Lodge Anniversaries — 2006

This year three of our constituent lodges will celebrate significant anniversaries. In order of seniority, they are: (1) National Lodge No. 12 (now NationalStansbury- Dawson No. 12); (2) Arminius Lodge No. 25; and (3) Magnolia Lodge No. 53. During the year these lodges will celebrate, respectively, 160, 130, and 10 years of Masonic service in this jurisdiction.

National Lodge No. 12

National Lodge No. 12 was chartered by the Grand Lodge on May 7, 1846. The first Master of this lodge was General James Shields, who was at that time Commissioner of the General Land Office under President Polk.

Shields served as a Brevet Major General during the Mexican War in which he was seriously wounded. He was also Hector M. Ramirez, distinguished by his Worshipful Master, unique career in the U.S.

National-Stansbury-Dawson Lodge No. 12 Senate, in which body he represented Illinois from 1849-55; Minnesota from 1958-59; and Missouri from January to March 1879.

The first roster of the lodge was issued on October 27, 1846. Included as a founding member was Benjamin B. French, who in 1847 served the first of his several terms as Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia. At the time of his affiliation with National Lodge, he was assistant clerk of the House of Representatives, a position he had held since 1833.

In addition to Grand Master French, National Lodge lays claim to one other Grand Master, Isaac La Rue Johnson, who served as Grand Master in the Masonic years of Staff Report

1875-1876. During the Civil War Brother Johnson served in the Army of the Potomac as a Captain in the 153rd Infantry, following which he resumed the practice of law in the District of Columbia .

National-Stansbury-Dawson Lodge now meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Takoma Masonic Center.

Arminius Lodge No. 25

Arminius Lodge No. 25 was chartered on November 8, 1876, during the administration of second of National’s Grand Masters, Isaac L. Johnson. This date is significant in the history of the Grand Lodge, which at that time made a monumental decision — to permit a lodge to operate and work the degrees in a language other than English (i.e., in German).

Columbus Thompson, Worshipful Master, Arminius Lodge No. 25

Initially the Grand Master was hesitant to grant the enabling dispensation, having doubts about the propriety of establishing such a lodge and the ability of the applicants to translate the work, as practiced here, into another language. On the strength of recommendations by many Masons of stature he relented, however, and on July 10th of 1876, he permitted the German-speaking brethren to commence work.

In due course all of the Grand Master’s apprehensions were removed by brethren who satisfactorily demonstrated that they could conduct a lodge successfully and confer the degrees, in German, and in strict accordance with the ritual, requirements, and usages prevailing in this jurisdiction. By so doing they established a reassur

ing precedent for future generations in the Grand Lodge to follow.

Arminius Lodge No. 25 was officially consecrated on November 27, 1876, at which time Brothers Herman H. Gerdes, John C. Hesse, and Hugh Eicholtz were installed as the first three principal officers. While its unique character has undoubtedly limited its size and field of action, it has for 130 years served the Grand Lodge and its German-speaking members honorably and extremely well.

Arminius Lodge now meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the Takoma Masonic Center.

Magnolia Lodge No. 53

Magnolia Lodge No. 53 was officially chartered by the Grand Lodge on December 21, 1996. It was not consecrated, however, until April 17th of 1997, in a ceremony presided over by Grand Master Robert F. Drechsler, now our Grand Treasurer.

According to the Summer 1997 issue of the “Voice,” this lodge came into being as the fruit of the labors of several Masons who were members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity in college. Among those deeply involved was Maryland’s Past Grand Master, C. David Haacke, who served this lodge as its first Master. Working with him was Brother Joseph M. Van Name, as Senior Warden, and Earl Fain IV, as Junior Warden. After his installation as Master, Brother Haacke addressed the assembled brethren and laid out the aims and objectives of the lodge. In his remarks he stated that Magnolia Lodge would be of special interest to Kappa Alpha men and would induce them to continue to Masonically develop the fraternalism, in Masonry, that had been nurtured by their Kappa Alpha experiences.

Magnolia Lodge No. 53 is unique in that it meets quarterly, with the approval of the Grand Lodge. It members, while limited in numbers, are enthusiastic, and while many members reside in locales far distant from Washington, D.C., they are nevertheless steadfast in their support of the lodge and its activities.

Finally, Magnolia Lodge is different in that it is the only lodge in the jurisdiction to meet, with Grand Lodge approval, in a non-Masonic facility. Home for this lodge is the Oddfellow’s Hall located on the George Washington University Campus at 701 24th St., N.W.

The “Voice” extends congratulations to each of these lodges. It is our hope that 2006 will be a year in which their many achievements of the past will provide the basis for steady advancement into a future that is both promising and prosperous.

A Word on Fraternal Relations

“In this happy and joyous season, when everything around us is calculated to open the well-springs of our affections, let us determine to cultivate a close and fraternal affection for each other, not the mere discharge of formal courtesies predicated on our Masonic relations with each other, and which are too frequently simply cold formalities, but that real and sterling affection which will unite us in the closest ties of confraternal relationship and regard. Amid all that may arise to disturb our fraternal associations, or blight our particular friendships, let us, as Masons, and as men, see to it that we “love the brethren.” I am aware that circumstances may, that they will, arise to interfere with our preferences in that respect, and that act as we may offence will come, still, when unhappily the bond of friendship has lapsed, from any cause, real or imaginary, let us as men, as brethren, avail ourselves of the first, the earliest opportunity to secure a renewal of our former friendships.”

— From the Installation Address of Joseph Sylvester McCoy, Grand Master, on December 27, 1879