The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-30
PORTLAND LODGE.
An Interesting Historical Work.

| O~NANS
Although the history of private organiza-
ton cannot have the same interest for the pub
lie as general history, the labor bestowed in
this direction is of great benefit, and furnishes
most valuable material for the historian of the
future. In Geddes' history of John de Witt,
he speaks of his membership in a literary soci-
ETY. as of historical Importance, as pointing out
his social standing, so to us will come out more
clearly and boldly, picture of tho worthless of
hundred years ago, when we look at them in
the mirror which our masonic author
holds up to view. When we think of Col.
Tying, the Royal Sheriff and Gen. Jedediah
Preble, the leader of the Patriots, having
personal struggle in the street in Revolution
airy times, we could easily imagine them rivals
in the community, with old jealouses existing
to be easily reused; but when we find here that
Tying was the Master of the Lodge, and Preble
the next most distinguished member, we can
see that they had been intimate friends and
associates, and can appreciate the tremendous
feeling that must have moved the whole peo-
pie, and we can understand, too, why they be-
came so readily reconciled, and the kindliness
with which the old sheriff procured the liberia
ton OF his old friends son, Edward, from the
prison-ship in New York, at later day. With
what interest, too, do we carry back our fancy
TO that first meeting in 1869. In those days the
lodges were convivial meetings, and always
held at taverns, where, around the festive
board, the business and limitations were trans
acted. So on that May afternoon, in 1863,
William Tying, the aristocratic sheriff, Gen.
Jedediah Preble, the hero of Quebec, Thomas
Oxnard, the royalist merchant, John Green.
wood, the son of Prof. Greenwood of Harvard,
Dr. John Lowther and Abraham Osgood, trad
er, drove out to Ilsley's tavern on the back
cove road, and there met William
Campbell and John Ross, two farmers,
and sitting down to dinner in the up
per chamber, no doubt, with closed doors,
opened the first lodge of Masons ever held in
Maine. Their host naturally felt DESTROYS to
be admitted to the pleasant company, and at
the next meeting was initiated. Presently, in
177O we find them meeting at Moses Shat
tuck's tavern, the fashionable hetel, on the
corner of Middle and Exchange streets, listen
ing to Sc rnon from the Episcopal clergyman,
Mr.. Wiswell, at old St. Paul's church, where
the Master was pillar, and giving dances at
the Assembly Room on India street. And old
Parson Smith also breaches to them on a ST.
Johns Day at the First Parish, whittier they
walked in procession, with white aprons and
W hite gloves, and doubtless with cooked hats
such as gentlemen wore in those days. and on
their retu m they appointed committee to
wait Oh him and return him the thanks
of tho lodge for his "entertaining ele-
CANT, and pertinent discourse to the Fraterni-
ty, aud to desire his acceptance of thirty-six
shillings lawful money! as an acknowledge
me Mt therefor" And the good parson records
in his diary on that day: II prayed with the
Freem asons; had uncommon assistance thank
God" In 1856 we find the lodge meeting a.
the Free Mason's Arms, kept by Thomas Mot
ley, t he grandfather of the historian, on the
spot where the street now runs between Mar
ket Hall and the United States Hotel. In 1898
he built a new hotel on his family
homestead lot. where Motley block now
stands, and moved the old Masonic
sign to that place, but the lodge suspended
work for some years, probably on account of
the hard times after tho war, and when it
next assembled, in 1885, it met at the house of
its master, Capt. Ebenezer Davis, an old rsvo-
lutionary officer, on Free street, at the corner
of Brown street, where his descendants still
live; and the assembly room, till then the
fashionable ballroom, was engaged and fitted
up as permanent place of meeting. In this
year we find Woodbury. Storer chosen master
and on st. Johns Day, William Symmees
leading lawyer, delivered an address at DR.. /
Deane's church. In 1897 they removed to
Columbian Hall in the old stage tavern, oppo-
site their former place of meeting in Market
square. In 1893 we find Amos Stoddard, an
army officer in command of Fort Sumner on
Munjoy Hill, and revolutionary veteran,
delivering an address before the lodge at the
"Od Meeting House," and very good address
it was. he was killed at Fort Meigs in 1873
On St. Johns Day 1901, James D. Hopkins
was the orator. In 1903, Ezekiel Whitman,
afterwards Chief Justice, delivered the grafton
at Parson Kellogg's meeting house. In that
same year we find Samuel Deane Freeman,
eldest son of our first Portland Historian, as
secretary. In 1904 William Swan and Charles
Fox, so we'll known as leading citizens, Joined
the lodge, and later in the same year Arthur
Shirley, afterwards so active pioneer in the
temperance reform. That year the master
was Matthew Cobb. the leading merchant,
who three years before had built his elegant
house in Congress square, now occupied by the
Cumberland Club. And so they file before us
a procession of men who have walked our
streets and filled our places in other days, and
done good deeds enough to make their names
remembered. There was Deacon John Coo, the
sturdy supporter of the sainted Payson, Will
liam Lord, the old City Treasurer, Joseph
Harrod, the merchant, who came back in his
old age, few years ago. so full of fond recollec-
tons of the old town to visit old scenes and to
hunt up old friends, Seth Clark of jovial mem
ory, Edward Howe, the merchant, who lived
SO long and so honored, aud many others whom
our readers would remember with pleasure
among the 1907 men who from first to last
have been members. In 1918 comes in Simon
Greenleaf, the famous Harvard Professor and
writer on Jurisprudence. He took great inter-
est in the order, and when he was Duputy
Grand Master of the District, delivered set of
lectures the origin of the fraternity, fabulous
and otherwise. 1t seems funny that the famous
writer on Evidence, could not sift the humbug
out of the writers whom 9 quoted but he was
fooled just like folks. In 1924 Samuel Fessen-
don appears, and the Rev. Samuel Rand was
the first Chaplain. The latter was a Baptisl
preacher much beloved in his day. In 1926
we came to the Morgan excitement, and the
author tells all about it. In 1925 James
B. Cahoon was master, and in 1884 Sam
uel Chase, the cooper. When we get
to 1915 things began to look natural,
for Benjamin Kingsbury ir. was initiated
that year. That must have been about the
time he was editing the Argus. And Frank
lin Fox appears as Secretary, while the Rev.
Charles Munger is initiated in 1851. 1t was
great day for the lodge when it celebrated its
centennial anniversary in 1862, and much
space is given to it, but that too, was long ago,
nineteen years, two-thrds of generation,
though the names of living men begin to come
thicker. On the last day of the year 1879 the
lodge buried Abraham Osgood. and it is noted
that his father received the first degree ever
conferred in the lodge; that was in the year
1863, so that their united membership covered
over century, with an interregnum of three
years from the death of the father in 1916 to
the initiation of the son in 1919. This is a very
remarkable record The book is filled with