History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Meetings continued to be held in Stratfidd until Dec. 8, 17t)2, when the lodge was removed to the house of Isaac Young, in Fairfield. It was voted at this meeting that brother Y'oung should be paid forty shil- lings in lawful money for the use of two west chambers for a period of one year from date. Two years later it was voted to remove to "the sign of the Anchor," l)robably the village inn at Fairfield. In January, 17()3, it was voted that the lodge should have a seal and ]>archment, and that the secretary should charge three .shillings for giving a certificate. The initiation fee was three pounds ten shillings until 1780, when it was fixed at three pounds silver money, or its equiva- lent in the depreciated Continental currency. Besides the initiation fee, taxes, regular and special, were often imposed upon the members to defray the ex- penses of the lodge. Several passages in the records show that the " refreshments" furnished were what would now be thought of a convivial nature. Among the furniture of the lodge-room were gla-sses ami a IHineh-bowl, while by special vote it was made the duty of the steward "to provide necessaries for the lodge, such as rum, sugar, pipes, and tobacco." This was according to the universal custom of the time, when s])irituous li(iuors were freely used at gather- ings of every description, even those of the ilergy. Masonry at the ])rcsent day, however, has an excel- lent record in the matter of temperance, for nearly sixty years ago the Grand Lodge of the State of Con- necticut forbade, under heavy penalty, the introduc- tion of ardent spirits into any lodge within its juris- diction, an<l the law is still enforced. Frccjuent mention is made in the records of the celebration of the two St. John's Days,— June 24lh and December 27th, — when the members of the lodge and invited guests usually dined together after listen- ing to a sermon by some one of the clergy. The Rev. .\ndrew Eliot, of Fairfield, was a frecpient guest upon these occasions, and the names of the Rev. Messrs. Lanison, Sayre, Baldwin, and Shelton also occur in this connection. Slight tokens of good will were often voted to the officiating clergyman, such as a ])iece of calico for a summer gown to the Rev. Mr. Eliot, a pair of silk gh>ves to the Rev. Mr. Stebbins in return for a "very ingenuous and i)athetic discourse" in ineinory of a brother lost at sea. The following resolution ilatcd Feb. 2.'), 17!I3, is a similar instance: "VolM miixnwinii-ly, Tliut Dni's I.acc.v and Cniuion wait on tlie B«T. Philii Sholtun and |ini«'iil liiin Willi the thanks of this lodge, an llkewiso one guinea, for bin excellent di»*:oun«; on St. John's Daj', UTtii Doc, 17'J2, at Xewfleld." nr.iixiKi'or.T. 119 Aiiimiil;' till' [iniiiiiiii'iit iiiriiilicrs dI' tlir liid^c wliilr it rciiiiiiHcil ill I'';iiilicM were .liiiiiitlian lliilklcy, wliii Inr si'MMitc'c'ii Vfars was clrctril Miistrr; ( !rn. l^lijali Alicl. till' ciiuiity slicritf; Ijiriil. Isaai' .larvis ami t 'a|it. Hainuc-I Siui'ilk-y. of Kevolutidiiary fame, tlif latter afterwards the eolleetor of eustonis for Fairfield Dis- trict : and I)r. Franeis Fnriiue, tlie lea<liiii; ]ihysieiaii , <if the villaiie, who fur many years was a constant attiaidant. 1)11 Christmas Day, Dec. 2"), 17S2, the f.diowinj; resoliitiiin was ])asse<l hy the loilf;e: '■\:,l,;l, Tliat liiolhi-r All.-! be (lesiifil to wait i>n BiDtli.-r F.irgii.- uii.l know w tK-ihi'i- it is liis desire tliat prayers l»o tli^siriiil for Iiini at the Thiiiiie of tirai'e, iniiler his present imiispusitinn ut IjcmIv."' A few weeks hiter the hretliren of the nrcha- folhiwed hi- lii.ily ti) its last restinjr-plaee, ami lesidiitinns of respict til his memory were drawn iiji tiiid puhlished in the New Haven paper. .Ian. 14, 17'^4, St. John's L(idi;-e ]iartiei])ated hy its dclcLiatcs in the fnniiatiini nf the present ({rand Lodi;v nf the State, on which occtisiim I'ierrepont Edwards, of New Haven, hut afterwards of Brid}je]"irt, was chosen (iraiid Master. No allusion to eitlier the Ivcvulution or the war of 1,S12 is made in the records, hut in Deeeniher, 171l!l, it was "IVt/c./, Tliat till' inelniiers of tite Iinlt;e vear snitahle ninuriiing uihui tlie anil, liming tlie pleasure of tlie loiige, in tulien of respect for tiie ineiiior.v of the late 31. \V. (iiaiiil Master of the Inileil states, (jeoige Washiiiglon." Dtirino; the war of the Revolution intervals of sev- eral months iiccurred during which im nicetino's were held, and from 178(j to 17'S9 the nicetinus were very infreipient and hut slenderly attended. In 17S!I, throuo-h the eftints of .lusiali J^acey, Lani- hert Lockwood, and Daniel Yountj, influential nieiii- hers of the order engaged in husiness at the thriving settlement of Xewfield, which centred near the jiresent corner uf Water and State Streets, ]5ridgeport, the lodge was removed here. The first meeting was held at the dwelling-house of Daniel Young, which is