Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-28
4 MEMORABLE EVENT
THE 18TH ANNIVERSARY OF
MASONIC GRAND LODGE.
Celebration at Which Four of the Orig
inal Lodges Were Represent
ed-The Program.


Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
BOWLING GREEN, Va, June %. 1902.
Kiwinning Crosse Lodge. No. 2-2S1, A. +.
and A. NJ, at Bowling Green, Caroline
county, Va, celebrated the anniversary of
st. John the Baptist, and at the same time
observed the anniversary of the 10th as
sembling of the convention of five lodges
that met at Williamsburg, Va, in June,
1177, to form the Grand Lodge of Virginia
The lodges that assembled at that time
were all represented at the celebration at
Bowling Green Tuesday, with the excep-
ton of the one at Cabin Point, which has
been out of existence for more than 100
years The lodges represented were: Kill
winning Crosse, No. 2-237, now at Bowling
Green, then located al Port Royal, in Caro-
line county; Old Blandford. No. 3. of Pc
tersburg, Va. Fredericksburg Lodge. No
4, in which George Washington was made a
master Mason August 4. 1853; Williamsburg
Lodge, No. g, of which John Blair, after
ward an associate justice of the Supreme
Court of the United States, a member
and who was also the first grand master of
Masons in Virginia.
Besides the representatives of these
lodges, the grand master of Masons of Vir-
glnia, Hiram o. Kerns, and the grand sec
retary OF the order, Dr. G. w. Darlington,
were also present.
After the installation of the officers of X
C. Lodge, which ceremony in Virginia oc-
ours on the anniversary of st. John the
Baptist. June "a, Mr.. ]. B. Sener. ex-repre-
sentative in Congress from this district
being installed master and r. D. Vim
cent, the retiring master, becoming secre-
tary, convention of the four lodges was
held to commemorate the centennial of the
assembling at williamsburg June %, lI11.
al which convention George Washington
was suggested as first grand master of Ma
sons of Virginia.
Washington's Declination.
Washington, however, declined, for two
reasons, to become the first master-frst.
because he had at that time never been
the master or warden of any lodge and
second, because his duties in the field as
commander of the armies of the revolution
forbade his acceptance.
3 }. Quinn, past master OF Fredericlls-
pufs Lodge, No. 4, presided over the con-
ventlon of Tuesday last. as did w NJ James
Mercer of No. 4 at williamsburg Va. in
lih, and the secretary of Kilwinning
Crosse acted as secretary James Kemn of
hhWlnning Crosse was secretary of the
convention of III. I. J. ellis past mas
ter of old Blandford. served as senior war
den. and Past Master Parke Jones of Will
liamsburg Lodge No. g. a lecturer of the
Grand Lodge of Virginia. was junior war
oen Each of these, together with the
master of kilwinning Crosse. made suit
able addresses, as did Grand Master of
Masons kerns, who was made a Mason in
Bottetourt Lodge. No. 4 at Gloucester
Court House, Va, one of the lodges which
helped TO form the Grand Lodge of Vir-
gina and to elect its first grand master at
Williamsburg, October 13, HIS
by a happy coincidence Past Master II
NJ. McDade of Federal Lodge, No. /. of
washington, D. G., was present. Federal
Lodge, then No. ID of MARYLAND as is
Wen known, was present at the laying of
the corner stone of the Capitol in SEN
TENDER. 1E4, and was also at Mount Yer
non at the funeral of Washington. De-
cember II, 1893.
At the close of the Joint convention, XII
winning Crosse Lodge resumed its com
munication, and badges We're distributed
by the master of kiwinning to the grand
officers present and to the delegates of
the several lodges as well as ali master
Masons in the lodge room as a souvenir of
the event. The badge was an elaborate af-
1alr' and at the top contained the words.
Nlrginia-A. f. and A NJ Under this
inscription an open Bible, resting UNION
Wnlch was the Masonic symbol the square
ana compass Underneath the book was the
historical reference, Williamsburg. June
-, HI, Bowling Green. June u 1902
Under these words was a small picture
OF George Washington, designated by the
words. Our Brother of the Mystic Tie"
beneath these words was the following
note:
''Old charters from Grand LODGES of
Scotland and England, all in existence,
kllwlnning Crosse, =. Dec. 1. 1855; Bland
Iord' j. Sept. g. 1871; Fredericksburg. 4.
July n. 1I5S, organized Sept. i 1I5o. vii
liamsburg. &, Nov Is. 1773; Bottetourt. 4
Nov. g, NIB. Oct 13 IT'S. Faith Hone and
Charlty. Presented by X. c. Lodge No.
2-23f, j. b. Sener W. NJ; R. D. Vincent
r. So
Address by Grand Master.
After the close of the joint convention and
of the lodge, the Masons present including
the grand officers and the officers of the
lodge, formed in procession, clad in regalfa
and proceeded to the Lawn Hotel, where an
entertaining and instructive historic adj
of Masons of Virginia, Judge r. T w. Duke
of Charlottesville, his subject being ..Vir-
gnia Masonry
In this address Judge Duke recalled
among other eminent Virginia Masons i'm
addition to the father of his country, the
names of Edmund Randolph, Washington's
hrst Attorney General, who was afterward
Secretary of State; John Marshall. the
great chief justice; George c. Dromgoole
the great Virginia orator of the House of
Representatives of the United States from
1875 to 1917, and eX-United States Senator
ripe age of eighty-one years, all of whom
except Washington were past grand mas
ters of Virginia Masons.
The visiting brethren We're served with an
excellent dinner. and. after the speaking
with refreshments. With the presentation
of a past masters jewel to Major r. o.
PeatroSs of Bowling Green by the lodge
the celebration Of the day ended, except
that the Masons and the ladies present who
were out In large numbers, mingled in social
festivities until a late hour.
Among other prominent MaSons present
were councilmen G. w. Wroten and Law
renee Perry, and Capt. w. H. Stratton of
Richmond Va