USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Wilkes-Barre > A history of Lodge no. 61, F. and A. M., Wilkesbarr?, Pa. with a collection of masonic addresses > Part 2
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The military stores for Sullivan's expedition were being collected at Easton in April and May, 1779, and about the 20th of April General Sullivan sent an advance detachment of two hundred men, under Major Powell, to scour the country between Easton and Wyoming, and re-inforce the garrison of the old fort at the latter place. On the evening of the 22nd of April they arrived at Bear Creek, about ten miles from the fort at Wyoming. Here they encamped for the night, deeming themselves out of danger from an attack by the Indians.
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Early the next morning orders were given that officers and men should dress in their best apparel, their arms be newly burnished, and everything put in order to appear respectably on entering the Valley. The line of march was soon taken up, the musicians playing their liveliest strains. But when near the summit of the second, or Wilkesbarré mountain, by "the Laurel Run," the vanguard was fired upon by some Indians in ambush and six of the party were slain,-two of them being Captain Joseph Davis, of the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment, and Lieutenant William Jones, of a Delaware regiment, both of whom were Free Masons.
The bodies of the slain were hastily buried where they fell,* and the spot marked, and the same day Major Powell and his command reached the fort at Wilkesbarré.
Two months later, on the 23rd of June, General Sullivan arrived at Wyoming with the main body of his army, -- Colonel Procter's regiment of artillery with its Military Lodge accompanying it; and as they passed the place where Captain Davis and Lieutenant Jones were buried the Regimental Band played "Roslin. Castle"t in honor of their fallen Brothers. The following day was the anniversary of St. John the Baptist. It was the first festival-day in the Masonic calendar that had occurred since the formation of Colonel Procter's Lodge, and the Brethren met in conform- ity with the usual custom of Masons and held their festival
* By a small spring on the right side of the road, about one hun- dred feet below the present porter's lodge of Charles Parrish's mount- ain villa.
+ A song written by Richard Hewitt and first published in Herd's Collection, 1776.
"Of Nannie's charms the shepherd sung ; The hills and dales with Nannie rung; While Roslin Castle heard the swain, And echoed back his cheerful strain."
" Roslin Castle" was always played by the military bands when a dead soldier was borne to his grave. After the reading of Wash- ington's Farewell Address to the army in 1783 the bands struck up
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in Wyoming. The place of meeting was the tent of Colonel Procter, and there was read a sermon-patriotic and Masonic in sentiment-written by Rev. Bro. William Smith, D. D., Provost of the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, and Grand Secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. This, then, was the first Masonic Lodge held in the Wyoming Valley, and these the first Masonic services.
General Sullivan remained with his troops at Wyoming more than a month. General Sullivan was a distinguished Mason; and General Hand as well as Colonel Procter, and probably many others of the officers under Sullivan's com- mand, were Masons.
Before leaving the Valley it was resolved to bring the remains of Captain Davis and Lieutenant Jones from their rude graves on the mountain and re-inter them in Wilkes- barré, with appropriate military and Masonic ceremonies. On the 28th of July Brethren of Colonel Procter's Lodge, accompanied by the Regimental Band, proceeded to the mountain brow, where the graves of the slain were opened, their bodies raised thence with untold ceremonies and con- veyed down into the Valley. Here they were received by the Military Lodge and the regiments of Colonel Procter and Lieutenant-Colonel Adam Hubley, and by them were buried with military honors and the peculiar rites of Masonry in the
" Roslin Castle," and as the mournful strains lingered on the air the soldiers broke ranks for the last time.
The castle of Roslin is an ancient ruin near Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the seat of the St. Clair family, Lords of Roslin. Sir Walter Scott refers to it in one of his poems :
"O'er Roslin all that dreary night A wondrous blaze was seen to gleam ;
'Twas broader than the watch-fire's light, And redder than the bright moonbeam.
It glared on Roslin's castled rock, It ruddied all the copse-wood glen ; 'Twas seen from Deyden's groves of oak,
And seen from caverned Hawthornden."
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public burying-ground, near the Wilkesbarré Fort, which latter stood near where now stands the Luzerne County Court House. A rude stone, the best that could then be had, was subsequently placed over their remains, bearing this inscription :
"In memory of Capt. J. Davis, of the 11th Pennsylvania Regt., also of Lieut. William Jones, who were murdered by the savages on their march to the relief of the distressed inhabitants of Wyoming, on the 23rd of April, 1779. Erected by a friend."
