WOR CE STER M A GA Z I NE

223

Masonry in Worcester

It D ates B ack in the Heart of the Commonwealth to 1793 , and Now Ha s Over 1500 Members Here

F R E B Masonry in 'W orceste r of P ro vide nce in 180\ Boston 01' 13os10n ill 1806, New­
was fo u n ded by I sa iah Thom as, biuy port of Nc wb u rv por ], in 18()S . a nd W ashin g ton of
th e patriot p ri ntf' r , wh o "' HS the ~(·'.\vp o rL R . 1., ill 1814. I nstituted J>pe. 17, 1824, it
firxt ma st er of Morn ing' Star was the t hird conuu undcrv ill this S t Hh~ t o rec eive a
L odge, clun-ter ed M ilr l'il 11 , A. ch ar ter .
T!. :)798. "W ith t he excep t ion of In 1881 i t wa s removed t o Wo rces ter , hil t. it on ly
th re e v oars whe n Nathaniel st aye d h ere eleven v eHI'S. wh en it was tak en to S lItto n .
P a ine . ' \Yi l liam Ca ld well und \\"he r e its conc J ave~ \l erc h el d u n til ] 84:). It then
B enj am in An d r ews sa t in t he r em oved a se con d t im e to W or cester , an d hero i t ha s
East. h e occu p ied t h a t exa lted p lace unt il 1802 . U n ti l conti nue d t o m r et ev er s ince.
~ Ioll ta cllt e I,od ge \\' ;I ~ cha r te r ed .J une 9. A . L . 5S59 , In seve ral y ear s d u r in g' t he lll'igh t of th e a n ti-Mason ic
i\lol'llin g S tar was t he onl y b lu e lod ge in W orcester, an d cru sade n o meet in gs w ere h el d , a n d fr om 1828 to 1848
nianv of t h e in f an t cit vs 1I10s t d is tingui shed m en wer e th er e is n o record of an y w or k , Its t errito rial juris­
numbere d a mon g- i ts mem bership . T h e fir s t ma ster of di ct ion ori gi Il<lll." em braced t he r-nt i rc ce nt ra l p or t ion
~ ro n ta c l1t· (~ L od zo wa s Willi am of the S t at e lv in g be tw een t he
:\. Smith . who ' is sti ll li ving' at b ou udar- v lines of Cou ncct icut an d
8:>, ac ti ve, in fuu-nt ial, nnd hig'h ­ N"l' \\' n ;lm ll>J lirf' kn own as Wo r ­
1.1" resp ected by bo th m en a nd e('stp ]' Co u nlv , fro m wh ich fa d the
~ lasons . ('o Jl l m a n cll ' r ~' ohtai nod i ts name.
Athels tnn r iod ge, A . F. an d A . The orga n izntio n of JJ iIf orcl
Jl., was ch a r te re d .June 1:1, A. L. Co m m a ndor v at Xl ilf or d ill 1859,
:>8()(j. Il cn rv Godda r d heing' its and .Io rusale ru Co m rna nd erv a t
fi rst mast er . and th en r-am o Qni n ­ F i tchburg in 18 6:1, bot h ch il dren
siuumon d . the y onn g'cst bra nc h OJ I of , Vor crste" Cou nty C om rnau de i-v
the Mason ic ty pe. whic h s pr an g d l' PI\" la r srelv f rom its mem bershi p
into being: S e p t. 1,), A. L , fiS 7l, its a nd ma teri a ll v r ed uced -its ter ri ­
