Grand Lodge Bicentennial 1811 - 2011
Prelude to Celebration Stewart W. Miner, PGM Grand Historian
T
he Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia now stands on the threshold of its bicentennial year. This threshold significantly differs from the one that was occupied by the Masons of D.C. in the period immediately preceding the centennial celebration of 1911. Hence, consideration of some of those differences, based on information appearing in the proceedings of the Grand Lodge, implicitly suggest a few possible goals that may be worthy of consideration during 2011. In 1909, as of September 30, there were 28 constituent lodges in the Grand Lodge of D.C.; on the same date in 2009, there were 38, of which two, Convass B. Dean Memorial and Pythagoras Lodge of Research, were chartered for special purposes. Today there are a significantly greater number of degree-conferring lodges (37) than there were during that threshold year 100 years ago.
A century ago our constituent lodges were meeting, in addition to the Grand Lodge Building, at sites located on Capitol Hill (Naval 4 and Arminius 25), in Georgetown (Potomac 5 and George C. Whiting 22), in Anacostia (Anacostia 21), and in Masonic outposts situated at 19th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (Hiram 10); Park Road near 14th Street (Mt. Pleasant 33); in Brightwood Hall (Stansbury 24); Brookland Hall (King David No. 28); Takoma Hall (Takoma No. 29); and Tennallytown Hall (William R. Singleton No. 30). Over the years since then, because of a number of factors beyond the scope of this article, many of the Masonic structures and the lodges that they housed have disappeared. Those buildings which once attested to our “neighborhood presence” were in many instances sold and all too often the resident lodges that they housed have disappeared, primarily through the process of consolidation or merger.
In the pre-centennial years of 1909-1910 there were more lodge meeting places, Masonic Now our 39 lodges are halls, if you will, than centralized into just there are now, and at seven overcrowded The former Grand Lodge Building, 13th and NY Ave., NW that time, we had a facilities, where because downtown Grand Lodge building at 13th Street and of the demands for space, they have no option but to New York Avenue. Moreover those lodge sites were operate under trying “once a month” conditions. A fairly well distributed across the city, attesting to the century ago all of our lodges convened twice a month “neighborhood character” of Freemasonry in D.C. at for stated communications and, when necessary, also that time. for special communications. Moreover, the brethren The Voice of Freemasonry
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