The following account of this, the first Masonic funeral held in the Wyoming Valley, was prepared at the time by a Brother, and forwarded to John Carter, Esq., of Providence, R. I., who published it on Saturday, September 18th, 1779, in his Providence Gazette and County Journal: "Wyoming, July 3Ist, 1779. On Thursday last, the 28th inst., agreeable to previous determination, the bodies of our Brethren Capt. Joseph Davis and Lieut. William Jones, who were massa- cred by the savages near this Post on the 23rd of April last, were re-interred. This mark of respect we thought neces- sary for the following reasons: It being expressive of our esteem, and their not being buried in the proper grave-yard. The form of procession, being fixed on by LODGE No. 19, was as follows:
24 musketeers with reversed arms. 2 Tylers bearing their swords. A band of music. 2 Deacons with wands. 2 Brethren bearing Orders. The Holy Bible and Book of Constitutions supported by two Brethren. The Reverend Brethren.
The Worshipful Master, with the Hon. Maj. Gen'l Sullivan. Senior and Junior Wardens bearing their Columns. The Treasurer and Secretary. Past Master. The Brethren, two and two. Brothers of the army, two and two. 2 corps of drums muffled, and fifes playing a solemn dirge.
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"The Brethren were neatly clothed, with jewels, etc., and were in numbers odds of one hundred and fifty. Just as we arrived at the grave, an exceedingly heavy gust of rain coming up prevented the delivery of a discourse which had been prepared for the occasion by Brother Rogers. A short prayer being by him offered up, we then committed their bodies in Masonic form to the dust; afterwards three volleys of small arms were discharged. The Brotherhood were attended by the Pennsylvania Infantry, commanded by Colonel Hubley, as likewise by a great concourse of peo- ple,-both inhabitants and soldiery. The melancholy scene . was closed with that decorum usual among the Brethren, and the satisfaction of all the bystanders. A stone being prepared by our Brethren, Forest and Story, with a suitable inscription, was fixed at the head of their grave."
Two days after these burial ceremonies General Sullivan and his army left Wyoming. "As they passed the fort amid the firing of salutes, with their arms gleaming in the sun, and their hundred and twenty boats arranged in regu- lar order on the river, and their two thousand pack-horses in single file, they formed a military display surpassing any yet seen on the Susquehanna."* On the 18th of August the army was at Tioga Plains, and from the journal of Lieu- tenant-Colonel Hubley we learn that on "This day, by
* Major WATERMAN BALDWIN was one of Sullivan's scouts in the expedition. He was born in Norwich, Conn., January 8th, 1758. January 7th, 1777, he enlisted in the independent company of Captain Robert Durkee, from Wyoming, attached to the Connecticut regiment of Colonel John Durkee. His brother, Thomas Baldwin, was Third Sergeant of the company.
Waterman Baldwin was a leading merchant in Pittston, Wyom- ing Valley, for ten or twelve years, and was a member of LODGE No. 61, F. and A. M., having been initiated therein January 13th, 1796. He sold out his store in 1798 to Robert Falkner, and his dwelling house and land to William Slocum, and in 1799 removed to Elmira, N. Y. Being appointed Indian Agent by the United States Government, he took up his residence at Starkie, N. Y., and built a saw mill and established a store there. He was a remarkable shot and a great
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particular request of several gentlemen, a discourse was delivered in the Masonic form, by Dr. Rogers, on the death of Captain Davis and Lieutenant Jones, who were most cruelly and inhumanly massacred and scalped by the sav- ages, on the 23rd of April last. Those gentlemen were both members of that honorable and ancient Society of Freemen. A number of Brethren attended on this occasion in proper form, and the whole was conducted with pro- priety and harmony. The text of the preacher was ' Remem- ber that my life is wind,' from the 7th verse of the 7th chapter of Job."
Colonel Procter served as W. M. of his Lodge until the year 1781, when he was succeeded by General Hand. During the first year of the existence of his Lodge Colonel Procter paid from its fees to the charity fund of the Grand Lodge £150 sterling, which shows that its work and mem- bership must have been considerable.
In 1784 the Charter of the Lodge was surrendered, and its number given to a Lodge organized in Philadelphia by Colonel Procter and other Brethren, and which exists to-day as MONTGOMERY LODGE NO. 19.