first master Iwin g- H enry 'W a ds­ t or y . It s ti ll.' how ever, reta ins its
worth. Wi th th e exce p lion of h is toric n aru o. and it s m emb ershi p
Worship ful B rot her S m i th, the h HS r ise n to 622 Si r K n ights.
past m as te rs of a ll t hese' lod ges Emin ent S ilo F'red J I. S ampson is
have ente re d into r os t . i ts p r esent E m i 1lC'1lt Cormua nd er ,
Besid es t h e b lu e lo d ges tllerp are a n d amo rur i ts m em bers h a ve been
two ch apte r s in W orc ester ,Vor ­ ma ny men d isti ngni shp ll ill t h e
cestcr R. j \ . and E u re k a 11. A. . on e p ol it u-al as well as t he Mason ic h is­
council of R ova l a nd S('lf'd Ma s­ tOl ' ~ ' of the Co mmo n wea lt h.
tors, Hi r am, a nd ,Vnr'l,pstpl' Cou nty 'l'h e officers nt th e h eall
Comma ndc rv of Kni gh ts 'l' Cll1 ­ of th e ot her J [nsonic bo d ies
plars, i' . xr. WJLL!.I)! ,I. >; ,111'1" 1]. III \V o l'f~ o st e l ' aI, thi s ti me a re
Th e Sc ott ish Rite hodir -s are -=' l o n t nclI k, I ~.-..., -:)~) ~o . as f ollows : J [orn ill g Stn r L odge.
nn !,\"Survivi n jr Pr ig-i n a1 \f 0 J's h i p fu l ~Ii.I "I (, I ·
n-presen ted by W orc cs tor TJoc1 gp 01 [lily worccs ier Lodge.
(:hal'l cs J\ ' :\ or m Hlld. 'V.M . :
of P orf ccti on : Godda n l Coun­
Xlontn cu tc Lodg·p. .:'I [('lI'iJic F .
r~ il. P ri nces of .I ernsa lern. a nd La w ren ce Cha pter
Tlca th, \v.Jr . : .t\ t holst »u L od!!(,. ,~YiJl i am 'l'ur ner.
or R ose C l'oix. 'I' herc a1'f' a lso a la r ge num ber
w .xr., Qu ins iua mon d , Freclrri r:k ' .t\ . ' Vh it e. \Y .:\! . :
of members in thi s l ' i t~ , lIf :\1;lSS<l clm set ts Cons ist ory ,
Worces ter R. A . C hup te r. W m. D. CIH1SP, :'[:.E :.
S :.P:.H :.8 :.
H:. P :, ; ElIl'l'lW R. J\ ' Ch np tl' r', (; porg'f' IT. Hnllen , M: .
\Vo1'e est er ClIu n t ." CO m l ll<l ll dpr~ ' . l ike mo s t snch or gan­ E:. H :,P :.: Jl inlill COlllwi l. H. nn d S . :' 1.. H pn ry A .
iza t ions, ha s h ad al l f'x t rc lliely int en:stin g- e;lr(:f'I·. I t "'as K ni gllt, 'J'.I. J I. ; ,Von'('s te l' Lod ge of Perfect ion, li e l1l'~ '
instit nt ed in t he n eig hh ol'in g' tl1\\" 1l of IToldl 'lI 8,) v ea l's L . C r er n. T .P .M .: ()o(l (1<ll'd C O III 1(~ il , Pri n cl'S of ,Jor n­
ago, A , 0, 70(;, a nd " 'a s t he fif th l ~o ll1 m anll e l'~ ' OI' gn ~l i7. e d salem , f';(lII'ard .1. S;ll' tell l:, S.P. ; T"l \\Tl'fWe Ulw r 1er of
in tlli s j nr isd ictio n, bei n g' prc('r ded oilly h~ ' S t. .Joh n's Hose CI'lIix , Charl e::; E. l h l\' is, l\ f. W . ~ r.

