USA > Washington DC > History of the Grand lodge and of freemasonry in the District of Columbia : with biographical appendix > Part 7
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CHAPTER VII.
DARK DAYS AND BRIGHT.
FIRST MERIDIAN -- THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT-FIRST MA- SONIC TEMPLE-FORMATION OF LODGES 8, 9, .
10, 11, 12, AND 13-THE ANTI-MASONIC WAVE-REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM- CORNERSTONES-NOTES.
"Truth forever on the scaffold; Wrong forever on the throne- Yet that scaffold sways the future; and behind the dim unknown Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own." -LOWELL.
THAT THE GRAND LODGE at this time had a by no means narrow conception of its duty as a promoter of the public wel- fare has striking illustration in the fact that there was laid before that body, November 5, 1822, a letter from Brother William Lambert, late of Lebanon, No. 7, accompanied by a printed copy of his report to the President of the United States made in November, 1821, relative to the longitude of the Capitol in the City of Washington, together with a sup- plemental report on the same subject made in the month of March, 1822, and presented as a testimonial of respect from the author, and upon the reception of which a suitable resolu- tion was passed, which was, at the meeting of May, 1823. amplified into the following :
WHEREAS, this Grand Lodge did at their last annual communication, held on the 5th of November last, declare "that the encouragement and diffu- sion of learning and science is among the objects embraced by the institu- tion of Masonry," and believing that the measures which have been, and
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may be taken for the establishment of a first meridian for the United States at the seat of their government ought to be supported, as tending to lessen, if not to remove, a dependence on Great Britain or other European kingdom, for such meridian; and also to disseminate among our fellow citizens the knowledge of a useful branch of science; therefore,
Resolved, That the members of this Grand Lodge will use such influence as they may possess, to induce the proper constituted authorities of this country to carry into effect a national object, in which the inhabitants of the District of Columbia, in common with the citizens of the respective States composing the American Union, must feel themselves materially interested.
At the meeting of May 4, 1824, a resolution was adopted taxing every brother who visited the Grand Lodge fifty cents, to be demanded of him at the door by the Treasurer unless the Grand Lodge saw fit to admit him without payment. This resolution, meeting with natural objection, was only in force until November 1, 1825, when it was repealed.
On May 4, 1824, also, the list of lodges was lengthened by the granting of a charter to Humphrey Peake, G. Thornton, Isaac Kell, and other Master Masons, residing in Alexandria, D. C., to form a lodge to be known as "The Evangelical Lodge of Alexandria, No. 8," the M. W. G. M., W. W. Seaton, previously stating that he had granted a dispensation to these brethren April 23, preceding. This lodge, coming into existence close upon the stormy period of Masonic per- secution, was not destined to survive, and became extinct in 1843. During its life the Grand Lodge at least once met in its room in Alexandria, in 1838, and it is of record that altho the constitutional hour of convening was 4 P. M., by reason of the delay of the boat in making the "voyage" it was 7 P. M. before the meeting could be held.
As we pass along the beaten track of history we cannot resist the temptation to take note of matters, trivial in them- selves and yet not without value as uncovering what to our eyes were unusual conditions, and among these we note that it was the regular custom of the Grand Master to retire from the meetings of the Grand Lodge, frequently for almost the entire time taken for the transaction of business, and return later
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with some pomp and circumstance, the Deputy Grand Master in the meantime officiating. Another custom, which obtained on occasion, was appealing from the decision of the Grand Master or acting Grand Master, when in the judgment of the members he was faulty in his interpretation of the constitu- tion or regulations, a proceeding peculiar to the period, wholly without warrant of ancient usage, and happily but compara- tively short-lived.
November 2, 1824, The New Jerusalem Lodge, No. 9, was chartered, the Grand Master having previously, on October 4, of the same year, granted a dispensation to said lodge on the petition of William Hewitt (Grand Master 1820, 21, 28, 29), Henry Whetcroft, Thomas Staley, and others, Master Masons. While starting with an unusually small charter list-but eight names appearing on the first return-this lodge has had a steady and prosperous growth and a brilliant career, and now ranks well up near the top in numerical and financial standing.
