Philanthropic Lodge, F.& A.M.
62 Pleasant Street
Marblehead, MA 01945
A HISTORY OF PHILANTHROPIC LODGE
Philanthropic Lodge was originally chartered as “The
Marblehead Lodge” in 1760 by St. John’s Lodge No.1 under the Provincial Grand
Lodge of Massachusetts.
As this Marblehead Lodge was constituted during the
reign of King George III, it was considered an English provincial lodge and all
ritual was conducted in accord with English Masonic customs. Thus the
Philanthropic Lodge seal bears the initials “F. & A. M.” referring to the “Free
and Accepted Masons” traditions of England.
In those early days only 2 degrees were granted to
members. Candidates were made Entered Apprentices and Fellow Craftsmen and then
were voted members of the lodge. Most of the business was conducted on the 1st
Degree. For the first few years, as was the English custom, only the Master was
granted the 3rd Degree of Master Mason. Within 18 years the 3rd
Degree was granted to all members.
A 1760 candidate was John Pulling, Jr. (1737-1787), a
Marblehead shipmaster, who lived in Boston in 1775. Paul Revere said to John
Pulling in April, 1775: “...if the British march by land or sea tonight, hang a
lantern aloft in the belfry tower in the North Church Tower, one if by land and
two if by sea, I on the opposite shore will be.” … and the rest is history. It
is also said that Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), later 5th Vice
President of the United States in 1813, became a member of the Marblehead lodge
in 1769.
Its name was changed to “Philanthropic Lodge” in 1797
during the tenure of M.W. Paul Revere, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts.
The official seal designed sometime after 1798 consists
of a 1-inch diameter circle, on the outside of which are the words,
“Philanthropic Lodge, F. & A. M., Marblehead, Mass.” Inside the circle is a
representation of the Good Samaritan pouring oil and wine into the wounds of a
stranger, and above the inside edges of the circle are the words, “This Do Ye.”
The laying of the cornerstone and dedication of the
Bunker Hill Monument took place on June 17, 1825 with Grand Lodge Officers and
Bro. Marquis de Lafayette present. A delegation from Philanthropic Lodge also
attended. Secretary Collyer wrote: “...it was contemplated that there was the
largest assembly of people that ever met at one time in the United States of
America.”
Philanthropic Lodge originally met at the home of Bro.
(Commodore) Samuel Tucker on what is now Prospect Street, Marblehead. Since
then, the Lodge has met in several places, one believed to be Tucker Street
opposite the end of Mason Street. For the last 63 years we have called 62
Pleasant Street, home.
On March 21, 2006, Philanthropic lodge approved its
merger with Wayfarers Lodge of Swampscott by a unanimous vote. On October 5,
2006, M.W. Jeffrey Black Hodgdon for Massachusetts conducted the merger
ceremony. With that ceremony, 146 Masons from Wayfarers were enrolled in
Philanthropic Lodge.
Philanthropic Lodge is the 3rd oldest Masonic
Lodge in Massachusetts and the 19th oldest Masonic Lodge in the
United States. It currently enjoys one of the largest memberships (546) in
Massachusetts.
Abridged
and adapted from a monograph by Bro. Donald A. Doliber, Philanthropic Lodge
Historian. A more extensive history is available at
www.marbleheadmasons.org.
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