Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-15
a QUAINT STRUCTURE.
Something About the Oldest Masokic
Hall in Connecticut.

The Oldest Masonic Hall in Connecti-
cut, and one Of the most curious struc-
lures in the State. stands near the old
"Brother Jonathan Trumbull's "war
office" on Lebanon's historical green, 30
famous in revolutionary times, writes
correspondent from Norwich, Ct, to the
New Haven Re9ist>r The building is
about six miles from the city, and just off
the main road leading from Goshen to
Bozrahvile. The date of its erection
precedcs 1740, and its split cedar shin
gled sides are rotten with ancient yellow
wood moss 1t is built III the clumsy but
strong style OF architecture of ante-revo-
lutionary times, is long, low, two-story
structure and the upper floor iuts out
several feet on either side beyond the
main posts in the building after the most
approved ancient pattern, A pronounced
"gambrel roof forms the sides to the up
per story, terminating in gracefully slop-
ing caves, which have sheltered rising
families OF barn swallows for a host of
years. The wide single door to the house
is studded with big brass headed nails.
A heavy cast iron knocker in the shape of
Britannia's coat Of arms confronts the
visitor. The door is reached over a worn
out mllstono turned bottom upward and
laid flat on the ground in front of it. The
milestone is small and but four inches
thick. Its finish is exceedingly primitive.
1t was the stoue that ground the first of
Lebanou's corn down on the Little. Cheese
brook river, which fumes along in the
rear of the Masonic Hall, under its deep
fringe of alders. The Masonic Hall is a
curious, weird place to visit, One Joseph
Mctcalf reared it with his own hands aud
n good brond axe. He lived in the lower
part, aud his zeal for the order Of Mason
ry led him 10 fit up the upper story for a
lodge room, in which the brethren in the
then sparsely settled country might meet
For mary years it was the single cradle
of Masonry III the eastern part Of the col
ony. Now it is tenanted by bats, and the
} old residents about the place think very
, appropriately, too The decorations in
the temple ohsmber, though somewhat
} faded now, are still ataltliug enough to
= profuuo eyes, and show 4 great amount of
, pains'akiug work and loving labor on the
part OF the early artists. The walls are
painted with curious birds of au extreme
ly variegated and rather painfully gaudy
, plumage, sitting IN n wilderness Of vines,
2 which nearly cover the once white back.
: grouLd. Then there sro scenes which il
' Ia presumed NtTe lutcnucu 10 ne purely
/ scriptural, although modern Masons dc
S not pretend to understand them, and by
o the by there are many other curious de
: signs i'll the apartment which they canno
: fathom. Joseph Metcslf's daughter Char
S lotte is now living, au old woman, in Dos
ton. Her mother was strongly opposed
n to her husbands iufatuHtion for the al
G most ineessant lodge meetings that wert
= held upstairs. One night an importan
t meeting was being held, md Miss Char
It lotte, burning with = desire to see wha
d the brethren were doing, climbed tho ol,
= Bailey Sweetiug apple tree, which still
e stands behind the hall, 10 peep into tn
d upper wiudows. What she saw she neve
y would relate, though il did not terrif
:. her. But when she slid down from he
j point Of observation the noise nttracte
], her father, who rushed down stairs an
Y. appeared before his family in the kitche
" and demanded 10 know If any ons ha
10 been out Of the house. Receiving no II
ye ply, he reiterated his sdemand. Charlotte
er heart began 10 sink, but her mother va
ly equal to the emergency. Rising in ht
n, righteous wrath, she confronted her hu
Is band and sarcastically asked
IS "What Can't you make your infe
of nal deyiltry work tonight p
ThN settled it, TIE old man left ii
ye room without another word. II 10 sa