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 JItliaca, New fork 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 BENNO LOEWY LIBRARY 
 
 COLLECTED BY 
 
 BENNO LOEWY 
 
 1854-1919 
 
 BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 
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 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030289494 
 
ALBERT STILLMAN BATCHELLOR. 
 
AN 
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 
 
 AT 
 
 LEBANON, N. H., 
 
 ON THE OCCASION OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE 
 
 CENTENNIAL OF FRANKLIN LODGE, 
 
 No. 6, F. AND A. M., 
 
 MAY 13, 1896, 
 
 BY 
 
 ALBERT STILLMAN BATCHELLOR. 
 

 ^ . t / 7 1 2.tr 
 
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION 
 
 AS 
 
 AN ELEMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT 
 
 • OF THE 
 
 NEW ENGLAND TOWNS. 
 
 An ancient and honorable fraternity celebrates today a 
 notable anniversary ; it erects a commemorative mile- 
 stone where two centuries meet ; it seeks wisdom and 
 guidance for the future in a review of the historic past. 
 
 The beginnings of Freemasonry in Lebanon are almost 
 contemporaneous with the beginnings of the town. The 
 institution, however, has its individuality and its sepa- 
 rate history, which may well be considered in the 
 abstract, and it has, at the same time, relations with the 
 progress of the municipality. From the community it 
 has taken character, and with the community it has 
 advanced in honorable achievement. These relations 
 are appropriate for consideration on this occasion. 
 An institution necessarily takes to itself some of the 
 featuires of its environment. Therefore, in the review of 
 the century, which is made a feature of this day's exer- 
 cises, the fraternity cannot fail to pay homage to the 
 towns and people, with whom the Lodge had its original 
 establishment and its later development. 
 
 Whether we consider Hanover, the birthplace of the 
 Lodge, or Lebanon, the place of its permanent abode, the 
 
municipality has a character and repute among the towns 
 of this valley which are worthy of high encomium. 
 They are both among the most perfect types of the New 
 England town. They were both possessed and estab- 
 lished as organized communities soon after the termina- 
 tion of the French and Indian Wars, by men and women 
 whose superiors as state makers have never been known 
 since the dawn of civilization succeeded the night of 
 barbarism. Freemasonry was introduced in this region, 
 and a I^odge, Chapter, Council, and Commandery, for the 
 exemplification of the rites of the institution, were estab- 
 lished by these same sturdy pioneers and their immediate 
 successors. Under whatever forms and organizations its 
 principles have been perpetuated, the stable and pro- 
 gressive character of that old stock is unmistakably rec- 
 ognized in the two establishments of the fraternity, 
 Franklin lyodge and St. Andrews Chapter, with whom 
 we now take a retrospect of the past and contemplate the 
 future. 
 
 fre;emasonry established in the province of 
 new hampshire. 
 
 Some of the adventurous spirits who led in the 
 English colonization and commerce of the Atlantic plan- 
 tations were custodians of the rites of Freemasonry. An 
 authorized Lodge is recognized at Boston as early as 
 1733, and another at Portsmouth in 1736. A long period 
 of war and political commotion intervened between these 
 dates and the conclusion of the War of the Revolution. 
 In such times it might not be expected that an institution, 
 having for its great objects "the restraint of improper 
 desires and passions, the cultivation of an active benevo- 
 lence, and the promotion of a correct knowledge of the 
 duties we owe to God, our neighbor, and ourselves," 
 would find the general temper and disposition of men at 
 all congenial to its advancement. Until the reign of 
 peace was permanently restored, Freemasonry seems to 
 
have accomplished little in the direction of organized 
 extension in this state. The Masonic spirit, however, 
 was abroad, and a knowledge of the rites was dissemi- 
 nated. Lodges in the towns which had become impor- 
 tant as military centers, and the army Lodges, enter- 
 tained and initiated oflBcers and statesmen from widely 
 separated places of permanent residence. Such centers 
 were New York, Albany, Boston, and Portsmouth. 
 Under these conditions and under the promotion of 
 men who had naturally become prominent in social con- 
 cerns, as they had been in military enterprises, and as 
 they continued to be in civil affairs. Lodges were 
 founded and patronized wherever progress and prosperity 
 were moving with equal step. The St. Andrews Grand 
 Lodge at Boston was the foster parent of the new organi- 
 zations of the craft in the upper Connecticut valley. In 
 this state, five Lodges preceded the Grand Lodge, which 
 began its organic existence in 1789, with John Sullivan, 
 the eminent soldier and statesman, as Grand Master. 
 
 MASONIC ORGANIZATION IN THE UPPER VAI,1,EY OF THE 
 CONNECTICUT. 
 
 It is familiar knowledge that twice in the Revolution- 
 ary period, first in 1778 and again in 1781-2, the towns 
 of Lebanon and Hanover had formally given their 
 allegiance to Vermont, and regarded themselves as a 
 part of that state. Many other towns on the easst side of 
 the river were in the same political attitude. In exam- 
 ing the antecedents of the early craftsmen of Lebanon 
 and Hanover, it will be observed that a reference to 
 these political conditions is relevant. The first Lodge 
 established in the New Hampshire and Vermont valley 
 of the Connecticut was in fact at Charlestown. The 
 original petition for the charter was dated at "Cornish, 
 Vermont," Nov. 8, 1781, and the request was for a 
 Lodge at "Cornish, Vermont." The location fixed in 
 the charter was Springfield, Vt. ; the name given was 
 
Vermont lyodge. This instrument was dated Nov. lo, 
 1 78 1, and was issued by the St. Andrews Grand I/odge 
 of Massachusetts, to which the petition had been 
 addressed. (Early Records, Grand Lodge of Vermont, 
 p. J.J Among the charter members were Col. John 
 House of Hanover, a prominent officer in the Revolu- 
 tion ; Col. Timothy Bedel of Haverhill, a distinguished 
 soldier and pioneer of this valley, whose name is on the 
 roll of Union I/odge, No. i, of Albany, N. Y. ; Col. 
 Ebenezer Green of Lyme and Thetford, a captain of 
 Bedel's Regiment and lieutenant-colonel of the Twelfth 
 Regiment of Militia; Lieut. John Payne, Jr., a soldier 
 of the Revolution and noted inn-keeper of Hanover ; 
 Lieut. Thomas Bingham of Lebanon, who had served 
 honorably in the Eighth Connecticut Regiment, a farmer 
 by vocation ; Nathaniel Hall of Lebanon, a lieutenant of 
 Chase's Regiment ; and Dr. George Eager of Hanover, 
 surgeon of Bedel's Regiment, also of Union Lodge, No. 
 I, of Albany, N. Y. The first meeting was held at the 
 inn of Abel Walker in Charlestown, Nov. 29, 1781. Dr. 
 George Eager was one of the five brethren present at 
 this assembly. The 18th of December the Lodge met 
 and elected officers. John House was chosen Junior 
 Deacon. The work of Vermont Lodge continued from 
 its organization at Charlestown from 1781 to Aug. 20, 
 1788. It was removed soon after this date across the 
 river to Springfield, Vt., in accordance with a mutual 
 and friendly agreement of its brethren for an equitable 
 division of property and membership. 
 
 Faithful Lodge, as a part of the arrangement, was 
 chartered by Massachusetts authority, Feb. 2, 1788, to 
 take the place of Vermont Lodge at Charlestown. Several 
 who obtained degrees in Vermont Lodge in this period 
 were of Hanover or Lebanon. Among these were Moses 
 Emerson, April 3, 1782; Eleazer Wheelock, July 4, 
 1782 ; James Wheelock, Oct. 2, 1782 ; Manoah Hubbard^ 
 June 25, 1784; Abel Holden, Dec. 6, 1786; Lemuel 
 
Hedge, Jan. 3, 1787; and perhaps others. It is signifi- 
 cant of the absence of sectarian spirit in this Lodge, that 
 Rev. Ranna Cossit of the Church of England served 
 prominently in its ofiBcial stations, and the distinguished 
 Congregationalist, Rev. Bulkley Olcott, pronounced his 
 scholarly sermons before it on its occasions of public 
 celebration. The standing of its members in public 
 affairs is also notable. They were the governors, 
 judges, and legislators of the two states, patriots of the 
 military service of the Revolution, foremost among the 
 builders of the sta^ of Vermont, and devoted and self- 
 sacrificing co-laborers in the cause of American inde- 
 pendence. 
 
 DARTMOUTH LODGE AT HANOVER. 
 
 The establishment of Faithful I^odge at Charlestown 
 was followed by that of Dartmouth I^odge at Hanover, 
 whose charter bears date Dec. 18, 1788. Both were 
 under Massachusetts authority and respectively the 
 fourth and fifth in New Hampshire. 
 
 It appears from the records of the Massachusetts 
 Grand I/odge that the subject of a Lodge at Hanover 
 was brought up on a special occasion at the Bunch of 
 Grapes, Dec. 18, 1788. The Report (Proceedings 1733- 
 1792, p. 353) proceeds as follows : 
 
 "Bro. Lowell in behalf of Davenport Phelps presented 
 a Petition Signed Beza Woodward and others, praying 
 for a Charter of Dispensation, for a Lodge to be Estab- 
 lished at Hanover, in the state of N : Hampshire under 
 the Title and Designation of Dartmouth Lodge. 
 
 On motion of Bro. [Paul] Revere — Voted, that a Com- 
 mittee of Five be appointed, Bros. Revere, ScoUay, Cabot, 
 Dexter and Hunt were chosen to Examine into the Busi- 
 ness. The Committee having proceeded on the Sub- 
 ject, reported the Propriety of a Charter being Granted. 
 Agreeably to the Prayer of the Petition — ^provided the 
 Fees and Charges are paid down. A Charter was 
 accordingly granted. 
 
• 2,, 
 
 lb— 
 
 . 
 
 14— 
 
 , 
 
 8— 
 
 • 
 
 6— 
 
 £^. 
 
