninety-six, is our oldest member and Bro. Beth's and Bro. Mitchell's sixty-three and sixty-one years respectively of continued membership give them the honor of having the longest length of service to the Lodge.

FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS

Perhaps no Masonic fruition can equal that of welcoming a son, a father, or some close relative into the bonds of our own Lodge. Through the years many such kinships shared the fellowship in Quinsigamond Lodge.

Wor. Charles W. Johnson raised his son, Bro. Alden P. Johnson; Wor. Philip R. Hey, Sr., raised both his son, Brother Donald R. Hey and his brother-in-law, Bro. Norman R. Croft the same evening and when Brother James H. Colton, Jr., was raised by his father, Wor. James H. Colton, he also joined his uncle, Bro. Samuel H. Colton in the Lodge. When Wor. Hadley Spear was raised by Wor. Chester T. Reed, the Charge was given to him by his father, Wor. Ernest A. Spear, a Past Master of Woodstock, Vermont Lodge No. 31; and when Bro. Clarence F. Baer was conferred the Master Mason degree by his father, Wor. Burton F. Baer, a Past Master of Federal Lodge of Chester, Massachusetts, he became the fifth and last son to be raised by his father.

R. W. Philip H. Warren, Jr., joined into the Lodge in which his father, Wor. Philip H. Warren had distinguished himself as Master. In 19S2 when he too was installed Master, his father occupied the Chaplain's station. When Wor. J. Gordon Mitchell was passed to a Fellow Craft, he received the second section of the degree from his father, Bro. James Mitchell who, although he had never served in line beyond Senior Steward, often filled in at any number of stations and was famed for his deliverance of the Charge. Wor. Charles B. Campbell joined into the Lodge of his father, Bro. Alexander B. Campbell and when Bro. Warren S. Snow was raised he became the third brother, with Bro. William M. Snow and Bro. Arthur P. Snow to belong at the same time.

Bro. Idof Anderson and his son, Wor. Idof Anderson, Jr., were raised together as were the two brothers, Bro. Rollins F. Robinson and Wor. Rupert H. Robinson, and when Bro. Harry Smith and Bro. Robert Smith were raised, they joined their son and brother respectively, Bro. Richard E. Smith.

EPILOGUE

Time has no divisions to mark its passage. There is never a thunderstorm or clarion of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year or a clapper and bell to knell the passing of an age. Today just brings tomorrow. Thus, there is only the finite, and tenuous, wisdom of a historian to piece out a hundred years of time and frame it with bells and trumpets. One thousand and seventy-three men framed our history and our one century of being calls for those due hurrahs.

Every man has had a part. When one bore his station with enthusiasm, we all shared the excitement; when another carried our banner so high as to make himself rare, we all reveled in his acclaim; when one failed, we all bore the blame; and when one succumbed to his frailties, we all felt the hurt.

Quinsigamond Lodge has known a membership larger than today. The Order itself also has. We are experiencing what is, perhaps, the contemporary reluctance to join. Whether the venerable tools of our profession need honing to meet the building needs of Freemasonry's future, is a question we and Lodges not as successful as we must face. We, each of the one thousand and seventy-three, have built our reputation; our inheritors must continue the pace.

Despite the hardships already surmounted and recognizing more that lie ahead, every single one of us can be proud to have been permitted to spend a few years in association with our fellow Brothers in Quinsigamond Lodge. Parallelling our years of Brotherhood were the country's years of uncertainty and conflict and the future cannot promise us otherwise. Thus, it is significant that in these years of events good and bad our Lodge can offer us a haven and make those few years a little nicer for us. If our Lodge has succeeded in doing only this, then we deserve this honor being paid for one hundred years existence.

Yes, yes; I am old. In me appears
The history of a hundred years.
Apprentices', Fellows' Masters' deeds and deaths;
Their different faiths and shibboleths;
Devotion, selflessness through my pages
Into another century presages.
Cold hearts beat hot, hot hearts beat cold,
And I beat on . . . and on . .. and on.

OTHER

  • 1873 (Jurisdictional dispute, 1873-128)
  • 1896 (Participation in corner stone laying of Worcester city hall, 1896-239)

EVENTS

CONSTITUTION OF LODGE, DECEMBER 1871

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXXI, No. 3, January 1872, Page 92:

QUINSIGAMOND LODGE. This is the name of a new and promising Lodge, located in the city of Worcester, which, having worked its year under Dispensation, was formally constituted by M. W. Grand Master Gardner, assisted by his Officers, on Friday P. M. the 8th of December last. The installation of its Officers followed the Constituting of the Lodge, and it is hardly necessary to say that both ceremonies were well and acceptably performed. At their conclusion, the Grand Master addressed the Brethren on their duties and responsibilities, wishing them every success in their new enterprise. The Lodge was then closed, and repaired, with their guest, to the Lincoln House and sat down to well spread tables for supper. The time being limited by the cars, but little was left for anything beyond the disposal of the rich viands upon the table. The officers installed are as follows:

  • Henry C. Wadsworth, M.
  • Seneca M. Richardson, S. W.
  • J. Marcus Rice, S. W.
  • Ransom M. Gould, T.
  • Wm. Strong, Sec
  • Eminel P. Halsted, S. D.
  • Harvey B. Wilder, J. D.
  • Rev. John Greyson, Chap.
  • Ossian L. Hatch, Marshal.
  • Jas.'L. Burbank, S. S.
  • Alfred D. Warren, J. S.
  • Silas W. Goddard, I. S.
  • Lewis L. Carpenter, Tyler.

GRAND MASTER VISIT, APRIL 1878

From Liberal Freemason, Vol. II, No. 3, June 1878, Page 93:

On the evening of Friday, April 6th the M. W. Grand Master, Charles A. Welch, accompanied hy the Deputy Grand Master, A. H. Howland, Jr., and other Grand Officers and brethren, paid an official visit to Quinsigamond Lodge, Worcester, for the purpose of witnessing an exhibition of the Work on the Third Degree. The Degree was conferred in a. manner to reflect the utmost credit upon W. Master David M. Karle, Senior Warden, Edward W. Ball, Junior Warden, Theodore C. Bates, and the efficient corps of officers. After the Lodge was closed, the Grand Master and his party were generously entertained at a banquet, at the Lincoln House, which was participated in by about seventy-five Brethren.

GRAND MASTER VISIT, MARCH 1880

From Liberal Freemason, Vol. IV, No. 1, April 1880, Page 31:

Grand Master Welch, accompanied by Past Grand Master S. D. Nickerson, recently visited the brethren in Worcester, where was discussed affairs of Grand Lodge, and notably the commutation of the tax. We learn that the visit gave much satisfaction to the brethren, and have no doubt that the result will be beneficial. The distinguished officials were handsomely entertained by Quinsigamond Lodge.


GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

OTHER BROTHERS


DISTRICTS

1870: District 11 (Worcester)

1883: District 18 (Worcester)

1911: District 21 (Worcester)

1927: District 21 (Worcester)

1931: District 22 (Worcester)

2003: District 23


LINKS

Lodge web site

Massachusetts Lodges