One of the customs of the Fraternity in this era, to which passing allusion has already been made, was the frequent for- mation of processions, and this ceremonious public appearance was not confined to funerals and cornerstone layings, as at present, but was usual in their attendance upon divine and memorial services and in public functions not strictly of a Masonic character. A not unusual occurrence was the forma- tion of a procession by a lodge or lodges, accompanied by the children from an orphans' home, a special feature of which was the collection of a voluntary contribution at the end of the march for the benefit of the institution, and it is gratifying to note that these offerings invariably netted a comfortable sum. Any public appearance, whether for a funeral or other- wise, was seldom made without the services of a brass band; but it must be remembered in this connection that carriages were rarely used, that luxurious method of performing a duty coming in with a later age. The obligation to attend the funeral of a deceased brother was properly considered of the first importance and as a result we find the record of numer- ous gatherings on all these occasions, no stress of weather.
--
MARMADUKE DOVE, GRAND MASTER, 1839.
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apparently, operating to prevent the brethren from being pres- ent and joining in the solemn march and simple rites that marked the passing of a Master Mason.
The history of Naval Lodge, No. 4, furnishes an instance of unusual and impressive conditions in the burial at 10 o'clock of a mid-winter's night, with the earth covered with snow, of the remains of a brother whose death from small-pox neces- sitated hasty interment under circumstances which must have stamped the occasion indelibly upon the minds and hearts of every one present, for given but the bare statement of the time and place, the character and purpose of the gathering, and it needs no master hand to paint the scene, but the most sluggish imagination easily conjures up the weird picture with all its awesome details.
As early as November 1, 1825, the Grand Lodge passed a set of resolutions commending the project of erecting a monu- ment to George Washington and pledging its active co-opera- tion and aid in that enterprise, and it is no exaggeration to say that the mammoth obelisk now for many years the pride of the country, owes its existence to the efforts of the Masonic Fraternity in general and the local craft in particular. In this connection it may be stated that Washington's birthday was for many years celebrated annually by the Masons of this jurisdiction with great display and oratory.
On November 1, 1825, the minimum fee for conferring the degrees was fixed at $20. Following the subject to its con- clusion, we find that on November 4, 1834, this sum was reduced to $15; was later raised to $21; again, in 1844, re- duced to $16; increased in 1850 to $21; in 1864 to $30; in 1867 to $40; in 1876 to $45, and in 1889 to $50, the present figure.
The event of paramount importance in the year 1826 was the laying of the cornerstone of the Masonic Temple at Four-and-a-Half (John Marshall Place ) and D Streets, N. W., an enterprise of great moment to the local craft, which, tho unhappily of disastrous termination, marked an era in our history, and is of such interest that a detailed account, not 5
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only of the ceremonies attending the event but the subsequent history and final loss of the building, is given in the chapter devoted to the " Meeting Places of the Fraternity."
On April 10 of the following year the Grand Lodge laid the cornerstone of the First Presbyterian Church, a few doors from the new Masonic Hall, and it is worthy of mention that it was only agreed to perform the function after the Church had obligated itself to pay all expenses. The accounts of the ceremonies show the occasion to have been a most brilliant affair, and an auspicious inauguration of one of our oldest and most influential church organizations. Practically un- changed exteriorly, tho somewhat modernized as to its in- terior, the building stands to-day as the home of the same congregation.
In this year Masonry took organized form in the old First Ward, Hiram Lodge, No. 10, located in the eastern edifice of the Seven Buildings, north side of Pennsylvania Avenue, be- tween Twenty-first and Twenty-second Streets, N. W., being chartered December 27, 1827, with Thos. Wilson as Master ; Thos. Smith, S. W., and Chas. G. Wilcox, J. W. This lodge, successful from the start, while changing its abode a number of times, has never wandered far from the vicinity of its first location, and has for a number of years had its home at the southwest corner of Nineteenth Street and Pennsylvania Ave- nue, N. W.
March 29, 1828, witnessed an unusual Masonic demonstra- tion in a joint procession formed by the Grand Lodge and Grand R. A. Chapter to testify to the high respect entertained by the Fraternity for the "exalted character and extensive usefulness" of De Witt Clinton, late Governor of New York and G. G. H. P. of R. A. Masons of the U. S. A., and the subsequent attendance in St. John's Church at a memorial service.