 4— 
 
 8 
 
 Received of Bro. Davenport Phelps 3 Guineas for said 
 Charter and Paid as follows : 
 
 (Cash p"! Dexter G : T : 
 d" Sec3™ fees . . , 
 d° Writing Charter 
 d° Tilers fees . . 
 
 Jn" Jackson G: Sec^. " 
 
 This identifies Prof. Bezaleel Woodward as the first 
 petitioner for the I/odge and presumably he was promi- 
 nently named as a charter member. 
 
 It is not supposed that the records of Dartmouth 
 Lodge are in existence, and our information concerning 
 its work and membership is very meager. It naturally 
 drew its patronage from the populous towns of the 
 vicinity. Its rolls would doubtless show a preponder- 
 ance of members from Hanover and lycbanon, and would 
 add much interesting material to the Masonic personals 
 of this region. 
 
 In the History of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, by 
 Rev. T. M. Harris, we find the following: "A petition 
 was read from a number of brethren for the establish- 
 ment of a Lodge at Hanover, New Hampshire, where- 
 upon, voted, Dec. 18, (1788), that a Lodge be granted 
 under the name of Dartmouth Lodge. " 
 
 Preston on Masonry, edited by George Richards, 1804, 
 gives additional information. This author says: "This 
 was the last Lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of 
 Massachusetts within the state of New Hampshire." 
 "The Dartmouth Lodge was kept up but a short time; 
 at its dissolution the funds and regalia were lost in the 
 same manner as those of St. Patrick's (of Portsmouth) 
 were, for the want of a Grand Lodge to claim them. 
 The Massachusetts Grand Lodge disclaimed jurisdiction 
 in New Hampshire, after a Grand Lodge was formed in 
 
9 
 
 that state ; and Dartmouth I/odge had never acknowledged 
 the jurisdiction of the Grand I,odge of New Hamp- 
 shire. " 
 
 Why Dartmouth Lodge did not recognize the authority 
 of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire cannot be defi- 
 nitely stated. As a possible explanation it might be 
 surmised that some of the old antipathies of the Vermont 
 controversy still lingered in the minds of the men of 
 influence in Hanover and Lebanon, and the establish- 
 ment of a superior Masonic authority in the eastern part 
 of the state might have stirred some of the smouldering 
 embers of the recent* conflict between the valley towns 
 and the Portsmouth party. There is indication of a 
 definite sentiment on the subject of a transfer of the 
 Masonic capital from Portsmouth to Concord, or some 
 other central point, at a much later period, in a commu- 
 nication from Franklin Lodge, now in the files of the 
 Grand Secretary, dated Sept. 24, 1807. It is quite 
 evident that some potent cause operated to the disad- 
 vantage of the Lodge and served to bring its career to a 
 premature conclusion. 
 
 PRANKI,IN I<ODGE AT HANOVER. 
 
 One hundred years ago the valley towns had become 
 well accustomed to the relations with the state of 
 Vermont on the one side and New Hampshire on the 
 other, which resulted from the settlement of the bitter 
 and long protracted Vermont controversy. A long 
 period of peace and prosperity had been ushered in. 
 Invasion by foreign foes, Tory intrigue, Indian depreda- 
 tions, and local commotion were affairs of the past. 
 With returning prosperity, success was assured for social 
 enterprises and associations which commanded popular 
 approval. In the year 1796, Franklin Lodge was founded 
 under the most favorable auspices for individual improve- 
 ment, for social advantages, and for the cultivation of 
 sentiments of morality, fraternity, and charity. At the 
 
10 
 
 quarterly communication of the Grand I/odge, April 27, 
 1796, upon tlie petition of a number of brethren at 
 Hanover, dated April 18, 1796, to be erected into a 
 I/odge by the name of The Franklin I^odge, a charter 
 was granted. The petitioners were James Wheelock, 
 David Curtis, Abel Holden, I^emuel Hedge, Joseph 
 Julian I/egonidec, Simon B. Bissell, Eleazer Wheelock, 
 Melchior Strohn, Abraham Hedge, Josiah Dunham, and 
 Manoah Hubbard, Jr. 
 
 The first meeting of the brethren who promoted the 
 establishment of the Lodge was held, according to the 
 record, in Mason's Hall, in Hanover, April 3, James 
 Wheelock serving as Chairman, Josiah Dunham as Sec- 
 retary. David Curtis, Abel Holden, Abraham Hedge, 
 Joseph J. lyegonidec, Melchior Strohn, Jedediah Baldwin, 
 John Hall, John P. Jennison, and Levi Parks were in 
 attendance, and all appear to have been at that time 
 Master Masons, except Jennison and Baldwin, recorded 
 as Pellow Crafts, and Hall and Parks as Entered 
 Apprentices. The names of the last four, of course, do 
 not appear in the charter. With the first seven named 
 in the record of the preliminary meeting, we find the 
 addition of Lemuel Hedge, Simon B. Bissell, Eleazer 
 Wheelock, and Manoah Hubbard as charter members, 
 eleven in all. All these names, except Hall and Parks, 
 reappear in the list of officers and members at the first 
 organization of the Lodge. Stephen Hopkins is an 
 added name. The charter bears date April 29, and the 
 Lodge was consecrated and the officers installed by the 
 Grand Lodge May 22. The work thus auspiciously 
 inaugurated continued uninterrupted until June, 1817. 
 At the session of the Grand Lodge for June, 1816, the 
 last year of the administration of Hon. William H. 
 Woodward as Grand Master, a petition was presented for 
 the transfer of The Franklin Lodge to Lebanon. The 
 proposition was not approved, possibly by reason of the 
 disposition of the Grand Master towards it. The next 
 
11 
 
 year, however, it was renewed and tlie removal was 
 permanently accomplisHed. Tlie Worshipful Masters of 
 the l/odge had been in the order named, James 
 Wheelock, Josiah Dunham, Rufus Graves, Benjamin 
 J. Gilbert, William H. Woodward, James Howe, 
 Thomas Brigham, James Howe, Aaron Wright, James 
 Poole, Henry Hutchinson, and James Poole, with terms 
 of continuous service of from one to three years. The 
 method and style of the records is noteworthy. They 
 are always accurate, and not infrequently made graphic 
 by quaint descriptijfe passages. The following para- 
 graph appears in the first year's record in the account of 
 the public celebration of St. John's day : 
 
 "At two o'clock the fraternity moved in beautiful 
 procession to the meeting house, where an oration was 
 pronounced by Bro. Dunham, and prayer performed by 
 the Rev. Professor Smith. The music on this occasion 
 was excellent. After the exercises, the procession 
 returned to the hall, partook of an elegant repast, 
 and returned in due season, the day being spent in 
 peaceful harmony and decent merriment. " 
 
 On a similar occasion in 1800, we read : 
 
 "From Mason's Hall the procession proceeded to 
 Deacon Dewey's Coffee House where with rational con- 
 viviality, partaking of an elegant repast and drinking a 
 number of toasts. Masonic, patriotic and moral, with the 
 utmost order and harmony they ended the day amid the 
 feast of reason and the flow of soul. " 
 
 The causes which moved in the change of location in 
 181 7 are not apparent at this date. It was a time of 
 general prosperity with the institution, and the removal 
 was the result, doubtless, of local considerations. The 
 controversy between the college and the university had 
 developed at this time into a serious conflict, in which 
 politics and other issues were involved. Such a state of 
 affairs may have generated divisions in the I^odge. As 
 to this, the suggestion is purely speculative. The 
 
12 
 
 removal of the Lodge left the Chapter in Hanover, and, 
 by giving I/cbanon the responsibility for the other, pro- 
 moted a division of the labor of maintaining regular 
 organizations and ritual work, which, presumably, was 
 advantageous to both bodies. The final removal of the 
 Chapter to Lebanon in 1831 indicates that in the dark 
 days of that Masonic epoch the Masonic sentiment was 
 stronger in Lebanon than in Hanover. 
 
 Once before the Anti-Masonic period, in 1818, and 
 after the removal of Franklin Lodge, and again in 1864, 
 petitions were presented for the establishment of a Lodge 
 at Hanover. The name suggested for the new Lodge in 
 1818 was Harmony, and for that in 1864, Dartmouth. 
 
 THB LODGE AND THE COLLEGE. 
 
 The prominence of Woodward, Dana, and the 
 Wheelocks in Masonic affairs, at least in the early life 
 of the Lodge, is evidence of friendly relations between 
 the Masonic orders and the college. Mr. Woodward 
 was the college treasurer, and Professor Dana a promi- 
 nent instructor. The student membership is a noticeable 
 feature in the progress of the Lodge. Between 1796 and 
 18 1 2 not less than one hundred and fifteen students of 
 the college, who are entered in the graduate list, were 
 received in the Lodge in a total of 209 Lodge accessions. 
 If lists of non-graduate students were available for com- 
 parison, a still larger list of student Masons might be 
 identified. From 1812 to 1827, when the suspension of 
 this branch of the Lodge work is disclosed by the record, 
 only nine student names are recognized, and apparently 
 they were residents of the immediate vicinity. It may be 
 that in the later period of the Wheelock administrations, 
 provisions were incorporated into the college laws which 
 would account for the cessation of student accessions to 
 the Lodge which is manifest in the membership rolls. It 
 is certain that the withdrawal of college patronage, how- 
 ever it affected the prosperity of Franklin Lodge, was not 
 
13 
 
 effectual in eliminating esoteric associations as a feature 
 of college life. 
 
 Franklin lyodge has always, however, welcomed those 
 at the college who were well disposed towards this insti- 
 tution, and scores of worthy men have taken your talis- 
 man with the Dartmouth diploma out upon rough and 
 rugged ways of checkered and laborious careers and 
 have found the fraternal challenge a message of good 
 cheer and honest fellowship. 
 
 ST. ANDRiSWfi CHAPTER AT HANOVER. 
 
 The next event in the extension of the Masonic system 
 in this vicinity was the establishment of a Royal Arch 
 Chapter at Hanover. The warrant was issued January 
 27, 1807, for St. Andrews Chapter to be established at 
 that place. (Proceedings of the General Grand Chapter, 
 1797-1836, p. 45.) 
 