After the war, Procter, then a General, resided until his death in 1806, in the city of Philadelphia. He was High Sheriff of that city for many years. He held the office of
hunter. Twenty-five years after the battle of Newtown (fought near Elmira, N. Y.,' August 29th, 1779) he and a nephew, his namesake, made frequent hunting expeditions over the still uncleared hills of that region, for the uncle was desirous that his nephew should inherit his skill with the gun, as well as his name. It happened one day that they were going over the scene of the battle. Baldwin's quick wood- man's eye recognized the place, and stopping, he looked keenly about him as though recalling the excitement of the struggle. Presently he touched the lad on the shoulder, and pointing to a fallen tree or log one hundred yards or so away, he said: "Hush, Watty, boy ! twenty- five years ago Uncle Wat shot an Indian between the eyes, who was behind that log yonder. Shot him between the eyes, my boy !" He raised his rifle as though taking aim again at the same object, and then added, "Let's go and see if we can find him." Followed by the
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Grand Marshal in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania for several years, and upon the death of General Washington he acted as "Master of Ceremonies" at the Masonic funeral ceremonies and procession held in Philadelphia. About the year 1800 General Procter owned certain large tracts of land in Luzerne county, and he made a business visit to Wilkes- barré. The records of LODGE 61 show that at the meeting of the Lodge held March 3rd, 1800, "Bro. Gen'l Thos. Procter, a visiting Brother," was present.
General Sullivan, who was an officer of signal ability and fidelity, was only thirty-seven years of age when at Wyom- ing. After the war he was elected to the United States Congress, then became Governor of New Hampshire, and subsequently a United States District Judge. He was the first Grand Master of Masons in New Hampshire. He died in 1795.
Previous to the War of the Revolution no Masonic Lodges existed in Pennsylvania north of Lancaster. After the close of the war many Lodges were established in the interior of the State, and in the Western part, but none in the North or North-east until the year 1794. In that year the Lodge at Wilkesbarré was organized .* Nearly fifteen years had then passed since the sound of the Masonic gavel
lad, and cocking his gun, he crept along toward the log precisely as he would have done if he had expected an enemy to spring out upon him. Arrived at the log he looked over it, but saw only a heap of leaves. He looked disappointed, until the lad suggested that they should try under these. They did so, and after a time came upon a skeleton. Right in the forehead of the skull, between the eyes, was a bullet hole. Young Baldwin carried the trophy home in triumph. About the year 1809, on account of ill health, Mr. Baldwin resigned his Indian Agency, sold out his business, and returned to Elmira, where he died April 21st, 1810.
* Lodge No. 65 was constituted at Great Bend, Susquehanna county, April 11th, 1795; Warrant vacated October 16th, 1809. Lodge No. 70, constituted at Tyoga Point, Luzerne county (now Athens, Bradford county), May 21st, 1798; Lodge still at work as Rural Amity No. 70. Lodge No. 82, constituted at Milford, Wayne county, April
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had been heard in "fair Wyoming," and during that period war had ceased, and peace and smiling plenty had made Wilkesbarré a fitting place in which to erect the first perma- nent Masonic altar in old Luzerne. At this time Wilkes- barré was a small village (there being only about one hun- dred taxable inhabitants in the whole township of Wilkes- barré), and it was the only regularly established post-town in Luzerne county. The territory of the county embraced about 5,000 square miles, and it had in the neighborhood of 9,000 inhabitants.
A petition from the Brethren at Wilkesbarré, “duly recommended agreeably to the rules and regulations," was presented to the Grand Lodge, convened in special session at Philadelphia, on February 18th, 1794; the prayer of the petitioners was unanimously granted and the Grand Secre- tary directed to make out a Warrant,* the said Lodge to be called "LODGE NUMBER SIXTY-ONE."} By virtue of this
20th, 1800; ceased work in 1845. St. Tamany's Lodge No. 83, con- stituted at Upper Smithfield, Wayne county, June, 1800; ceased work in 1829. Rising Sun Lodge No. 100, constituted at Bloomsburg, Col- umbia county, in 1803; ceased work October, 1823. Lodge No. 106, constituted at Williamsport, Lycoming county, March, 1806; still at work. Union Lodge No. 108, constituted at Wysox and Orwell, Brad- ford county, March, 1807; afterwards removed to Towanda, and now at work there. North Star Lodge No. 119, constituted at Clifford, Luzerne county (now Harford, Susquehanna county), in 1810; ceased work during the anti-Masonic crusade.
* The original Warrant is still in the possession of the Lodge. See chapter VII., post, for copy.
