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Veterans and Charter Members
by Stacey Fraser, Assistant Curator Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library
Residents of Lexington, Massachusetts, established the town’s first Masonic lodge, Hiram Lodge, in 1797. Many of the lodge’s charter members were veterans of the American Revolutionary War, which began on Lexington’s town common on April 19, 1775. Read on to learn about two exceptional Masons in that group.
Jonathan Harrington (1758-1854)
Born in Lexington in 1758, Jonathan Harrington was a fifer for the Lexington militia on April 19. Eventually, he became well known as the oldest surviving veteran of the Battle of Lexington –a living witness to a nationally important event. A charter member of Hiram Lodge, he also served as its first Secretary, a job he held for more than twenty years.
On the morning of April 19, Jonathan’s mother, Abigail Harrington, awakened him declaring, “The regulars are out and something must be done.” At sixteen, Harrington was one of the youngest members of Lexington’s militia. As fifer, he had the job of broadcasting Captain John Parker’s orders to his soldiers. After fighting in the Battle of Lexington, Harrington served guard duty in May 1775 during the Siege of Boston, helping ensure British troops did not leave the city. The following spring, he helped protect a stockpile of cannon stored in Lexington.
In September 1797, ten Lexington men who had joined Masonic lodges in other communities petitioned the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts for a lodge in their town. In December, outgoing Grand Master Paul Revere approved their request. Incoming Grand Master Josiah Bartlett signed the charter for Hiram Lodge. Harrington was chosen as the lodge’s first Secretary and served in the role for more than 20 years.
He died in 1854 at the age of 95. Harrington’s fame as the last survivor of the Battle of Lexington meant his funeral was a large and impressive affair. The service was performed by members of Hiram Lodge, as well as Grand Master George Randall. Attendees included Massachusetts Governor Emory Washburn, state officials, and more than 200 Freemasons.
William Munroe (1742-1827)
Colonel William Munroe, December 13, 1813. Ethan Allen Greenwood (1779–1856), Boston, Massachusetts. Lexington History Museums.
BORN in Lexington in 1742, William Munroe is remembered as the Sergeant in Lexington’s militia who personally guarded John Hancock and Samuel Adams as they prepared to leave town in the early morning hours of April 19. Munroe was also the first charter member and the first Worshipful Master of Hiram Lodge.
On April 19, after fighting all day with Captain Parker’s company, William Munroe returned home to find the mess left by British troops after they had taken over his tavern as an impromptu field hospital. His neighbor, John Raymond, who was keeping an eye on the tavern, was lying dead outside the house, the tenth Lexington resident killed by the troops that day. Munroe also fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill, along with 60 other soldiers from Lexington.
In 1789, President George Washington toured the United States, making a point to visit sites associated with the Revolutionary War. On November 5, he rode to Lexington and “viewed the spot on which the first blood was spilt in our dispute with Great Britain.” Washington then proceeded to Munroe Tavern where he enjoyed a meal. William Munroe and his family saved everything associated with Washington’s visit, from the chair in which he sat to the iron staple to which he tied his horse.
After its founding, Hiram Lodge met at Munroe Tavern, in the room where the application to the Grand Lodge was written and where President George Washington dined. Beginning in 1798, members met in a dedicated lodge room that Munroe had added to his tavern. Before his death in 1827, Munroe participated in significant events commemorating the American Revolution, a conflict he had been a part of from its very beginning. He took part in both General Lafayette’s 1824 visit to Lexington and the 1825 cornerstone laying for the Bunker Hill Monument.
