New Li�e �or Lodge:
687 North Broadway
preserving
SARATOGA WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY (UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
SAMANTHA BOSSHART, SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION
S
et back behind large pine trees is a rather imposing brick building at 687 North Broadway. One may wonder if it is a large residence or if it was built for some other purpose. Most in Saratoga Springs remember it as the Masonic Lodge. It, like many other masonic buildings across the country, seems so mysterious. A place for the fraternal organization, the Freemasons, to conduct business. However, that was not the first chapter of this property’s story nor is it the last. The property of 687 North Broadway was originally part of the property that was owned by William A. Shepard, a village leader who was one of the founders of the Historical Society
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of Saratoga. His summer residence, known as “The Gables,” was located at 677 North Broadway, no longer extant. The deed records that Henry G. Ludlow purchased 687 North Broadway from the estate of William A. Shepard in 1902. Henry is noted for inventing the Ludlow valve, a straight-way stop valve with sliding gate and separate wedge that was useful in regulating the flow of gas, water, steam, or oil. He founded the Ludlow Valve Manufacturing Company in 1861. Located in Troy, it was one of the largest valve and fire hydrant manufacturers in the country. Henry and his family would spend summers in Saratoga Springs, often staying at the Rickard Cottage at 632 North Broadway. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