 This act, which emanated from the General Grand 
 King, Thomas S. Webb of Boston, was formally con- 
 firmed by the General Grand Chapter, June 7, 1816. 
 The General Grand Chapter had given jurisdiction to the 
 Grand Chapter of Massachusetts to grant charters for 
 New Hampshire, and to New York similar powers for 
 Vermont (Proceedings of the General Grand Chapter, 1797- 
 1836, p. 21). This Chapter was the first established in 
 New Hampshire. No authentic list of the charter mem- 
 bers has been accessible in recent times. The Grand 
 Royal Arch Chapter was organized at Hopkinton in 
 June, 18 1 8, the companions of St. Andrews Chapter 
 being prominent in the movement. St. Andrews took 
 rank as Chapter No. i, and has ever since been 
 accorded this precedence. One of its companions, Henry 
 Hutchinson, a lawyer of Hanover, was of the commit- 
 tee to draft a constitution for the Grand Chapter. The 
 representatives of this Chapter continued to be diligent 
 laborers in the Grand Chapter. The names most promi- 
 nent are Brackett I<. Greenough, Grand High Priest, 
 
14 
 
 i834i 1835, 1836, James Freeman Dana, Timothy 
 Kenrick, Alpheus Baker, Henry Hutchinson, Calvin 
 Benton, and Amos Bugbee. A large and influential 
 membership is shown by the records of this period. 
 
 THE CHAPTE;R at LEBANON. 
 
 In 1830, thirteen years after the removal of Franklin 
 I/odge, the Grand Chapter, on the petition of Alpheus 
 Baker, and others, authorized St. Andrews Chapter to 
 convene at I/ebanon for one year. The next year this 
 change was made permanent. Here the doubtful strug- 
 gle for existence was bravely continued, amidst the oppo- 
 sition and indifference of the Anti-Masonic period, until 
 1834. At this time the Chapter ceased to make returns 
 as an active organization. Some of its members, how- 
 ever, for a number of years were present at the sessions 
 of the Grand Chapter as members of that body. Sturdy 
 John Moore, as Grand Chaplain, stood alone for 
 I^ebanon till 1840. The general depression in Masonic 
 affairs was so discouraging at this latter date that the 
 Grand Chapter amended its constitutions so that its con- 
 vocations should thereafter be biennial and its officers 
 should have tenure till successors were chosen. 
 
 The local records of St. Andrews Chapter covering the 
 period from 1807 to 1820 are lost. There is no existing 
 trace of the original charter. Documents and returns, 
 official and semi-official, in the archives of the Grand 
 Chapters or in annual registers, offer additional informa- 
 tion, but it is meager and imperfect. 
 
 The succession in the office of High Priest was as fol- 
 lows: 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, Sherman Dewey; 
 1812, William H. Woodward; 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 
 Sherman Dewey;. 1817, no name reported; 1818, 1819, 
 Henry Hutchinson; 1820, 1821, Timothy Kenrick- 
 1822, 1823, Alpheus Baker ; 1824, James F. Dana ; 1825,' 
 1826, Amos Bugbee; 1827, 1828, Jacob Carter; 1829' 
 1830, BrackettI,. Greenough ; 1831, 1832, Alpheus Baker! 
 
15 
 
 These names appear prominently in Masonic affairs, 
 not only in the records of the local organizations but 
 also in the reports of the grand bodies for the first thirty 
 years of the century we now review. These companions 
 were intelligent, loyal, and influential craftsmen. They 
 were strong pillars in the Masonic temple. 
 
 TH4 CRYPTIC RITB AT HANOVER. 
 
 The evolution of this branch of Freemasonry is within 
 the present century. The organization of the initiates in 
 its degrees proceedec^ largely at the outset under the 
 direction of particular individuals. The one most promi- 
 nent in this was Jeremy L. Cross. In the literature of 
 the craft he is the most noted Mason of this century who 
 may be considered as belonging to the fraternity in 
 northern New Hampshire. 
 
 This has been said of the relations of Mr. Cross to the 
 early history of the rite : 
 
 "In 1816, Philip P. Eckel and Hezekiah Niles of 
 Baltimore are understood to have communicated the 
 Royal Master's and Select Master's (then known as 
 Royal and Select Mason's) degrees of the Cryptic Rite to 
 Jeremy T,. Cross, and thenceforth he became very indus- 
 trious and greatly interested in the establishment of 
 Councils for the dissemination of these degrees through- 
 out the country. 
 
 Mr. Eckel's authority, given to Mr. Cross in writing, 
 empowered him to confer the Select Mason's degree and 
 to establish Councils. A copy of the paper is printed in 
 the Voice of Masonry, Vol. /, /. 330, and the original is 
 in the custody of the Grand Secretary of the District of 
 Columbia, Mr. W. R. Singleton. The genuineness of 
 the paper has been denied, but Mr. Singleton, who is not 
 only a learned Freemason but also a competent lawyer, 
 has been at pains to procure original papers in the hand- 
 writing of Mr. Eckel from his descendants at Baltimore 
 
16 
 
 for comparison. Mr. Singleton has no doubt of the 
 authenticity of the patent to Mr. Cross. 
 
 He became the founder of many of the Vermont Coun- 
 cils of Select Masters, and of one at least in New Hamp- 
 shire. A pamphlet preserved in the library of the Grand 
 I/odge of New Hampshire gives the list and many inter- 
 esting details. " ( Granite Monthly , Vol. XI, p. 2yo.) 
 
 Mr. John A. Harris, an industrious gleaner in Masonic 
 fields, presented in a brief paragraph the results of his 
 investigation of the facts relating to Washington Coun- 
 cil. (Proceedings iSy^, p. 14.. j 
 
 WASHINGTON COUNCII,. 
 
 No records of Washington Council of Royal and Select 
 Masters at Hanover can be found. It is impossible to 
 ascertain the date of its formation. From the fact that 
 Companion James F. Dana, an officer in 1822 of Wash- 
 ington Council, assisted in the organization of Columbian 
 Council on April 15, 1822, we must infer that Washing- 
 ton Council preceded Columbian. 
 
 For the following list of the officers of Washington 
 Council, I am indebted to those valuable annual publica- 
 tions, New Hampshire Registers. The officers in 1822, 
 1823, 1824, and 1825, were as follows: M. E. Timothy 
 Kenrick, T. I. G. M. ; E. Alpheus Baker, D. I. G. M. ; 
 F. James Freeman Dana, P. C. — Regular meetings, 
 fourth Wednesday in January, March, May, July, Sep- 
 tember, and November. 
 
 TEMPLAR MASONRY AT HANOVBR AND LBBANON. 
 
 The records contain a history of the formation of 
 Trinity Encampment in 1824, and its proceedings until 
 1830, when the meetings were discontinued. Sir Charles 
 W. Adams, one of the original members, in recording a 
 brief history of the early days of the Encampment, says : 
 "In 1826 and 1827 there were gloomy forebodings for the 
 future, and for Masons a period of darkness and gloom. 
 
17 
 
 We struggled along througli the excitement until April, 
 1830. " He then speaks of the annual meeting of that 
 year, and of what occurred, and adds: "This was our 
 last meeting, and we went down with the Masonic estab- 
 lishments of this section of the country. " 
 
 The record of the first meeting, certified to by Sir 
 James Freeman Dana, is as follows: " Trinity Encamp- 
 ment of Knights Templars and Appendant Orders at 
 Hanover, N. H. A number of Knights Templars having 
 consulted on the expediency of endeavoring to establish 
 an Encampment of K. T., etc., at Hanover, James F. 
 Dana entered into correspondence with Sir Henry 
 Fowle, Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Encampment 
 of the United States of America, who was pleased to 
 express his desire to establish an Encampment in New 
 Hampshire, and at length, on having a petition pre- 
 sented to him from James F. Dana, James Poole, 
 Timothy Kenrick, Alpheus Baker, Amos Bugbee, and 
 Ammi B. Young, and others, granted a charter to estab- 
 lish an Encampment of K. T. and the Appendant Orders 
 at Hanover, whereof he was pleased to appoint Sir James 
 F. Dana first Grand Commander, Sir Timo. Kenrick first 
 Generalissimo, and Sir Alpheus Baker first Captain 
 General." 
 
 The first meeting seems to have been at Lebanon, in 
 March, 1824, but the day is not recorded. Proceedings 
 contemplating the organization of an Encampment were 
 had, and "on Thursday, April 8th, the Companions 
 again assembled at lycbanon, after passing the day in 
 rehearsing Lectures and in consultation respecting the 
 Encampment. Voted, To adjourn to meet at the Hall of 
 St. Andrews Chapter on Thursday the fifteenth of April, 
 and Companion Dana was requested to give notice to 
 Knights Templars in this vicinity. " 
 
 The charter was received April loth. 
 
 "April fifteenth, 1824. This day, by virtue of a 
 Charter from the Most Eminent Sir Henry Fowle, 
 
18 
 
 Deputy Grand Master of tlie General Grand Encamp- 
 ment of the United States of America, a number of 
 Knights Templars assembled at the Hall of St. Andrews 
 Chapter in Hanover. 
 
 Present : 
 Most Em't Sir James F. Dana, Grand Com'r. 
 Em't Sir Timothy Kenrick, Gen'lmo. 
 " " Alpheus Baker, Capt. Gen'l. 
 Sir Amos Bugbee, Sen. Ward'n, p. t. 
 " Ammi B. Young, Jun. Ward'n, p. t. 
 " Henry Hutchinson, Record'r, p. t. 
 " George E. Wales, Gen'lmo, p. t. 
 
 Voted, that the Grand Commander summons the next 
 meeting of this Encampment when he shall judge it 
 expedient. 
 
 The Encampment was then closed, after the following 
 request in writing was presented and unanimously 
 accepted, viz : 
 
 To Kt. J. F. Dana : 
 
 Please to subscribe our names to the petition for the 
 establishment of Trinity Encampment of Knights Tem- 
 plars at Hanover, New Hampshire. 
 
