Difference between revisions of "Upton"

Revision as of 04:43, 19 December 2014

UPTON LODGE

Location: Cheshire

Chartered By: William Sewall Gardner

Charter Date: 06/08/1870 1870-124

Precedence Date: 03/11/1869

Current Status: Active

PAST MASTERS

REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

• Petition for Dispensation: 1869
• Petition for Charter: 1870

ANNIVERSARIES

• 1919 (50th Anniversary)
• 1945 (75th Anniversary)
• 1969 (Centenary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

• 1882 (Lawrence)
• 1916 (M. Johnson)
• 1930 (H. Dean; installation)
• 1945 (Wragg; 75th Anniversary; Special Communication)
• 1969 (Jaynes; Centenary; Special Communication)
• 1992 (Darling; installation)

BY-LAW CHANGES

1880 1881 1927 1933 1946 1952 1968 1969 1982 1990 2004 2006 2008

HISTORY

• 1919 ("History of Masonry in Northern Berkshire", at 50th Anniversary, 1919-523)
• 1945 (75th Anniversary History, 1945-210; see below)
• 1969 (Centenary History, 1969-230)

75TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, JUNE 1945

From Proceedings, Page 1945-228:

By Worshipful Zadoc G. Williams.

Upton Lodge came into being on March 11, 1869, under dispensation issued by the Most Worshipful Grand Master, which dispensation reads as follows:

Greetings.

Whereas a petition has been presented to me by sundry Brethren, to wit: R. M. Cole, H. C. Bowen, E. F. Nicker-son, P. A. Grotier, Wm. A. Pomeroy, Thomas McClelland, R. A. Burget, A. F. Bliss, E. T. Hunt and S. S. Lincoln, praying to be congregated into a regular Lodge, under the name of Upton Lodge, with permission to hold the same in the Town of Cheshire in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

And Whereas, such petitioners have been recommended to me as Master Masons, in good standing, by the Worshipful Master and Brethren of Berkshire Lodge holden in the Town of South Adams, Mass., and their petition having been countersigned and approved by our District Grand Master for the ninth district,
Therefore, I, William S. Gardner, Grand Master of Masons of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, reposing full confidence in recommendation aforesaid, and in Masonic integrity and ability of petitioners, do by virtue of authority of my office and of ancient Masonic usage, hereby grant this dispensation, authorizing and empowering our trusty and well beloved Brethren aforesaid to form and open a lodge after the manner of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, and therein to admit and make Freemasons according to ancient custom and not otherwise, and this Dispensation is to continue in full force until the Quarterly Grand Communication of our Grand Lodge aforesaid, to be holden in the City of Boston, in the month of June, A.D. 1870, unless sooner revoked by me or by authority of our said Grand Lodge,

And I do hereby appoint Bro. E. F. Nickerson to be the first Master, Bro. R. A. Burget to be the first Senior Warden and Bro. R. M. Cole to be the first Junior Warden of said Lodge, and it shall be the duty of said Master, Wardens and their associates and they are hereby required to return this Dispensation with correct transcript of all proceedings, and under the authority of the same together with an attested copy of their by-laws to our Grand Lodge aforesaid, at the expiration of the time herein specified, for examination and such further action in the premises as shall be deemed wise and proper, for the advancement of the general interest of the Craft.

Given under our hand and the seal of our Grand Lodge
 aforesaid this eleventh day of March, A.D. 1869.


Signed: William Sewall Gardner
Attest: Solon Thornton

The first communication of the Lodge was held on June 8, 1869. The records do not state where it was held, but at this communication applications were received from Francis L. Jenks, Wm. R. Lane and George W. Fisher. At this meeting also a committee was appointed to procure a suitable hall for the use of the Lodge and it was voted to hold the regular communications the second Tuesday in each month.

At the regular communication in July, 1869, it was resolved to use the By-Laws of Mystic Lodge while working under dispensation, the only changes being with reference to fees, dues and election of officers.

The first degrees conferred by the Lodge were at the regular communication held August 10, 1869.

From June 8, 1869, to May 10, 1870, regular communications were held each month and also during that time twenty-nine special communications were held, mostly for instruction and working degrees.

Between May, 1870, and August 9, 1870, no regular communications were held, but there were five special communications.

It is understood that the Lodge was named after Daniel Upton, who was District Deputy Grand Master at that time and instrumental in organizing the Lodge. He was one of the outstanding Masons in Berkshire County and was District Deputy Grand Master from 1869 to 1875. At a special communication held October 26, 1870, he presented the Lodge with a silver trowel.

