The Republican journal., 1892-03-10
MASONIC CELEBR
THE 9TH ANNlNERSARN OF PHOENIX
LODGE. BELFAST.

House last Tuesday evening Ill commence
ration of the 18th anniversary OF Phoenix
Lodge are reported on the first page
Two OF the papers read on that occasion,
owing to their length are given here. The
first is
A HISTORY OF PHENIN LODGE FOR -
YEARS. By RUSSELL q. DYER, PAST
MASTER.
Mr.. CHAIRMAN, BROTHER MA>oN> AND
INVITED Gil EST>: The theme that has
been given me, THE History of Phoenix
Lodge for Three quarters of Century"
is one which if carried ont in detail would
occupy an entire evening. \ history of
Phoenix Lodge for seventy-fiv years is
almost necessarily a history of Belfast.
The men who instituted maintained and
perpetuateA our lodge are the same pro
feSsional and business men who have
lal0e pur city hat it is-the Queen CITY
al PenohSc"t Bay
The thirty minutes that have been as
signed me Will be devoted H. a bliei sketch
NI our lodge, and III calling your attention
r. the more salient points in its existence.
i'AWniN Lodge is the immediate Successor
t" Belfast Lodge and the former followed
50 closty upon the heels ot the latter that
he treated as one and the same body.
Belfast Lodge surrendered its charter in
ISIS, and Immediately the members. re-
-rvtting their action, petitioned for a res
tolation, which WAS granted. Instead Of
adhering to the old name the resuscitated
body was called Phoenix. The new lodge
rose SO quickly from the ashes of the old
that the ancient fable OF the Egyptian
phoenix was suggested. This is all the
Specification there is attached to the name
of our lodge.
In the settlement of Belfast prior to
1916 there We're a number of Masons who
had emigrated here from various parts of
New England and the Middle Stat IS. They
were among the most enterprlSing men of
the then little village, and closely identi-
fled themselves with the professional,
business and literary life of the town.
They We're q patriotic band. many of
them having been engaged in the war of
1912. while one had seen service in the
Revolutionary war. At later period
maAy OF their descendants, emulating the
example of their sires, were conspicuous
for leeds of valor in the war of the rebel
lion
The person who was most instrumental
in institutlng Belfast Lodge is not known
Unfortunately the earlier records are lost
The period from lr,22 to 1S6:; has been
covered by a history written by our late
Bro, Rev. John l.. Locke. From 1868 to
the present time orr records have been
preserved in a history written by II. W
Bro. j. D. Parker. To thcse histories |
am indebted fur moSo of my facts The
petition for the new lodge bears date Of
December 80, 1916, and contained the fol
lowing names: Timothy Frishee, G.. {.
Chandler. Thaddeus Hubbard. Manasseh
Sleeper, James Gilbreth, David Webster
Asa Edmunds, Charles Hall. Thos Whit
tier ID Samuel Jones and jah Torrey.
The application was made to the Grand
Lodge OF Massachusetts. for it was four
Years before the territory OF Maine was
admitted a State into the Union. The
charter bears date March >, 1S17-just
seVcnty-tive years ago to-day. This ven
cradle parchment dear to the heart of
every member of our lodge is present on
the stage this evening and has Just been
read to you by w. Bro. J. NJ. Fletcher
The first meeting was held in the house
OF John Huse, at the corner Of Main and
High streets, the same building now oc-
cupied by Dnsmore & son. The faithful
band that met in that old building sev-
entl-tive years ago and gave our lodge its
birth, have long since passed to that I'M
discovered country from whose bourne no
traveller returns but the editice still
stands as a mute testimonial OF the good
work there inaugurated. What sacred
memories cluster about those ancient
walls,
Let lis this evening. like Bellamy. look
backward to those brothers who launched
oHr Masonic bark on the new and untried
sea OF public opinion SO many years ago.
'ltl,... At tlin -
physicians of the village-Drs. Chauncey
Z, Chandler, Thaddcus Hubbard and
Charles Hall: one was school teacher.
While the others We're artisan, and farm
tl~
On, Chandler came a. Belfast from Yer
mont in ls03. He lived in building
which stood OH the site OF CITY Block. at
the corner Of Main and High streets: he
Was Foremost in all that peltained to the
WelIlre Of the town, and WAS in tie way
of l~lz. DR.. Chandler moved to Warren
in lS2S whore he died in 1873 Hon. Lu-
s'ius II. Chandler, a well known politician
of Virginia. was his son.
Dr Thaddeus Hubbard came from New
York and settled here about the same
time as did Dr.. Chandler. He opened
drug store at the corner of Main and
Washington streets, where the meat mar
kcl Vi Ell LOOK now stands. lie was a
surgeon in the army during the war OF
1872. Dr., Hubbard was an active citizen
and was one OF the trustees of the Belfast
academy in 1908. After the war he re-
turned to Belfast, and subsequently prac-
ticed in Searsport. He moved to Nor
Iidgewock in 1916, where he died in 1858
DR.. Charles Hall came here in 1907 from
northampton, Mass. He opened drug
store and was practicing physician. He
was a member of Capt. Swan S Company
in 1912, and was surgeon mate to DR..
Chandler. He died in February 1919, and
50 far as we know was the first of the
charter members To die.
Manasseh Sleeper was a native of Pop
lin (now FremonD New Hampshire and
came to Belfast about 1915. In 1918 he
built the house at the corner of Church
and Spring streets, now owned and occu-
pied by Dr. D. p. Flanders For many
years he WAS trial Justice When the
town court was established in 1874, Bro
Sleeper was appointed justice The juris-
diction of the court was much like that of
the Police Court of the present day. His
office was in the yard near his house, and
many of my hearers will recall it. 1t is
said that frequently when a culprit was
brought before Judge Sleeper his sen
tence would be 81 fine and two hours la
l, o,.,la 1o1i