 (Signed) Gsorg:^ E. Wales, 
 
 Henry Hutchinson. 
 
 March 24, 1824. 
 
 It was then unanimously agreed that the names of 
 Geo. E. Wales and Henry Hutchinson should be intro- 
 duced into the charter. 
 
 James Freeman Dana, 
 G. C. 
 Ex'd and approved the above : 
 
 Henry FowtE, D'y G. G. M. 
 
 May 8th, 1824. A regularly notified meeting of 
 Trinity Encampment was holden at Mason's Hall in 
 
19 
 
 Hanover, this day, for tlie purpose of consecrating this 
 Encampment and installing the officers. 
 Present : 
 The Most Em't and Most Wpfl. Sir Henry Fowle, 
 
 Dep. Gen. G. M. of the U. S. A. 
 Most Em't Sir James F. Dana, Gr. Commd'r. 
 Em't Sir Timo. Kenrick, General'mo. 
 
 " Alpheus Baker, Capt. Gen. 
 
 Sir Ammi B. Young, Jun. W. 
 " Henry Hutchinson, Stn'd Br. 
 " Geo. W. Culver? Sw'd Br. 
 " Bracket I/. Greenough, Ward'r. 
 " John Carpenter, Treas'r. 
 
 The Encampment was opened by Sir H. Fowle, D. G. 
 G. M., U. S. A. The Sir Knights then proceeded in due 
 form, accompanied by the invited guests, to the Hall of 
 St. Andrews Chapter, where, after the audience had 
 received the salutations of the Knights in due form, 
 
 1. An Ode was sung by the Handel Society of Dart- 
 
 mouth College. 
 
 2. Prayer by the Rev'd President Tyler, of Dart'h 
 
 College. 
 
 3. Consecration of the Encampment by Sir H. Fowle, 
 
 D. G. G. M. 
 
 4. Installation of the officers. Installing prayer by 
 
 Rev. Prof. Shurtleff. 
 
 5. Address by Sir H. Fowle, D. G. G. M., U. S. A. 
 
 6. Ode by the Handel Society. 
 
 7. Prayer by Rev'd Prof. Haddock, of Dart. College. 
 
 8. Benediction, Rev'd Pres't Tyler. 
 
 The Sir Knights then saluted the audience and retired 
 to their room, with the invited guests, and afterwards 
 proceeded to the Dartmouth Hotel, where they partook 
 of an elegant dinner. 
 
 After dinner the Encampment assembled, and on 
 motion, 
 
20 
 
 Voted unan., That tlie thanks of this Encampment be 
 presented to the Rev'd President Tyler, for his services 
 in the installation of this Encampment. 
 
 Voted unan., That the thanks of this Encampment be 
 presented to the Rev'd Profs. Shurtleff and Haddock for 
 their services at the installation this day. 
 
 Voted unan. , That the thanks of this Encampment be 
 presented to the Handel Society, for their assistance at 
 the ceremonies of installation this day. 
 
 Voted, That Most Em't Sir J. P. Dana communicate 
 the above votes to Pres't Tyler, Profs. Shurtleff and 
 Haddock, and to the Chorister. " 
 
 The foregoing oflScers elect having been duly installed 
 the Encampment was closed. 
 
 The meetings subsequently held do not appear to have 
 been regular, long intervals occurring, and upon the 
 average about two meetings a year are recorded up to 
 1828. In 1830 the annual meeting was held May 3d, 
 when the election of officers for the year took place. 
 This closes the year, and, so far as can be ascertained, 
 was the last meeting. 
 
 Sir Charles W. Adams, continuing his statement in 
 the proceedings for 1852, says : "A large number of the 
 members have gone to that bourne from whence no 
 traveler returns. The few surviving members must soon 
 pass off the stage of human existence. Yet the princi- 
 ples of the order are dear to us, and being desirous of 
 perpetuating those principles, a meeting was called of 
 the former members and several Sir Knights of this city 
 and vicinity, at the Masonic Hall in the city of Manches- 
 ter, in the autumn of 1851, for the purpose of petitioning 
 to the General Grand Encampment for the renewal of our 
 Charter." 
 
 The remark above quoted, implying, as the record 
 indicates, that the last meeting occurred May 3, 1830, 
 should not be taken as conclusive without an examina- 
 tion and consideration of other authorities. 
 
21 
 
 As late as 1833 (Proceedings Grand Encampment, p. 
 49) the return of Trinity Commandery is given, witli a 
 list of officers and members. At the annual conclaves of 
 the Grand Encampment, officers of Trinity Commandery 
 are reported as present as representatives in 1832 and 
 1833, and I/ebanon Knights are recorded as filling offices 
 in the Grand Encampment every year until that body 
 discontinued its assemblies in 1837. There is, therefore, 
 evidence, perhaps not conclusive, but significant, that 
 the active organization of Trinity Commandery was 
 continued at I^ebanon as late as 1833. 
 
 Upon the petition then made to Sir Charles W. Moore, 
 General Grand Generalissimo of the General Grand 
 Encampment of the United States, a dispensation was 
 granted, in which Sir Daniel Balch was named as the 
 first Grand Commander, and Trinity Encampment No. i 
 was revived and established at the city of Manchester. 
 
 This account of Trinity Commandery is given in the 
 Proceedings of the Grand Com.mandery of New Hampshire, 
 Vol. I, p. 3 (reprint of 1879). The style of the narrative 
 and its historical value require that special commenda- 
 tion should be accorded the editors of that work, which 
 covers the first period of Templar history in the state. 
 In the historical prelude we discern the skillful hand 
 and rare Masonic accomplishments of Hon. Joseph W. 
 Fellows of Manchester. The excerpt given is an exact 
 transcript from the pages of that volume. 
 
 The succession of Commanders at Hanover and Leb- 
 anon was as follows: 1824, 1825, 1826, James Freeman 
 Dana; 1827, 1828, Timothy Kenrick; 1829, Amos 
 Bugbee ; 1830, 1831, Alpheus Baker; 1832, Timothy 
 Kenrick; 1833, Alpheus Baker. 
 
 There is record evidence verifying this list, except as 
 to the year 1831. It is assumed that Commander Baker 
 was re-elected for this year, but this fact has not been 
 established with certainty. 
 
22 
 
 Timotliy Kenrick was Grand Master of the Grand 
 Encampment in 1829 and 1830, and Brackett I/. Green- 
 ough held the same oflBce in 1834. 
 
 In June, 1827, the records state that the Grand 
 Encampment had information of the following vote of 
 the Trinity Commandery : 
 
 " At a regular communication of the said Encampment 
 [Trinity] holden at the Hall of said Encampment, on 
 "Wednesday, April 25, A. D. 1825, voted, unanimously, 
 that said Encampment be removed from Hanover to 
 I/ebanon. " (Proceedings of Grand Commandery, Vol. /, 
 p. 21, reprint of 1879.) 
 
 Permission was granted by the Grand Encampment in 
 accordance with the action of Trinity. 
 
 The early records of the Commandery indicate that the 
 vote of 1825 may not have been carried into effect until a 
 later date. 
 
 On February 28, 1827, it was "Voted that there be a 
 committee appointed to see what accommodations can be 
 obtained at Ivcbanon for future meetings of this Encamp- 
 ment. " 
 
 Timothy Kenrick, Alpheus Baker, and Amos Bugbee 
 were chosen a committee to attend to this matter. 
 
 Under date of April 25, 1827, "Voted that the three 
 first oflScers of this Encampment be a committee to 
 obtain consent of the Grand Encampment of this state 
 for the removal of Trinity Encampment to I/ebanon. ' ' 
 
 The first record of a meeting of Trinity at I^ebanon is 
 dated October 31, 1827. 
 
 Thus it appears that three of the four Masonic organi- 
 zations established at Hanover were removed to Leb- 
 anon ; that the Council perhaps completed the first 
 period of its history at the place of its first location, 
 though the history of its later years is shrouded in 
 obscurity and uncertainty. 
 
 Trinity Commandery was not re-established at I/eb- 
 anon. (Report on Numbering and Rank of Commanderies, 
 
23 
 
 Proceedings of Grand Commandery of New Hampshire, 
 i8y3,p. 12.) In the period of the later Masonic renais- 
 sance, Trinity Commandery of Manchester, Mt. Horeb of 
 Concord, and Sullivan of Claremont have successively 
 had territorial jurisdiction over l,ebanon. 
 
 A new Council, Royal and Select Masters, established 
 here in 1887, received the name of its predecessor, Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 Two DISTINGUISHED GRAND MASTERS. 
 
 It should be remembered that Hanover and I^ebanon 
 were a center of a l^ge political, intellectual, and gen- 
 eral influence more than an hundred years ago. The 
 members of the local Masonic bodies were representatives 
 of this influence. Names familiar in their rolls are 
 prominent in other affairs. Col. Eleazer Wheelock, Jr., 
 Aide to President Sullivan ; Ziba Huntington, James 
 Poole, as Senators; Benjamin J. Gilbert, as Councillor; 
 James F. Dana and others, as Representatives ; Henry 
 Hutchinson, as County Solicitor ; and William H. 
 Woodward, as Chief Justice, may be mentioned as illus- 
 trating the standing of the Masonic membership before 
 the public. Recognition of such men, as worthy of 
 prominent station in state organizations of the craft, 
 would be but a matter of course. The two distinguished 
 men who were successively elevated from Franklin 
 I/odge to the office of Grand Master are deserving of 
 special mention. Both names had been changed by leg- 
 islative acts and in following them in the records this 
 fact should not be overlooked. 
 
 WILWAM H. WOODWARD. 
 