still standing, mi the southwest comer of Union and Water •Streets, .June 24, H''^!!. Nine memhers of St. .Tohn's Ijodge and four visiting hretliren were jiresent, tiiid officers were elected and delegates tii the conventinii chosen, after which the lirethrcii adjiiiirned to tlie jiulilic-housi' nf AVilliam Peet, "where they dined and drank in gond harnmny." Jan. 27, I7'.iii, the lodge voted to meet at the house of Mr. William I'ret, innkeeper, upon the nortli side of State Street, wliere the jiost-oflice now stands, " un- til a more convenient place can he ohtained." Dee. 14, 17'.M, it was voted to remove to the chamhers of Brother .Tosiah Laeey's house, wdiicli stood upon tlu' south side of State Street, hetween Main and Water Streets. JIareh 14, 17'.I2, the committee prc\ imi-ly appointed to procure sundry articles hcloiiging to the loil;;c, which were supposed to he at Fairfield, rejiortcd that they had found fourteen driuking-glasses, one punch spoon, one silver seal, an old gnat chair, and three larue wooden caiidlcsticks witliout the lirasses. .\ pair of lirass andirons which li.'id liccn left at the house of a iiicmlier in Fairticld were not roitlicoming, hut were he lie veil to ha \'e I leen carried oil' In 1 >e la ware hy his son. I let. -'i, 17'.i2, the Indge voted to purchase ten tickets in the lottery for Imilding Xewlield I'.ridge. \hr. 12, 17;i2, it wa^ \otiil to icniovc to the Imnse of Isaac ilinman, which stood upon tlie southwest corner of ^Vall and Water Streets. .Many other interesting extr.icts might he made from till' early records did sptice perniit, hut it is snfli- cienl to say tliat after its removal to I5ridge|iort its conililion was prosperous. Th(> siir)ilus funds in the treasury aniotinted to several hundred dollars, and were loaned to memhers to use in their husincss, alwavs hy vote of tlie lodge tiiid upon a si.x months' interest- hearing note. From LSO'.l to 1X12. hy order of the (Jrand Lodge, the lodge was ohliged to meet within one mile of tlie coiirt-hoiise, in the town of Fairfield. In 1S12 it re- turned til the house of Ihother I'.phraim Knajiji, who siicccidi'd Mr. llinnian upon the corner of A\'all and Water .'streets, and from that time it has continued to meet in liridgeport. During the years l.S:jl and ls:i2, on account of the su]ipiisiMl ahduction of Jlorgan, puhlie feeling ran liioh against Masonry. It was accused of heiiig an institu- tion dangerous to the comiuunity and injurious to morality and religion. To meet this charge a (U'fense of l''rceiiiasiiiiry, signed hy fifty memlicrs of St. John's Lodge, was ]iuhlished in the local newspajiers. The document, though interesting, is too long toijuofe liere. .\inong the signers were such well-known names as those of Ilanford Lyon, I'liilo llurd, Wilson llawley, (li'ii. l-hioch Foote, t'harles Foote, William Peet, Rev. ILK. .ludah, rector of St. John's ( 'liurcli. Dr. M'illiam I!. Nash, .\liijali llawley, KzekielHuhhell,EliThonip- son, ( liijeoii Thmiipson, and others of eipial standing in the community. Notwithstanding this defense, the popular ]irejiiilice was so strong tigainst the institution that Masonry was practically dormant in this place until ahoiit the year ]'S47. A Iter this dati' it hegan to rcvi\e, and meetings were held at first in the old lodge- riioiii, which was in the upper story of the school- house. No. 200 State Street, afterwards upon the nnrtli- west corner of State and Wjiter Streets, then over ]'"erris JIurd's store, on Water Street, at the foot of State Street, and finally, in I.S.Vi, in the present well- known and handsonie rooms in .Slurdevant LUiilding, corner of i\Iain and Bank Streets. l'"ch. 12, 18fi2, the centennial anni\i'rsarv of ,St. .lohn's Lodge, No. 8, was celehnitcd liy interesting exercises held in the First Jlethodist Episcopal ( 'hnrch, and hy a supper at Franklin Hall, at which some four hundred memhers of the order and invited guests were present. \n account of the luocecdings, togetlier with a historical sketch and an oration delivered on the occa- sion hy the Rev. Dr. Ewer, was afterwtirds jmhlished. The present memliership of St. .lohn's Lodge, No. 3, 120 lIIST(tI{Y OF FA I FIKLD ("orXTV. CONNKCTIcrT. is five hundred mid eight, aiul tlic ofiieers of tlie Ixidy are: Frederiek F. falleniU-r, W. M. ; Tliomas F. Daly, S. AV. ; Edward T. Ward, J. W. ; E. Stewart 8umner, Sec; William R. Ili^jhy, Troas. ; Rev. E. W. Miixey, D.D., Chaplain. Corinthian Lodge, No. 104, was ehartered May 22, 1868, and now nunihers one hundred members. It meets in tlic same lodge-room used by the members of St. John's, and its officers are a.s follows : Daniel N. Morgan, W. M. : W. W. Ingham, S. W. ; H. E. Winsor, J. W. ; Charles E. Wilmot, See.; H. H. Porter, Trea.s. ; Rev. Sylvester Clarke, Chaplain. Hamilton Commandery, No. o, Knights Tem|i!ar. wa.s ehartered (under name of Hamilton Eneamj)- mcnt), May 10, 1855, with sixteen charter members, all of whom liad originally belonged to Clinton Com- mandery.