TW O AI'I: I I,:'\"1' L .\ :- JH IARK;';- OLIl MASONIC HALL 11 ~ J> TOW N HOl;S E : BOTH OCC i' PIED BY MOR NTNl : S'L l n LOI) (:E I'RIOf: T O ] ~~8.
 ......, ....... ...L.....t..J..lJ ..1..'-1... ...(1 \.Jl Ll... L.j
.1. .J..'I: xu

1R.5f;--IULlJ O ]JLO CK , MAJ N ~ TJt E ET- 1 ~i . under a di sp en sation fr om Gr an d Master Augustus

Peabody , the craf t were ca lled from refresh me n t t o
labor, and Morning Star r esum ed oper a ti ons, h irin g a
hall from Brother .T ohn Green , M .D., on the west side
of Main S treet ncnr-ly opposite Cen t r a l Street , f or th e
magnificent sum of $2;} a y ea r .
In J 846 Mornin g' Star removed to th e hall of Dr.
B enj . H. H eywood, and h ere th ey stay ed until Waldo
H all was llec1il'all'd .Tan. 20, 18 57, wi th 'M ason ic cer e­
mo ni es . 'l'hi« hall. a hall in th e 'W or cester Nation al
Bank bnilrl iug 0 11 Foster S tre et , occu p ied by Montacute
]Joclge, a nd th e I H'esent, temple on P earl Street , comp ris e
the homes that Worl'cster M asou ry h as occupied in the
11 6 ye a rs th at it has heeu in existe nce . III this p eriod
the or de r ha s g r own fr om 11 m em ber s to 1569 affili ated
Masons, and from one small lod ge m eeting' ill a n obscu r e
['00111 to one of lh e uroxt imp ortant l\ la son ic «en tres i ll
Ne w .Eng1an d,
W orc ester :'lasolls played a p romineut pa rt ill secur­
in g' th e lo ca t ion ol' th e I WIV Mas oni « horne at Overlook
i ll t he n eighboriu u town of Charlton , an d i t is a so urce
of much comnat ulut ion t o th e frat e.-nity here th a t so
id eal a site a ud so p crfect a place ha s heen d esi gn ated f or
this m odel in stitution so close t o t he H eart of the Com­
monwenlth. A parti cularly fin e p icture of t he home
a p pe ars in connection with thi s arti cl e.
)SG i -~ L\ SO),' 1<: TF.~II'LE, I' Ll Ill, S T n E E T- 1 !lO~ .

1 ~6 1- R , \ N I ; 1\[,( '( ' 1; , HIC'TR I : C' T H I': E T- 1~(;i ,

'I'h e 'Mason ic Ira terni t.v in Worcester ha s at vari ous

tim es occu p ied man y cl i ft:('r eu t q u a rte rs . some of them
far from elabor ate and s uita ble a ccordin g' t o present day
sta nda r ds , In the ea rly h istory of Ma sonry such a thing
as p erman ent h cadqu avtor s wa s unkn own.
Th e fir st Masoni c connnuui cati on in Worcest er was in
th e h ouse of Ephra im MO\I"CT' , kn own as th e old l lJiitecl
States Arm s, wh ich st ood on lh c south corne r of Ma in
an d Mech anic S treets, Broth el' Mower bein g p aid s ix
pound s a, year f or th e use of hi s ap artm ents by t he
br ethren of Mo rnin g S till' Lo dge, The da te of th e firs t
meetin g wa s F eb. 8 , 179:3.
S11bsequ en tl y Mornin g Sta I.' lodsred in a " Ne w Hall,"
so calle d , b ut it wa s no t until ] S~l, a f ter sev er al r e­
111 0"<'S , tha t the cr af t f ound qu art ers in a ny way sui ta ble
f or th eir purposes. In that y ear they m oved into a
hall in a bu ild in g er ec ted by ,Je ded inl1 H eal ey in th e re ar
of wha t is now B arn ard , S um ne r & Pu tnam Co 's ,
Th en ce the y r emoved in 18:2;) to th e 'I'o wn H onse, whi ch
was th eir hom e wh en, in l S ~ S. th e grea t An t i-Ma soni c
stor m broke over New En gland. Pi ctures of both these
old buildin gs are sho wn .
From 1828 to 1842 no Ma soni c work wa s do ne in W 01' ­
cester , no ca nd id a tes were r ai sed a nd n o balls wer e
occup ied . If the m em bers m et a t all it was sec re t ly, an d
the charter of Mornin g S tar lav dorm ant. In 1842 , B L UE ROO ~ l- ~ I. I SO N I C T E ~ IPLE ,