 Judge Woodward's connection with the celebrated 
 Dartmouth College causes has passed his name along the 
 records of the case law and through many branches of 
 legal literature the world over, until it has become a 
 familiar term in legal parlance. This necessarily resulted 
 
24 
 
 from his official relations with the old College and the 
 proposed University. He had been for a long time 
 Treasurer of the College and Secretary of the Board of 
 Trustees, of which he was a member. He espoused the 
 cause of the University, which was to be the outgrowth 
 of legislative amendments of the charter of Dartmouth 
 College. The Trustees of the University made him Sec- 
 retary and Treasurer pro tern, in 1816. About the same 
 time he was removed from these offices by the Trustees 
 of Dartmouth College, and Mills Olcott appointed in his 
 stead. Mr. Olcott was directed to demand the charter, 
 records, files, and other papers belonging to the office of 
 Secretary, and the property in Judge Woodward's hands, 
 as former Treasurer, belonging to the Trustees. He 
 made a formal refusal to the demand. Thus the prelimi- 
 naries were arranged for the subsequent litigation. The 
 interesting particulars connected with those events are 
 given with great fullness by Mr. Shirley in his Dartmouth 
 College Causes. 
 
 Mr. Woodward was the son of Prof. Bezaleel Wood- 
 ward, and a grandson of President Kleazer Wheelock, 
 born in Hanover, Sept. 19, 1774. He died Aug. 9, 1818. 
 He was a scholar of high attainments ; a financier of skill 
 and integrity ; an agriculturist, both practical and scien- 
 tific, and a voluminous writer on that subject ; a learned 
 and successful lawyer; and a judge so upright and able 
 that he was approved by the administrations of both 
 parties at a time of intense political antagonisms. 
 
 In 1796 he became a member of Franklin I/odge, 
 "where," says Dr. Perkins, his eulogist, "by his char- 
 acteristic industry and perseverance he acquired an inti- 
 mate knowledge of the sublime doctrines of that ancient 
 and respectable fraternity. Rising here, as in every other 
 situation, in the esteem of those about him, and passing 
 through several grades of office, he was installed Master 
 of the Lodge in 1801. The manner in which he dis- 
 charged the duties of this responsible station confirmed 
 
25 
 
 that good opinion which had promoted him to office. 
 For some time after his resignation as Master of the 
 Lodge he performed the duties of District Deputy Grand 
 Master; and in 1815 was elected to preside over the 
 Grand lyodge of the state. " 
 
 Two of his orations are preserved in printed form. One 
 was "pronounced at Hanover, January 9, 1800, at the 
 request of Franklin I/odge, in memory of their illustrious 
 brother, the beloved Washington." The other was 
 "An Oration delivered at Hanover, N. H., at the 
 request of the Brefhren of Franklin Lodge, No. 6, 
 at the Celebration of the Festival of St. John the 
 Baptist and published by their desire, in the year of 
 Masonry 5798." 
 
 "As he awaited his death without fear, his end was 
 that of a philosopher and a Christian." (Eulogy by 
 Cyrus Perkins, M. D., Aug, 26, 1818. Reprinted in 
 Proceedings of the Grafton and Coos Bar Association, Vol. 
 
 11, p. 563-) 
 
 jame;s frebman dana. 
 
 The removal of the Lodge to Lebanon in 1817, as 
 already observed, followed the close of Judge Wood- 
 ward's administration as Grand Master and was coinci- 
 dent with the conflict over the amendments of the college 
 charter which generated serious divisions among the 
 people of Hanover. The decision of the questions at 
 issue by the Supreme Court of the United States soon 
 followed the death of Judge Woodward, and affairs at 
 Hanover in due time resumed a normal condition. The 
 authorities of the College continued in friendly relations 
 with the Masonic organization. The advent of Prof. 
 Dana was an event of great advantage to the town. Col- 
 lege, and fraternity. He was at first a lecturer in the 
 department of chemistry but was subsequently made a 
 medical professor. He married a daughter of ex-Prtesi- 
 dent Webber 6i Harvard Collfege, in 1818. He first 
 
26 
 
 made his residence in Hanover in 1820 and joined the 
 lyodge by dimit, Feb. 4, 1822. In the fall of 1826, be 
 removed to New York to accept an important professor- 
 ship in the university of that city. The six years of his 
 Hanover life were crowded with activity and honor. He 
 acquired celebrity as a master of the science of chemis- 
 try ; published an epitome of chemical philosophy ; gath- 
 ered material for an historical work on Indian pottery ; 
 was an active member of the New Hampshire Historical 
 Society, and one of its committee of publication; visitor 
 to the West Point Military Academy ; member of the 
 Ivegislature ; President of the State Board of Agriculture; 
 and Military Aide to Governor Morrill. He studied 
 his profession in Europe, and was a graduate of Harvard, 
 both in letters and medicine. His opinions as an expert 
 in matters of chemical science were known and respected 
 among scientific authorities both at home and abroad. 
 He was learned in many departments of natural history 
 and a frequent contributor to the literature of science in 
 the standard periodicals. 
 
 He was deeply interested in Freemasonry. In the dif- 
 ferent branches he was a most efficient organizer and a 
 most devoted workman. In Lodge, Chapter, Council, 
 and Commandery his name is equally conspicuous and 
 his standing equally unquestioned. At the age of 31 he 
 was Grand Master, serving during the years 1824 and 
 1825. He was President of the Council of High Priests 
 in 1824, and Deputy Grand Master of Knights Templars 
 in 1826. The Masonic records and publications of the 
 years of his residence in their jurisdiction bear the 
 imprint of his zeal, his intelligence, and his eminent 
 ability. He died at New York, April 15, 1827, and 
 within a year and a half after his entrance upon his new 
 duties. 
 
 In a published statement, Samuel F. D. Morse, who 
 was an intimate friend of Prof. Dana, acknowledges his 
 indebtedness to the latter for his first knowledge of the 
 
27 
 
 facts necessary to be known respecting the electro-mag- 
 net. "The modification, since universally adopted, in 
 the construction of the electro-magnet, is justly due," 
 said Professor Morse, "to the inventive mind of Prof. 
 James Freeman Dana. Death, in striking him down at 
 the threshold of his fame, not only extinguished a bril- 
 liant light in science, one which gave the highest promise 
 of future distinction, but the suddenness of the stroke 
 put to peril the just credit due him for discoveries he had 
 already made. " (Biography, Collections of the N. H. His- 
 torical Society, Vol. II, p. 2go ; The History of Dartmouth 
 College by Baxter P. Smith, p. 271. J 
 
 THE LODGE AT I<EBANON AND THE CONCI<XTSION OF 
 THE FIRST PERIOD. 
 
 With the removal of the I/odge to I/Cbanon, in 1817, 
 a devoted body of craftsmen gradually brought the 
 organization into prosperous conditions in the new sur- 
 roundings. The first meeting at lyebanon was Aug. 25, 
 and twenty-five persons were present. The succession 
 of Masters was: Moses Greenough, 1817, 1818, 1819 ; 
 Alpheus Baker, 1820, 1821 ; Amos Bugbee, 1822, 1823 ; 
 Ammi B. Young, 1824 ; Brackett I/. Greenough, 1825, 
 1826 ; Samuel Woodbury, 1827, 1828, 1829 ; Samuel S. 
 Barrows, 1830, 1831 ; Philo Sprague, 1832, 1833 ; Aaron 
 Hayes, 1834, 1835, 1836. Many of these names, as 
 before intimated, are familiar to the students of the gen- 
 eral literature of Freemasonry. Under their wisely 
 directed efforts a steady growth and healthful develop- 
 ment seemed assured. An addition of eighteen was 
 made to the membership in 1823, and of thirteen in 1824. 
 This was considerably above the average of the six years 
 from 1817 to 1823. Good work was done in 1825 and 
 1826. It was at this time that the unforeseen transpired. 
 A popular clamor now suddenly made the institution of 
 Freemasonry the object of a fierce storm of detraction 
 
28 
 
 and filled the minds of its stanchest adherents with 
 doubts for the future. 
 
 The organization was continued from March, 1828, 
 when the last degree work was done, till May 29, 1836, 
 when it was finally determined to surrender the charter. 
 The I/Odge room from 1817 to 1836 was in William Ben- 
 ton's Hall, on the present corner of "West Park and 
 Mascoma streets. Meantime, although beset by many 
 embarrassments and without revenue from the degrees, 
 the brethren forgot not to do good and distribute a liberal 
 charity. The record continually reminds the reader of 
 the variety and liberality of these benefactions. 
 
 The Lebanon Academy, sometimes known as the 
 I^ebanon I<iberal Institute, was a recipient of a large 
 bounty from the Lodge. First, the sum of six hundred 
 dollars was given. Finally, the entire fund derived from 
 the disposal of the remaining property of the Lodge, 
 amounting to about two hundred dollars more, was 
 donated to the Academy, and Alpheus Baker, father of 
 your esteemed townsman. Past Grand Master Alpheus 
 W. Baker, was the agent who carried the act of the 
 Lodge into effect. In 1836 and 1838, Timothy Kenrick 
 attended the Grand Lodge as Representative, in the 
 latter year acting as Grand Master pro tern. In 1840, 
 the charter, with others, was formally declared forfeited. 
 
 The progress of the Anti-Masonic movement of 1826 
 was marked by a rapid accretion of force and intensity. 
 Many of the better elements of society were drawn into 
 the sweeping current of an arbitrary public sentiment. 
 The motive power, however, was within the domain of 
 political management. To adhere to the institution of 
 Freemasonry was more than unpopular. It was 
 regarded as an insolent and contemptuous defiance of 
 the edict of the populace. To hold an open profession 
 of fidelity to the craft required an abundance of the stuff 
 of which martyrs are made. To maintain active organi- 
 zations of this obnoxious society was more than could be 
 
29 
 
 expected of human nature in the aggregate. Such was 
 the atmosphere which surrounded the Lodge and Chap- 
 ter at Lebanon from 1826 to 1835. The brethren were, 
 nevertheless, faithful to their principles and devoted to 
 their organizations, but they were practical men as they 
 were loyal Masons. They wisely determined to let the 
 curtain fall for a time and to allow a "sober second 
 thought" to revise the opinion of their fellows. Thus 
 the first chapter of Masonic history in Lebanon was 
 finished. The brethren had wrought in harmony. The 
 best men in the community had been drawn to their asso- 
 ciations. The amedities of good fellowship had been 
 cultivated without encouragement to vice or excess. 
 The Masonic organization had commanded and deserved 
 the respect of all men as an educator, as a harmonizer, 
 and as an example of benevolent endeavor.* 
 
 SOCIAI, CUSTOMS IN THB FIRST PERIOD OF AMERICAN 
 FREEMASONRY. 
 