+ It was not the custom before the latter end of the last century, either in England or America, to give Lodges any distinctive names. The four Lodges which were found in practice in the south of England at the revival of Masonry were designated by the signs of the taverns where they were respectively held. In 1764 a list of the Lodges in England was printed by order of the Grand Lodge, and the Lodges were nearly all designated by a pictorial representation of the sign of the tavern where the Brethren met. When LODGE 61 was constituted, of all the Lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Penn- sylvania, only four had distinctive names; and one of those four- No. 50-was known as "the sign of the White Horse," Chester county, and was so designated in the printed register of the Grand Lodge.
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Warrant GEORGE SYTEZ, W. M., JOHN PAUL SCHOTT, S. W., PETER GRUBB, J. W., (the persons named in the Warrant), ARNOLD COLT, and ARCHIBALD WHITE, who were all Master Masons, and SAMUEL BOWMAN, a Fellow Craft Mason, assembled at the house or inn of Jesse Fell, at the corner of Northampton and Washington streets, Wilkesbarré, on the 27th day of February, A. D. 1794, A. L. 5794, "to take into consideration the business of the institution and the interests of the Lodge." A committee, consisting of the Master and Wardens, was appointed to form Rules and Reg- ulations for the government of the Lodge; and at a meeting held March 6th, the By-Laws recommended by the com- mittee were adopted .*
At the meeting held April 21st a committee was appointed to contract with Brother Schott for a room in his house for one year, for the use of the Lodge. At this same meeting the sum of "two dollars was voted to aid a worthy but indigent Brother."
On the 8th of May it was voted that Bro. Samuel Bow- man (who had been raised to the degree of a Master Mason) "be, and is hereby appointed Treasurer of this Lodge, to act as such till the first annual election;" and Bro. Arnold Colt, who was acting as Secretary, was appointed to con- tinue as such for the same period.
On the first Monday in June the Worshipful Master installed into office, according to ancient ceremonies, the Senior and Junior Wardens, the Secretary and Treasurer, and appointed Senior and Junior Deacons.
The first accession to the membership of the Lodge was by initiation on the Ioth of March, 1794. However, the Brother at that time initiated does not appear to have been very faithful to his vows and obligations, nor of much benefit to the Lodge, for we find that in May following his initiation
* See chapter VII., post, for copy.
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he was suspended from the Lodge, and charges were pre- ferred against him for unmasonic conduct. The charges were referred to a committee, who, in December, reported to the Lodge that they had "made inquiry into the Brother's conduct since his suspension, and find it has altered much for the better." The Brother "most humbly" begged the forgiveness of the Lodge and asked "to be admitted to his scat again as a member." The Lodge, "convinced that he would in the future behave himself as a Mason," unanimously agreed to restore him.
The first election for officers of the Lodge was held December 18th, 1794, when John Paul Schott was elected W. M. for the ensuing Masonic year, Arnold Colt, S. W., Joseph Duncan, J. W., Jesse Fell, Secretary, and Samuel Bowman, Treasurer. At this meeting it was voted to have a sermon delivered before the Lodge on St. John the Evan- gelist's Day, "and that Rev. Mr. Drake, of Wilkesbarré, be requested to preach the same, and that the Secretary inform him of the wishes of the Lodge and present him the Book of Constitutions." It was also voted "that Brother Fell be requested to provide a dinner for the Lodge on St. John's Day." On that day (December 27th) the Lodge met at ten o'clock A. M. at the Lodge room, where the officers were duly installed, and then walked in procession (ten members) to the Court House,* where a sermon was preached by
* The first Luzerne Court House was built of hewn logs, was two stories high, and about 25x50 feet in size. It was erected on the Pub- lic Square-on the site of the old fort which had been erected shortly before the Wyoming massacre-and was finished in 1791. The first story was used as a jail and jailor's residence. This building was moved to one side in the year 1801 to make way for the building of a new Court House. The old one was used, however, during the con- struction of the new, and on the completion and occupation of the latter was converted into the Wilkesbarré Academy. The new struc- ture, in the form of a cross, with a low tower and belfry, was modeled after the Frederick City, Md., Court House, and was declared to be "most elegant and convenient." Including furniture and fixtures it cost a little over $9,000. At the raising of the building thirty-two and
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LUZERNE COUNTY COURT HOUSE (1802-'56), Public Square, Wilkesbarré.
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Mr. Drake.t This was the first public demonstration by LODGE 61. From the Court House the Brethren pro- ceeded to the house of Bro. Jesse Fell, where they dined together.
In February, 1795, steps were taken towards the estab- lishing of a Masonic Library.
The Lodge was first represented in the sessions of the Grand Lodge at the Quarterly Communication held at Philadelphia, March 2nd, 1795. It was also represented at a special Communication held March 17th, 1795.