May 31, of the same year, the cornerstone of another church edifice in the immediate neighborhood of the new Tem- ple, Trinity Episcopal, was laid by the Grand Lodge. This church occupied the site now covered by the Columbian Law
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Building, Fifth Street, opposite Judiciary Square, and long since passed away, the congregation now meeting in a modern edifice at Third Street and Indiana Avenue.
At about the time of the inauguration of the building enter- prise by the Fraternity the great anti-Masonic wave, which had its origin in the alleged abduction and murder of one William Morgan, of Batavia, N. Y., a subject now so familiar to every Mason as to require no extended notice here, began to grow in volume and sweep over the country. By 1829, when Andrew Jackson, P. G. Master of Tennessee, became President, anti-Masonry had become a national issue, and for nearly a decade a political and even social persecution was waged that seriously threatened the life of the Fraternity in this country. Locally the force was felt to an alarming de- gree, and while a certain accession of membership was trace- able to the curiosity aroused by the advertisement given the society, yet many of the weak-kneed fell away, and the various lodges were often reduced to sore straits, and necessarily and sympathetically the Grand Lodge had a serious time to weather the storm. Under the stress Brooke Lodge, No. 2, went out of existence in 1833, Columbia in 1835, Union in the same year, while Federal surrendered its charter in 1836. Brooke Lodge and Union Lodge never revived, but Columbia came to life after thirty years, and Federal remained dormant but one year. It is a matter of tradition so well verified as to amount to history, that Naval Lodge, No. 4, during the height of the disturbance met secretly in the home of the Command- ant of the Navy Yard. Over in the West End it is interesting to note that the celebrated and eccentric itinerant preacher, Bro. Lorenzo Dow, who was neither ashamed nor afraid to avow himself a Mason, on May 10, 1830, when the excite- ment was at flood tide, addressed Potomac Lodge and a large number of visiting brethren on the subject of Masonry. This noted man and Mason died in 1834 and was buried masonically by Potomac Lodge. This lodge also felt the effects of the troublous times, and fell off in membership and interest to such a degree that in 1837 but five meetings were held, but a
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reorganization was effected in 1838 and an era of prosperity entered upon.
Before leaving the subject, some idea of the remarkable condition of affairs may be gathered from the fact that on Sunday, September 13, 1835, one of the usual processions, accompanied by and for the benefit of the orphan children from the Female Orphan Asylum of Washington, was organ- ized in "ancient form," after having been deferred from a previous date, according to the explanation of the Grand Mas- ter, "in consequence of the excited state of public feeling, etc." However, there were a sufficient number "left among the living to bury the dead," and, purged of dross, the Fra- ternity in a few years took a new lease of life which has since known nought but vigorous health and growth.
We have noted the fact that in 1821 full returns gave the aggregate membership as 219. By 1825, altho two new lodges had been instituted in the meantime, the rosters footed up but 227 names. With Hiram added, the rolls in 1828 reached a total of 273; but, owing to the fact that for a period extending from January 1, 1829, to November 4, 1845, no Grand Lodge proceedings were printed and the manuscript data now available is meager and incomplete, no satisfactory estimate can be ventured upon of the increase or decrease numerically during these years, but covering, as the hiatus does, the full period of the Masonic depression, it may be surmised that in point of numbers Masonry reached its lowest ebb in this locality somewhere within these dates, and, indeed, it is of record that absolutely no growth was experienced for the five years preceding the later date.
Struggling along under these adverse conditions, the Grand Lodge was in a continual state of financial stringency, owing not only to the depleted membership but to the inability to collect the fines, and the repeated neglect of some of the lodges to pay their dues, and the dissatisfaction engendered by this embarrassing delinquency reached its culmination in 1832, and led to the introduction of a resolution to recommend the consolidation of Lodges 1 and 3, 4 and 6, and 2 and 8. While
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FIRST "CENTRAL" MASONIC HALL, LATER KNOWN AS FREE-MASON'S HALL, FOUR-AND-A-HALF (JOHN MARSHALL PLACE) AND D STREETS, N. W.
Home of the Grand Lodge and several subordinate Lodges from 1827 to 1843.
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this resolution was subsequently " laid on the table," its intro- duction serves to show how grievous were the times upon which the Fraternity had fallen.