 The quaint old books of record which are treasured 
 among Masonic archives are suggestive of the habits and 
 customs of the people of that day. It is impracticable to 
 epitomize them on this occasion. They relate in detail 
 the transactions in serious business, outline the pro- 
 grammes of public festivities, and catalogue the items 
 of refreshment in their appropriate season, when the 
 craft had been "called off from labor." This diversion 
 in the ancient Lodges was, however, but an incident, 
 always subordinated to serious business. It was, in 
 fact, a subject of specific regulation in the By-Laws (Art. 
 5, Sect. 2). The provision was as follows : 
 
 " It is the duty of every of&cer and member to conform 
 in all respects to the ancient principles, usages, and land- 
 
 *As to this period, the most conservative and satisfactory 
 authority is, A Complete History of the Anti-Masonic Excite- 
 ment, by fosiah H. Drummond, Gould's History of Freemasonry, 
 1889, Vol. Ill, p. 316. 
 
30 
 
 marks of tiie fraternity, to attend diligently to the 
 dispatch of business, to see that the Lodge closes in due 
 season, in no case later than 8 o'clock in the evening, 
 and then to retire in regular and sober manner to their 
 dwellings." 
 
 Another item relates to the arrangements for the cele- 
 bration of St. John's Day : 
 
 " Voted to accept the proposals of Bro. F. Leavitt and 
 dine at his house. His proposal was to provide victuals, 
 and liquor, punch and wine for 83 cents. " 
 
 Occasionally the accompaniments to the part of the 
 feast termed "victuals" are described as "trimmings." 
 
 Kindly admonition was first employed to correct 
 infractions of these regulations. When mild measures 
 failed, penalties were imposed in a spirit of justice tem- 
 pered with mercy, always in the hope of retrieving the 
 erring brothers and never with any extreme sanction 
 until imperative necessity compelled it. 
 
 Criticisms have been made because the institution gave 
 tacit countenance to these indulgences. Refreshments, 
 both solid and liquid, were items of legitimate expense, 
 regularly charged and regularly paid at the old time 
 inns. Although this usage has been radically changed 
 and the bibulous features of the old time refreshments 
 are now rigidly excluded from all Masonic gatherings, 
 unwarranted conclusions are still drawn from the curiosi- 
 ties of the old books of account and books of record. In 
 this particular Masonic usages seventy-five years gone by 
 cannot be fairly tested by current standards of Masonic 
 conduct. The denominational organizations and their 
 membership could not successfully meet a similar test. 
 Neither the one nor the other should now be called to 
 book upon more exacting standards of conduct than were 
 set up by the moral sense of contemporaries. Liquors 
 seem to have had in the former time as respectable stand- 
 ing in the bills of fare at public places of entertainment, 
 in the homes, and in public gatherings, as do coffees, teas, 
 
31 
 
 and domestic wines in the social arrangements of tlie 
 present day. A few citations of authentic records are 
 relevant to the assertion. 
 
 At a meeting held Aug. 26, 1771, the town of Amherst 
 voted that a committee procure New England rum for 
 raising the meeting house and not exceeding eight bar- 
 rels, also one barrel sugar (brown sugar). (Secomb's 
 History of Amherst, p. 2^g.J 
 
 Among the items charged for raising the court house 
 and jail at Haverhill were about forty- five gallons of rum 
 at six shillings per gallon, and one and one-half gallons 
 of molasses at six shillings per gallon, this bearing some 
 suggestion of that primitive beverage anciently known as 
 blackstrap. (Gazetteer of Grafton County, p. 112.) 
 
 When the Revolutionary War was in progress taxes 
 were laid to supply the Continental army with rum and 
 the proportion of this town in the levy of 1781 was sixty- 
 three gallons of West India rum in a total of ten thou- 
 sand gallons in the entire state. (New Hampshire Ses- 
 sion Laws, lySi, Act of Aug. ji.j 
 
 The Bethlehem town records, giving the proceedings 
 of town meeting on March 13, 1810, have these interest- 
 ing items : 
 
 "Art. 15. Voted to vendue the collector's berth." 
 " Collector's berth was struck off to Willis Wilder at 
 four gallons of toddy. " He was "sworn. " 
 
 Thus it is evident that only the excessive use of intoxi- 
 cating liquors came under the ban of the respectable 
 elements of society. From the church, the I^odge room, 
 and from places of social gathering it was viewed in the 
 same light. The temperate use of it as a beverage was 
 regarded as no offense against religion, morals, or good 
 manners. Considering the habits of the great mass of 
 mankind at that period, it is worthy of note and com- 
 mendation that this essential Masonic duty, the restraint 
 of improper desires and passions, was so faithfully 
 observed by the craft, not only in their seasons of social 
 
32 
 
 tecreation and refreshment but in other circumstances 
 and relations. 
 
 SOCIAIv CONDITIONS IN THB ANTl-S:eCRB;T SOCIETY 
 
 PERIOD. 
 
 There was little manifestation of the existence of 
 secret societies, or of a pronounced disposition to revive 
 them, from 1826 to 1850. To say the least, they were 
 not in any state of "pernicious activity. " Well disposed 
 persons, then and more recently, were convinced that 
 such an era would usher in an unobstructed present and 
 future for all that is beautiful and good in terrestrial 
 affairs. If such a diagnosis of social conditions were 
 correct, we should expect to discover a striking advance 
 in all things that are productive of a better society and a 
 higher life. It is, therefore, a pertinent inquiry that 
 places this peculiar period in contrast with the one just 
 previous, and the one which followed. Place the point 
 of comparison at 1845. What of progress can be discov- 
 ered in industrial activity and in industrial results, — 
 what of improvement of methods in common education or 
 the establishment of higher institutions, — what in the 
 patronage and appreciation of good newspapers, good 
 libraries, and good literature, — what in the domain of 
 moral reform and in the direction of the catholicity and 
 elevation of religious thought, religious discussion, and 
 religious ideals, — what in the rectification of the personal 
 habits and improvement of the business and political 
 methods of men, — what in all these directions is discerni- 
 ble to mark a generation of conspicuous purity, enlight- 
 enment, and progress ? If you seek in the century which 
 is passing to designate the years most prolific of indus- 
 trial, financial, educational, moral, and religious revival 
 and advancement — those wherein thrift, industry, tem- 
 perance, and intellectual elevation of the people are most 
 notable — ^will they be named in the earlier or later 
 period? The statement of such an inquiry is the 
 
33 
 
 answer. Yet this is an epoch in which organizations, 
 under forms adapted from the ancient precedents of Free- 
 masonry, with benevolent, patriotic, and reformatory- 
 objects, have been multiplied and have greatly flour- 
 ished, in co-operation with and not antagonistic to other 
 methods and instrumentalities chosen for the accomplish- 
 ment of philanthropic purposes. In the material and 
 intellectual essentials of every day life the present is rich 
 and prolific. Never in the world's history has there 
 been so much that contributes to the happiness of man- 
 kind in the truest and most enlightened conception of 
 the term, in posses"lion and actual enjoyment by the 
 people generally — by the average man and woman — as 
 the advantages of the past fifty years have yielded or 
 permitted under free institutions and tolerant laws. 
 There is no place where this fruition is more full and 
 free than in the homes, hamlets, and towns from which 
 you have gathered to celebrate this Centennial event. 
 
 1826 AND 1854 — THB LIMITS OP Two ExTR:eM:es. 
 
 Between these years the pendulum of public opinion 
 had completely described its arc, passing from one 
 extreme to the other, as regards secret societies as fac- 
 tors in the social scheme. A subsidence of the general 
 antipathy was rapidly manifesting itself in the organiza- 
 tion of a multitude of Divisions of Sons of Temperance, 
 Odd Fellows' Establishments, and the restoration of old 
 and the creation of new lyodges of Free Masons. Con- 
 temporaneously with this movement came the so-called 
 American Party and its order of the Star Spangled Ban- 
 ner. This popular uprising, adopting esoteric forms of 
 organization for its local associations and for its federal- 
 ized combinations, at once became a formidable political 
 force. It was ephemeral, but it served many important 
 purposes, which were doubtless in the contemplation of 
 the master spirits who were influential in it. Other far 
 reaching results may not have been foreseen. From 
 
34 
 
 the nature of the situation, however, they were inevita- 
 ble. Among these important consequences was the 
 almost absolute obliteration of the pre-existing prejudices 
 against secret societies as a feature of the social system, 
 which had generally obtained for nearly thirty years. 
 The same elements in the body politic largely con- 
 tributed the numerical strength of both uprisings. As 
 a wide spread and drenching storm of rain and lightning 
 clarifies the atmosphere, and extinguishes the hidden 
 fires smoldering in scurf and stubble, so the mistaken 
 notions of a generation were swept away by this remark- 
 able movement, which had its inception, growth, and 
 decadence in so brief a period that the reason for its 
 existence is one of the curious problems of history. The 
 American Party accomplished a mission of political revo- 
 lution. The principle which seemed to actuate the 
 organization was so unsubstantial and was so soon cast 
 into the limbo of obsolete dogmas that its genuineness 
 has been seriously questioned. Whatever was the real 
 philosophy of Anti-Masonry or the so-called American 
 Party as a moral, reformatory, or political movement, the 
 one served as a wholesome antidote for the other, and the 
 one is fairly comparable with the other among the eccen- 
 tricities and curiosities of the history of political parties. 
 
 Ths char^br restored. 
 