In May, 1795, the Lodge purchased from Samuel Pan- coast, Jr., [of Philadelphia ?] at an expense of $25, the necessary Jewels for the use of the Lodge.
November 2nd, 1795, Bro. Arnold Colt withdrew from the Lodge on account of his intended removal to a distance.
According to the returns of the Lodge now on file in the office of the Grand Secretary there were, or had been, in the Lodge from its beginning up to December 27th, 1795, twenty members,-including those named in the Charter or Warrant.
one-half gallons of whisky were consumed. This building, in its early days, served not merely as a hall for the courts of justice and court business. It was of a far wider and more varied utility. It was utilized as a. dancing academy and as a church; for the meetings of debating societies and political parties ; and at one time the basement was used for a meat market. For nearly fifty-two years the building stood in use as a Court House, and then it was torn down to make room for the present Court House, the corner-stone of which was laid with Masonic ceremonies on the 12th of August, 1856. (See chapter IV., post).
The old fort, referred to in the foregoing note, embraced about one- half an acre. It was square, built by setting yellow pine logs upright in the earth, close together, fifteen feet high, and surrounded by a trench. The corners were so rounded as to flank all sides of the fort. The gate opened towards the river, and they had one "double fortified" four-pounder gun for defense, and as an alarm-gun to the settlement. The Court House and jail of Westmoreland were within the limits of the fortification.
+ Rev. Jacob Drake, a Baptist minister, located in "the Luzerne District."
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In January, 1796, it was resolved to hold "Lecturing Lodges," to meet once each month for instruction in the work and landmarks of the Fraternity; and it was further resolved that every member living within three miles of the Lodge should "pay seven cents monthly to the Steward's fund, for the purpose of defraying.the expense of refresh- ments for said Lecturing Lodges." These Lodges were kept up for many years.
June 6th, 1796, Bro. Capt. George Sytez, P. M., withdraws from the Lodge, being about to remove out of the State. The Lodge was this year represented at the Quarterly Com- munications of the Grand Lodge, held at Philadelphia on March 7th and on St. John the Baptist's Day. By the Fall of 1796 the Lodge had secured a decent footing as to mem- bership, and nearly all its members were zealous and active in upholding and advancing the principles and interests of Free Masonry. There were, however, two or three of the Brethren who were negligent and inattentive, and the Lodge passed a resolution directing a certain Brother to be informed that "his name will be erased from the list of members unless he attends more frequently, or gives satisfactory rea- sons for absence." In December, 1796, we find that the Lodge was troubled and worried concerning another way- ward and derelict Brother, there being "divers complaints against the conduct" of the said Brother; "inasmuch as he very often intoxicates himself with strong drink, and useth much illiberal swearing and profane language, which is an injury to himself and family, a reproach to his profession as a Mason, and a great discredit to this Lodge;" whereupon a committee was appointed to treat with the Brother "in brotherly love, and also inform him that unless he makes an acknowledgment of his faults to the Lodge, and shows an amendment of his life and conversation, the Lodge will be under the necessity of denying him the benefits of the Lodge!"
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In June, 1797, the following communication was received from the Secretary of the Grand Lodge: "At a Quarterly Communication held March 6th, 1797, Bro. Israel Israel* communicated that a Lodge was said to be held in this city [Philadelphia] by a number of people of black color; that in consequence of an invitation he, together with several other Brethren, went to visit them last week at a house in Front street, where they were then holding a Lodge, as they called it, but that he found they were not acquainted with the mysteries of the Craft. On motion, the Masters of the different Lodges in this jurisdiction to be informed that it is the order of the Grand Lodge that none of the members of our Lodges visit the said pretended Masons of black color on pain of expulsion."
In October, 1797, the Lodge lost nine members (leaving about six or seven) owing to internal dissensions, and sus- pensions for non-attendance and non-payment of dues.
From April, 1794, to October, 1797, the meetings of the Lodge had been regularly held in an upper room of the house of Bro. John Paul Schott, which was on North Main street, near the Public Square, almost opposite the present "Luz- erne House." In October, 1795, the Lodge had agreed to give Brother Schott twenty dollars for the use of this Lodge- room, fire, and candles, from April, 1794, to that time; and "twelve dollars per year for the same thenceforth so long as the Lodge continues to enjoy them." On October 30th, 1797, the Lodge vacated the room, having been notified by Brother Schott to give up possession; and thereafter the meetings were held at Bro. Jesse Fell's inn until early in
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