The period of Masonic depression referred to above did not, however, result in the complete withdrawal of the Craft from public demonstration, for in addition to the procession for the benefit of the Female Orphan Asylum already alluded to there were many other public appearances for similar charitable purposes as well as cornerstone layings, prominent among which latter was that of the United German Church. Twentieth and G Streets, N. W., August 12, 1833, and that of the Methodist Protestant Church, Ninth, between E and F Streets, N. W., in March, 1835, while on January 11, 1836, the cornerstone of Jackson City was laid by P. G. M. Wm. W. Billing, assisted by M. W. Brother Andrew Jackson, P. G. M. of Tennessee and President of the United States. Inaugu- rated under such auspicious circumstances this embryo city should properly have attained the largest measure of success, but in all charitableness we ring down the curtain upon its subsequent history.
At the very flood-tide of the great wave of persecution evi- dence is not wanting of life in the local Fraternity and of restless effort to resume all normal functions, and this spirit finds expression in an unsigned paper, bearing date of Janu- ary, 1836, which appears to indicate an abortive attempt to establish a " Lecture Lodge," the object being, it is fair to presume, mutual improvement in Masonic work and lore through the medium of lectures. In no spirit of mirth or criticism, but simply to retain the atmosphere of the docu- ment, unique from every point of view, we quote it literally :
Whereas Masonry has been of great use and benefit to mankind, and Whereas sundry breathern of the fraternity wishing to defuse and instruct each other in the usefull Knowledge of masonry and perfect each other in regular mode of working the have formed them selves into a lector Lodge and (whereas) rules are necessary for the government of all assembled bodies, There fore be it resolved the following rules be ad- dobted for the goverment of Washington Lector Lodge-
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1st. This Lodge shall be called Washington Lector Lodge.
2. The officers shall consist of Master S & J. Wardens Secry. & Tresurer S. & J. Deacons Tylers and conductor to be elected and appointed, as in a regular lodge, except the electtion and appointment to take place the first Sunday in each and every month.
3. The meetings to be held on each Sunday in the year at 2 olk in the afternoon.
4. All contributions to be levied by the Lodge to defray the expences thereof.
5. The same decorum shall be observed in this Lodge as in a regular Lodge, both to the officers and to the members.
6. Anny member absenting himself from the Lodge two sucksessive meetings shall be fined 12 1-2 c .- unless he give a sufficient excuse then the Lodge may by a majorty of the members present, may remit the fine,
7. No bro. who is not a member of a regular Lodge shall be allowed to visit this Lodge unless it be by unanimous consent of the members present.
8. A brother wishing to becoming a member of this Lector Lodge must make application in writing signed by two members of the Lodge and if the bro. is well known he shall be ballotted for and if there be not more than two black balls he shall be atmitted a member on his paying the sum of twenty five cents-but should there be three he shall, not be admitted at this meeting but his petition shall be referred to a committee as in a regular lodge and disposed of accordingly-and that the person blck Bolg during the time committee may be sitting shall state their reason to the committee.
On November 9, 1838, the Grand Lodge fell into line with the growing custom of resident representation, and De- cember 27, 1838, resolutions were adopted prescribing the rank of such representatives and their proper regalia, and empowering the Grand Master to make appointments at other Masonic seats of government during the recess, such appoint- ments to be submitted to the Grand Lodge at its next meeting for confirmation. Under this action the first exchange of representatives was with the New York jurisdiction, the Grand Master nominating and the Grand Lodge confirming the appointment of Brother Wm. C. Brumett, of that State. our resident representative to the Grand Lodge of New York, and official information being received of the appoint- ment of R. W. Brother Abraham Howard Quincy, of Wash- ington, as local resident representative on the part of the Grand Lodge of New York. The system thus adopted in a
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few years and for an extended period met with considerable opposition and was finally entirely lost sight of until revived in 1860 as a new thing, from which time, altho suffering much opposition for a number of years, it held on, and in the latter part of the century took its permanent and undis- puted place as a not only useful but necessary institution.
A rather peculiar variation from custom is shown in a communication from a subordinate lodge (Ark, No. 33, Gen- eva, N. Y.) to this Grand Lodge, in 1848, asking an exchange of representatives, which request was, of course, courteously declined.