 The Masonic sentiment, which had been quiescent for 
 nearly twenty years, was thoroughly alive in 1854. 
 Twenty-five petitioners solicited the Grand Lodge for 
 permission to revive their I^odge at this place. Approval 
 was granted, June 22, 1854, and Franklin I/odge was 
 again a visible institution, a permanent force for good as 
 a social, educational, and benevolent organization. We 
 can do little more than record these names ; we can do 
 no less than give them mention, in passing allusion to 
 the events in which they bore an important part. They 
 were Timothy Kenrick, Norman C. Hewes, Calvin Ben- 
 
35 
 
 ton, Abraham Pushee, Jolin Burnliam, Ziba Hamilton, 
 Brackett 1,. Greenough, Edward L. Colston, Robert Kim- 
 ball, Paul Buswell, George W. Post, Egbert B. Kendrick, 
 Ahira Griswold, Aaron Cleveland, Roswell Sartwell, 
 Gideon Dickinson, Samuel S. Barrows, Klijah Blaisdell, 
 William N. Baker, Brackett I/. Greenough, Jr., Caleb 
 Plaistridge, Amasa Hurlbutt, Jabez A. Douglass, John 
 Corser, William Hoffman. Three of these petitioners, 
 who are distinguished by italics in the list, had been 
 more recently made Masons in Vermont lyodge. No. i8, 
 at Hartland, Vermon4. Only one, Norman C. Hewes, 
 survives to participate in the celebration of this anniver- 
 sary. He has been Tyler since 1854, an almost continu- 
 ous term of nearly half a century.* I^et him who has so 
 long and faithfully served this I/odge be first among his 
 brethren today. 
 
 Twenty-two of the petitioners were "venerable men 
 who had come down from a former generation" of 
 Masons. They had faithfully borne the tenets of their 
 profession through darkness into light. The record of 
 the last of these good men is finished. Their memory 
 will be cherished in gratitude and honor. 
 
 The history of the I/Odge for this later period is writ- 
 ten in the minds and hearts of its members. It cannot 
 be told in detail. It consists of a thousand incidents, 
 making the experience of these brethren rich in reminis- 
 cences of their Masonic labor and recreation. In its 
 general outline, it is a story of progress unchecked by 
 disaster, and success achieved by united and harmonious 
 effort. Kenrick, Pushee, Joseph M. Perkins, Perry, 
 Durant, Hough, Gove, Baker, Hoffman, George C. 
 Perkins, Muchmore, Dudley, I^ane, Blair, Downs, 
 Smith, Emerson, Briggs, and Cheney have worthily pre- 
 sided in the East. Through many years Hon. Frank C. 
 
 *In strict accuracy it might be noted that in one year's absence 
 from town since his first appointment as Tyler, Mr. Hewes did not 
 serve the I^odge in this capacity. 
 
36 
 
 Churchill and Alpheus W. Baker have served with the 
 Master and Wardens as Executive Committee, and have 
 declined proffers of Masonic advancement in order the 
 better to serve the I/odge in that capacity. Under the 
 instruction and guidance of such Masonic leaders Frank- 
 lin lyodge has become an exemplar of all that is admira- 
 ble in Freemasonry. 
 
 The Ivodge has had permanent homes since 1854, and 
 but one removal. The first location was in a building 
 now standing on South Park street. These rooms were 
 over the store of Timothy Kenrick. In 1883 the present 
 quarters were occupied in Whipple Block and the cere- 
 monies of dedication were performed by the Grand 
 I<odge, Alpheus W. Baker being then Grand Master. 
 An address appropriate to the occasion was delivered by 
 Hon. Henry F. Burnham of Manchester, afterwards 
 Grand Master. In its future publication we may hope 
 to share in the pleasure and profit afforded you by a dis- 
 course which was a model in conception and diction. 
 
 DESTRUCTION OF THE HAI,I< IN 1894. 
 
 The Masonic organizations suffered severe material 
 losses in 1894 from the destructive conflagration in the 
 Whipple Block. This took place January 15, which 
 happened to be the date fixed by the By-I^aws of the 
 I/Odge for its annual communication. Amid the general 
 ruin it was ascertained that by a rare good fortune the 
 archives had been saved. All the tangible property of the 
 I^odge, except the charter, jewels, and records, was con- 
 sumed. ' ' The construction of the building and the 
 freaks of the fire were such, " says one of the members 
 present, ' ' that the roof was entirely consumed and the 
 floors left intact. " Promptly at 2 o'clock, the hour 
 fixed for the assembling of the Lodge, the Master, Secre- 
 tary, and three other members made their way among 
 the smoking debris, and while the fiames were only 
 partially checked, in the accustomed place, opened 
 
37 
 
 Franklin I/odge for the business of the communication. 
 An adjournment was immediately made in regular form 
 to the hall of the Odd Fellows, which had been gener- 
 ously tendered for the use of the roofless Masons. There, 
 with a large attendance, the business of the day was 
 completed, under circumstances and conditions which are 
 perhaps without parallel. The lyodge rooms were in 
 due time restored, with every convenience in arrange- 
 ment and every elegance in appointment, and the contin- 
 uance of a permanent abode in the same location was 
 only temporarily a^ected. Nothing could better illus- 
 trate the singular loyalty of these brethren to their work 
 and the I/Odge than their conduct in the midst of misfor- 
 tunes and discouragements of that memorable day. 
 
 MEMOEIAl^S. 
 
 A fund in commemoration of Timothy Kenrick has 
 been given to the custody of the IvOdge by Mrs. Sarah 
 Adams, a daughter. Beautiful and appropriate memo- 
 rial windows have been placed in the walls of the 
 principal apartment. One is in memory of Charles 
 Henry Clough. The other commemorates Robert Kim- 
 ball and Robert Byron Kimball. These are visible 
 tokens of the love and esteem in which those worthy 
 men and Masons will be remembered by fond hearts 
 while life lasts, and by the fraternity while the spirit of 
 Masonry endures. 
 
 The Kimball memorial, which was destroyed by fire, 
 and the substitute which was supplied, are the generous 
 gifts of Miss Mary K. Kimball. Above the inscription 
 and within an enclosure of Masonic emblems, the hand 
 of refined art has depicted an allegorical representation 
 of Time and Mortality. The donor, a daughter and 
 granddaughter of distinguished Masonic ancestry, is 
 recognized as the best friend and most liberal benefactor 
 of Franklin Lodge. In this expression of the sentiment 
 of the fraternity, no betrayal of the secrets of the craft is 
 
38 
 
 involved. Fortunate indeed is this lyodge, in its beauti- 
 ful home, in its municipal environment, and in the 
 loyalty of its friends. 
 
 THB CHAPTER REVIVED. 
 
 It is in evidence that the Masonic spirit did not suffer 
 abatement here from the distractions and disturbing inci- 
 dents of the Civil War. In 1864 the St. Andrews Chap- 
 ter was reorganized and resumed its old rank as number 
 one, the pioneer Chapter of the state. The companions 
 who assisted in bringing the organization again into 
 effective operation were : Adoniram Smalley, George W. 
 Conant, Albyron E. Hough, Aaron M. Gove, Benjamin 
 D. Howe, Samuel W. Cobb, Samuel Nutt, Henry Cur- 
 rier, Abraham Pushee, James G. Ticknor, Elijah W. 
 Carter, William Hoffman, William N. Baker, Daniel F. 
 Richardson, Robert Kimball, and Dennison Currier. 
 
 The Chapter has prospered and become a solid block, 
 "good work and square work," in the Masonic 
 structure of our jurisdiction. Its relations with the 
 I^odge are those of perfect harmony. Its companions 
 may contemplate the future as full of promise. Its High 
 Priests have been in chronological order as follows : 
 Abraham Pushee, Adoniram Smalley, Aaron M. Gove, 
 Alpheus W. Baker, George C. Perkins, Harlan P. Good- 
 rich, George W. C. Dudley, I^ewis Blair, Wilbur F. 
 Smith, Frederick H. Emerson, and George W. Briggs. 
 
 From among these skillful master workmen Harlan P. 
 Goodrich (1888) and Alpheus W. Baker (1884, 1885) 
 have been called to the highest capitulary honors in the 
 Grand Chapter. They have returned to their former 
 stations with zeal unabated and undiminished usefulness 
 as working companions in sustaining all the exacting re- 
 quirements of the routine of labor in degrees and organi- 
 zation. They are examples of a most commendable 
 Masonic spirit. 
 
39 
 
 In 1882, Alpheus W. Baker, with credit to himself and 
 honor to the fraternity, filled the ofiSce of Grand Master. 
 He is a native of I,ebanon, who won distinction as a New 
 Hampshire soldier in the western army. In private life, 
 in Masonic station, in public service, under every respon- 
 sibility, he has proven himself a true man, a worthy son 
 of the Granite State. 
 
 A COUNCIL AGAIN BSTABLISHEJD. 
 