On July 26, 1870, a special communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge was held at the Masonic Hall in Cheshire for the purpose of constituting Upton Lodge, installing its officers and dedicating its hall. Grand Officers present included Most Worshipful William Sewall Gardner, Grand Master, Right Worshipful Charles L. Woodbury, Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Ithamar F. Conkey, Senior Grand Warden, Right Worshipful John McClellan, Grand Treasurer, Right Worshipful Solon Thornton, Grand Secretary, Worshipful Rev. Charles H. Titus, Grand Chaplain, Right Worshipful William G. Grammer, Grand Marshal, and Daniel Upton, District Deputy Grand Master of the Ninth Masonic District. Visitors were also present from Berkshire Lodge of South Adams and Mystic Lodge of Pittsfield.

Upton Lodge was constituted in Ample Form, the officers were installed, the Charter presented and the hall was then dedicated. From 1890 to 1896 the activities of the Lodge seemed to be at a low ebb, as from the records often times there were only the first three officers and the Secretary present at the meetings. During that period only two members were admitted; since then, members have been admitted each year, with the exception of 1898, 1900 and 1932. The Lodge has had a total of two hundred and seven members and has at present seventy-six active members.

Upton Lodge was most fortunate in having one of its members serve as Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts — Herbert W. Dean. Brother Dean's application was received in the Lodge at the regular Communication November 10, 1896. He was elected and received his Entered Apprentice Degree December 8th, his Fellow Craft Degree on January 12, 1897, and his Master Mason Degree on March 9th. He was Junior Warden from December 14, 1897, to December 11, 1900; Senior Warden from December 11, 1900, to December 23, 1902; Worshipful Master from December 23, 1902 to December 24, 1904; District Deputy Grand Master of the 15th Masonic District, 1911-1912; Senior Grand Warden, 1922, and installed Grand Master in December, 1929. Masonry in Cheshire dates back considerably farther than 1869. To substantiate this, I have taken parts of an address given by Most Worshipful Brother Herbert W. Dean at the 125th anniversary of Mystic Lodge of Pittsfield in June, 1935.

In 1767, men from the Colony of Rhode Island and direct descendants of the men who followed Roger Williams to Rhode Island, purchased a tract of land in a comparative wilderness. This was known as the New Providence Purchase and was situated on the crown of a hill which they called New Providence Hill, now known as Stafford Hill. A flourishing little village with taverns, stores, churches and dwellings came into being. Cheshire, as a Town, did not exist until 1793, when it was formed from sections of four towns, one of which was New Framingham, now known as Lanesborough.

In 1794, twelve residents of Stafford Hill headed by Col. Jonathan Remington, petitioned the Grand Lodge for a dispensation to form a Masonic Lodge, with the privilege of meeting six months in Cheshire and six months in Lanesborough. It was voted by the Grand Lodge that they be indulged in the privilege of holding a Lodge in Cheshire, to be known as Franklin Lodge, and the other part of the prayer, insofar as meeting in Lanesborough, was incompatible with the principles which actuates the conduct and marks the proceedings of the Grand Lodge.

This was the first Lodge chartered in Western Massachusetts after the union in 1792. Previous to this, there had been two chartered by the Massachusetts Grand Lodge — Berkshire in Lenox and Stockbridge in 1777, whose charter was recalled in 1784 for failure to pay Grand Lodge dues, and Friendship of Williamstown, chartered in July, 1785.

Franklin Lodge continued to meet on Stafford Hill until June, 1800, when they again applied for permission to meet alternately three months in Cheshire and three months in Lane-borough. This time the request was granted and this procedure undoubtedly did much to increase the number of members from Lanesborough and vicinity.

In 1804, Calvin Hall, a member of Franklin Lodge, built a fine tavern in what is now the village of Cheshire, on the main stage road between Boston and Troy. Shortly thereafter, Franklin Lodge moved its meeting place to a large room on the south side of this tavern. This room was elaborately decorated with Masonic emblems painted on the walls by some unknown artist. After their discovery in 1921, some of them were restored through the generosity of Mystic Lodge.

OTHER

• 1895 (Centennial celebration of Evening Star Lodge, 1895-80)
• 1896 (Centennial celebration of Cincinnatus Lodge, 1896-166)

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS

• Eugene B. Bowen, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1915, 1916; N
• Alton B. Cassidy, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1984, 1985; SN
• Kenneth W. Chase, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1946, 1947; N
• Robert J. Ciempa, DDGM, District 30, 2006, 2007
• Herbert W. Dean, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1911, 1912; Senior Grand Warden 1922; Grand Master 1929-1931
• Ralph L. Getman, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1936, 1937; N
• Chandler M. Holmes, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1956, 1957; N
• William P. Martin, DDGM, District 14 (North Adams), 1905, 1906; SN
• Hollis J. Nuttall, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1976, 1977; N
• Frank S. Reynolds, DDGM, District 15 (North Adams), 1966, 1967; N

DISTRICTS

1869: District 9 (Pittsfield)

1883: District 14 (North Adams)

1911: District 15 (North Adams)

1927: District 15 (North Adams)

2003: District 30

LINKS

Massachusetts Lodges