The geographical location of the principal centers of popu- lation in the then District, constituting three, or indeed four, widely separated communities, with inadequate means of com- munication, led to the adoption in 1839 of a resolution to elect three Deputy Grand Masters-one for Washington and the Navy Yard, one for Georgetown, and one for Alexandria- with the understanding that when all three were present and the business required one of them to preside that the senior should have the preference. The first election resulted in the selection of T. J. Williams, for Washington; John Myers, for Georgetown; and I. Kell, for Alexandria. This arrange- ment lasted until 1846, when, Alexandria having been retro- ceded to Virginia, two Deputy Grand Masters were annually elected until the year 1848, when a return was had to the one Deputy system, which has obtained to this day.
While it is not within the province of this work to enter upon the field of jurisprudence or methods of transacting the business of the Fraternity, it is of sufficient general interest to state that the motion to lay on the table, now grown so abhorrent to us, was in the heyday of its popularity during the middle of the last century, and was sometimes, in the heat of vexing debate, given unusual form, as, for instance, in the Grand Lodge, in 1842, it was moved and seconded that a certain resolution be laid under the table, to which was of- fered a substitute by a Past Grand Master that it be " thrown out of doors." That a motion should be " thirded" was a
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quite usual occurrence. And while we linger for these short glimpses of the small things along the way which are not without their value to the complete picture, we might quote the rather stilted phrase of the period in reference to visita- tions : " The Grand Marshal formed a procession and made the grand initiation in accordance with ancient usages."
One of the methods of travel is indicated in a letter about this time from the Leesburg, Va., lodge, inviting the Wash- ington lodges to join them in a procession on St. John's Day, and as, in their opinion, music was indispensable for such an affair, they requested that "4 or 5" members of the Marine Band be sent up, and suggested that they might travel with the Alexandria Lodge in the canal boat.
With the demise of Evangelical Lodge, No. 8, which oc- curred in 1843, passed away the last Alexandria lodge hold- ing a charter from the District, the retrocession by the Gov- ernment to Virginia of the southern part of the original ten miles square occurring in 1846, and, of course, terminating our jurisdiction over Alexandria and vicinity.
As has been noted in detail in another chapter, the Fra- ternity, in 1843, finally lost title to Central Masonic Hall, Four-and-a-Half and D Streets, and for several years the Grand Lodge and several subordinate lodges were scattered, the former, with Nos. 1 and 7, finding a home at Twelfth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, and No. 9 in the old Circus Building on C Street, N. W. This separation gave rise to some controversy as to the ownership of the various belong- ings saved from the old Hall, and, while the final adjustment is of no moment, it is a matter of historical interest to quote the inventory made at the time, covering as it did practically all of the effects of the Grand Lodge and the centrally-located subordinate lodges :
Nine yellow chairs; 9 rods of Steward and Tyler; 1 small table, painted red; 1 small desk; 16 spit-boxes and 1 large chest with No. 35, Columbia Lodge, on it; 1 cupboard No. 7, and 1 picture, presented by Brother Coote to the Grand Lodge; 1 framed chart; 1 small master's carpet, complete; one triple chair; 3 lesser lights and sockets; 1 great light, No. 35, Colum-
CLEMENT T. COOTE, GRAND MASTER, 1834.
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bia Lodge; 1 Tyler's sword, No. 7; 1 water bucket and large letter G; 18 yellow broad-back chairs and 2 blue-bottom armed chairs at Brother Greer's office.
During this period of trial Potomac Lodge, No. 5, be- coming dissatisfied with the Grand Lodge, made persistent efforts extending through the years 1843-44-45, to withdraw from the jurisdiction and unite either with the Grand Lodge of Virginia or that of Maryland. This spirit of unrest was not wholly new, as the matter had been broached on several occasions before, notably in 1830, but the efforts lacked per- sistence and came to nought. After 1845 the lodge made no further efforts along this line and became, as it has since continued, one of the most valued and progressive members of the Masonic family.
The Fraternity now again began to move out from under the clouds which had so long hovered over it, and the year 1845 marked the birth of an era of prosperity.
In June of that year the Fraternity turned out in great numbers and formed a procession as a tribute of respect to the memory of Brother Andrew Jackson, then lately de- ceased, and proceeding to the Capitol, in company with a large assembly of citizens listened to an eloquent oration by the historian, the Hon. George Bancroft.
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