 The last important act in Masonic reorganization at 
 I/ebanon was the establishment of a Council of Royal 
 and Select Masters. March 8, 1887, Grand Master 
 Elliott B. Hodge received an application from Compan- 
 ions Alpheus W. Baker, George C. Perkins, Harlan P. 
 Goodrich, Harry M. Cheney, Clarence W. Reed, George 
 E. Durant, Daniel B. Emerson, Carlos D. Smith, and 
 Lewis C. Pattee, for a dispensation to open a Council at 
 Lebanon. The petition was accompanied by the consent 
 of the two nearest Councils. "After a careful examina- 
 tion of the work that the Lodge and the Chapter were 
 doing," says Grand Master Hodge, "I decided that it 
 would be to the advantage of the order to establish a new 
 Council there." Accordingly a dispensation was granted, 
 under date of March 16, to continue in force until the 
 annual assembly of the Grand Council in May. In com- 
 pany with Joshua W. Hunt, Grand Principal Conductor 
 of the Work, George P. Cleaves, Grand Recorder, and 
 Companion Frank B. Cochran of Horace Chase Council, 
 the Grand Master proceeded to Lebanon and exemplified 
 the work in the several degrees. The Grand Master 
 reported that great interest was manifested ; that there 
 was abundant material for the support of a Council 
 which would be a credit to the order ; and recommended 
 that a warrant be issued. The Committee on Councils, 
 consisting of George P. Cleaves, Stephen S. Jewett, and 
 James C. Badger, to whom the subject was referred, 
 reported favorably, and a warrant was duly issued in 
 
40 
 
 accordance witli a vote of the Grand Council. The old 
 name, Washington Council, was re-assumed, and it then 
 became No. lo, in the numerical arrangement. This 
 was not a resuscitation of the Council formerly existing, 
 but was essentially a new enterprise. The decade in 
 which this Council has been in operation has marked a 
 period in growth in membership and organic stability. 
 The succession of Masters is as follows : Alpheus W. 
 Baker, 1887, 1888; George C. Perkins, 1889, 1890, 1891, 
 1892 ; Harry M. Cheney, 1893, 1894; George W. Briggs, 
 1895. As far as diversification of Masonic organization 
 may be considered, the status existing in this locality in 
 the first Masonic period is now as completely restored as 
 may be expected at least for a considerable time in the 
 future. The quadrangle of societies now lacks but the 
 Commandery. Franklin I/Odge, St. Andrews Chapter, 
 Washington Council of I/ebanon, and Trinity Com- 
 mandery of Manchester now perfect the restoration of 
 the four Masonic bodies originally incorporated at Han- 
 over. 
 
 THE SCOTTISH RITE. 
 
 There are no organizations of this branch of Masonry 
 at lycbanon. It has not, therefore, seemed appropriate 
 to the occasion to trace the relations of the brethren of 
 this locality with that order. It is sufficient to note that 
 a I/Odge, Council, and Chapter of the Scottish Rite are 
 located at Concord, with a Consistory at Nashua. These 
 have jurisdiction over this region, and to them the Free 
 Masons here have given patronage and acknowledge 
 allegiance. 
 
 THE LODGE AND THE WAR. 
 
 American manhood was tested from '61 to '65 as it had 
 not been since the die was cast for American inde- 
 pendence. The sons proved worthy of the fathers. 
 Cross, Whipple, and Bedel were names that adorned the 
 rolls of the Revolution. They were inscribed as pioneers 
 
41 
 
 of Freemasonry. Cross, "Whipple, and Bedel, descend- 
 ants of those earlier patriots, inspired by the traditions 
 of heroic ancestry, the first two still representing this 
 fraternity, drew sword and led the men of northern New 
 Hampshire to graver duties and higher honors. The 
 call rang alike in home, in I^odge, in hamlet, and in 
 church. The roll of honor that Franklin Lodge spreads 
 upon her records recalls days of darkness and doubt — 
 the story of sacrifice and triumph : Capt. James B. 
 Perry, Capt. Converse G. Morgan, Maj. Israel O. Dewey, 
 Capt. Ivorenzo D. Gave, Edwin B. Frost, Maj. Otis C. 
 Wyatt, Hebard A. Gates, George W. Rand, George C. 
 Perkins, I/ieut. Kverett S. Fitch, Capt. Nathan H. 
 Randlett, Luther C. Hurlbutt, "William "W. Scott, Capt. 
 Jerome B. House, Melvin A. Tenney, Oramel J. Much- 
 more, Gen. Samuel A. Duncan, Lieut. Henry L. Slay- 
 ton, Ephraim W. Harrington, Thomas J. Sweatt, and 
 Oscar G. Kimball. The veterans who came into mem- 
 bership after the conclusion of their service would 
 increase the roll. These brave and generous men and 
 Masons will approve of the selection of Captain Perry 
 for special mention as a noble representative of the high- 
 est order of modern chivalry. "Whether he and his 
 brethren were members of a patriotic society let history 
 testify ; let Fredericksburg, "Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and 
 Spottsylvania make answer. 
 
 jAM]es B. PERRY. 
 
 In the first year of the restoration of the charter, 
 Franklin Lodge gained important accessions. United 
 States Senator Aaron H. Cragin was an initiate at this 
 time, with Perry, Harrington, Joseph M. Perkins, 
 Hough, Morgan, Durant, Knight, and Adams. James B. 
 Perry was born at Cabot, "Vermont, and resided in Han- 
 over, not far from the village of Lebanon. With that 
 surprising zeal and unyielding persistence which distin- 
 guished him in all his undertakings, he entered at once 
 
42 
 
 upon a course of Masonic advancement which ended 
 only with his life. He was Senior Warden in 1857 and 
 1858 ; Master of the I/odge in 1859 and i860 ; and District 
 Deputy Grand Master in 1861. The war was then on, 
 and the conception of it as a summer diversion for the 
 enrolled militia had been forever dispelled. In full 
 appreciation of all the grim realities of the conflict, 
 Perry, at the age of 27, became a captain in that famous 
 regiment, which the intrepid Cross led in a career that 
 adorns the brightest pages of history. The Grand 
 I/Odge, at the request of the Free Masons of the regiment, 
 granted a charter for Hughes I/Odge, with traveling 
 privileges such as pertained to army organizations of this 
 character, and Perry became its Master. The I/odge did 
 good work, and an account of it is given in the regimen- 
 tal history. (Childs' History, Fifth Regiment, p. 372.)* 
 Touching stories of wounded soldiers of the Con- 
 federate army, in sore distress, aided and relieved by 
 fraternal hands, directed by Capt. Perry, attest the 
 deep sincerity of his Masonic professions. Sometimes he 
 interpreted the hailing signs of the rites which others 
 could not, and conveyed succor to helpless brothers at 
 the peril of his life. But Capt. Perry was a true sol- 
 dier, unflinching in the path of duty, a Christian patriot 
 without fear and without reproach. He fell at Freder- 
 icksburg. His brethren and comrades gave him the 
 honors of Masonic burial at lycbanon, and a memorial 
 window in the lycbanon Memorial Hall is dedicated to 
 his memory. 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt, in his comparison of the achieve- 
 ments of American valor with the instances of heroic 
 deeds which other peoples and other times have afforded, 
 finds nothing to surpass the conduct of Capt. Murray of 
 
 *Dr. William Childs of New Hampton, a comrade of Capt. 
 Perry, and the latter's successor as Master of the Traveling 
 Lodge of the Fifth Regiment, was an interested and welcome 
 attendant of the Franklin Lodge Centennial. 
 
43 
 
 Newcastle; Capt. Moore, my townsman; Capt. Perry, 
 your townsman, your neighbor, your brother ; and their 
 comrades in the front of battle at Fredericksburg. (A 
 Colonial Survival, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Vol. 14., p. 
 326.) Along the extreme line of the assault the dead 
 and wounded of the Fifth New Hampshire were strewn, 
 and, as Colonel Cross affirmed, nearer the enemy than 
 any others. In the charge the regiment had lost 186 out 
 of the 300 who had made it. But the last man of the 
 color guard was shot. The flag had fallen in the open 
 beyond the fence, its staff broken in splinters, and its 
 folds torn in shreds. It was in the midst of the dead and 
 dying. No rampart stood between its rescuers and 
 certain death. Yet the men of New Hampshire did not 
 fail or falter. They hurled themselves in heaps over the 
 torn and broken standard, until from behind a bastion of 
 dead and dying heroes the flag was borne back to its 
 own. "Where is it?" said Perry, as his life was fast 
 ebbing. ' ' I have it here, ' ' said his comrade. ' ' Then, ' ' 
 said the patriot captain, ' ' let me see it once more before 
 I die." Taking it in his hands, he held it above his 
 face for an instant, brought it down to his lips, kissed it, 
 and — died. 
 
 No braver spirit passed in the night of Fredericksburg 
 to the warriors' Valhalla. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The fathers of I^ebanon and Hanover were of the 
 New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut stock. 
 They were inured from childhood to hardship. By tra 
 dition, education, and experience they were adepts in 
 self government. They were the veteran victors of two 
 wars. They were the founders of schools, churches, and 
 colleges, and patrons of books, newspapers, and libra- 
 ries. They were tenacious of well-founded opinions and 
 essential principles. They moved on right lines of 
 progress and prosperity. They cultivated wholesome 
 
social intercourse. They encouraged charitable and fra- 
 ternal associations. Faith with them was not an 
 abstraction. A godly life was its counterpart and its 
 test. Immortality was to them a reality. I^oyalty to 
 such principles and such traditions has made I^ebanon 
 an example of municipal enterprise and progression. 
 The patrons of agriculture in both these towns have 
 compassed a century of successful industrial develop- 
 ment on the same lines of progress. The center of 
 population in one town is prominent in its industrial 
 conditions, as is the other in its scholastic life. The 
 men of Hanover and Lebanon, for an hundred years, 
 have with wisdom and liberality fostered the institution 
 of Freemasonry. 
 
 It is an institution established in your midst, upheld 
 and moved constantly to beneficent purposes, loved and 
 honored by its patrons, and respected by a most intelli- 
 gent community. It commands attention and approval 
 as an important feature of your social development. 
 Within the fraternity men bring nobler elements of their 
 nature in contact. Man seldom sees the better side of 
 his neighbor's character in the struggles of selfishness 
 and in the contests for personal and material advance- 
 ment. As they commingle in the kindly atmosphere of 
 wholesome social associations, meeting on a level of 
 equality, acting by the plumb of rectitude of thought and 
 action, and parting on the square of faith and fidelity, an 
 element is generated and carried out into the life of the 
 community, which is the pledge of upright conduct and 
 the soul of a higher municipal life. All hail the promise 
 of prosperity and permanency which the conclusion of a 
 century of beneficent effort and honorable achievement 
 brings to the fraternity of Franklin I/Odge of Free and 
 Accepted Masons. 
 
 ' ' Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy 
 palaces." 
 
Cornell University Library 
 HS539.L44 B32 
 
 An historical address at Lebanon, N.H 
 
 3 1924 030 289 494 
 
 olin,anx