The History Of American Union Lodge, No. 1, Ohio.

ticut Huts , " wherever that was . Captain Heart was again elected Master . " The Lodge met frequently during the summer , and celebrated St . John the Baptist ' s Day , with Washington Lodge attached to the Massachusetts Line . In October of the same year it met at " Verplank ' s

Point , " in a Block House , and in March of 1783 it was again at West Point . Its last meeting while connected with the army was at the latter place , on 23 rd April , when the following record is quoted by Bro . Moore , namely , " Bro . Rose , an Entered Apprentice , was proposed , balloted

for , accepted , and passed to the degree of Fellow Craft . Lodge closed , to stand closed until the W . Master should call them together . " In this uncertain state as to the future of the Lodge , and having full authority to convene it when and where he might deem it best to do so , Captain Heart

very properly retained the warrant in his own personal keeping . In the course of a few years , the first settlers in the North Western Territory landed at Marietta . This was on 7 th April 1788 . The company was under the lead of General Rufus Putnam , and among the Directors were the

General and Bro . Samuel H . Parsons , both old members of the Lodge , while Captain Heart was in command of Fort Harmer , just across the river . Within a year one of the Directors , Bro . James Mitchell Varnum , a judge and revolutionary hero , died , and was buried by the brethren with

full Masonic honours , this being the first Masonic act done in the new settlement . No long time elapsed , and the brethren began to think of reviving the Lodge whose Master was living so close at hand . Accordingly , on the 25 th June 1729 , a meeting was held , at which "Bros .

Rufus Putnam , Benjamin Tupper , Griffin Green , Robert Oliver , Ezra Lunt , William Stacey , William Burnham , Anselm Tupper , Thomas Stanley , and Ebenezer Sprout , were present , and it was agreed to request Captain Heart to convene the Lodge , and resume labour . Captain Heart

acceded to the request , and in his reply stated , " Being the present Master of the Lodge held under the authority of said warrant .... and being the oldest Ancient Mason within the said territory , I have thought it proper , with the advice of Bro . Putnam , member , and Bro . Benjamin Tupper ,

Past Master , to grant the request contained in your petition , and will meet you in Campus Martins " ( close by Marietta , ) " on Monday , the 28 th instant , at six o'clock p . m . for the purpose of forming you into a Lodge . " In accordance with this arrangement the brethren assembled , there being

present Jonathan Heart W . M ., Benj . Tupper S . W ., Rufus Putnam J . W ., together with Bros . Thomas Stanley , William Burnham , Griffin Green , William Mills , Robert Oliver , and William Stacey . The old Warrant of American Union was produced and read . Several brethren applied to be elected

as members , and were at once accepted . The Lodge then resumed its labours , and Bro . Rev . Daniel Story was raised to the third degree on the 8 th December following . On the 27 th of the month , St . John ' s Day was celebrated , when Rev . Bro . Storey preached a sermon to the brethren

assembled . As some doubts appear to have existed as to the legality of the reorganisation , steps were promptly taken to dispel them , and letters were forwarded to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts ; from which the Warrant emanated , and also to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania . In

December , 1791 , the Grand Master of Massachusetts wrote to say that his Grand Lodge applauded their views and pursuits , and was pleased with so " laudable an undertaking . " He also acknowledged unreservedly the validity of the warrant , and pointed out that it must have force and

operation " where you are until a Grand Lodge is formed in your Territory , when it will become your duty to surrender it , and obtain in its place a warrant from the Grand Lodge that may have the Government of Masonry in your State . " He added , " I confirm your warrant as

good and perfect , as you are where no Grand Lodge is established . " The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania also replied , congratulating the Lodge on the resumption of its labours , " in the midst of the immense wilderness of this West , where but lately wild beasts and savage men were

the only inhabitants , and where ignorance and ferocity contributed to deepen the gloom which has covered that part of the earth from the Creation . This ray of light , which has thus broken in upon the gloom and darkness of

ages , " we " consider as a presage that the time is fast approaching when the knowledge of Masonry will completely encircle the globe , and the most distant regions of the Western hemisphere rival those of the Eastern in Masonic splendour . " The Grand Lodge of New York was similarly addressed , as those who have read our

The History Of American Union Lodge, No. 1, Ohio.

reviews of its " Early History and Transactions , will doubtless remember . The letter , which will befoundatp . 117 , part III . of the History , is far too long to reproduce . It narrates the circumstances under which the Lodgo waa revived , and claims for itself , not only recognition as a

regular Lodge , but also as being , when other Masonio Lodges are found necessary in the Western Territory , " the Masonic Body corporated within the Federal territories ,

and duly invested with every power necessary to constitute , rule , and govern the same , agreeable to the Constitutions , and ancient customs of the Royal Craft throughout the world . " What was the nature of the answer ordered to be

sent , we know not , but there is a certain significance in this passage , which will call for some remark by-and-bye . The letter to Grand Lodge N . Y . was dated " Marietta , May 5 th , 5791 , " and signed " by Benjamin Tupper , S . W ., " and " Rufus Putnam J . W . " on behalf of the Lodge . The Lodge pursued its labours uninterruptedly and

successfully , and Bro . Moore enumerates , with a pride which is very natural , the work accomplished by its members . These , he says , " were among the first settlers in this then vast wilderness ; they organised the first civil government here , provided for the first school , held the first courts ,

commanded the first troops , made the first treaty with the Indians , aided in organising the first church , and one of its members preached the first sermon . " Some years later , the hall in which it met was destroyed by fire , together with the old warrants and records , but a duplicate of the

former was obtained , and the Lodge continued working with renewed vigour , some of the most distinguished Ohians , such as Putnam , Cass , Nye , Meigs , Heart , Gushing , & c , being on its roll of members . In January 1808 , a Convention was held at Chillicothe , for the purpose

of forming a Grand Lodge , and " American Union , No . 1 , ' was represented by " Robert Oliver , Ichabod Nye , and William Skinner . " A Grand Lodge was organised , and Bro . Rufus Putnam , though absent , was elected First Grand Master of Masons in Ohio . He was not , however ,

installed , and the Deputy , Thomas Henderson , of Cincinnati , " performed the duties of the office during the year . " At tbe next session of the Lodge in January 1809 a letter was read from General Putnam , declining re-election , on account of age and infirmities . Bro . Moore quotes from it

the following passage : — " My sun is far past the meridian ; it is almost set ; a few sands only remain in my glass . I am unable to undergo the necessary labours of that high and important office—unable to make you a visit at this time , without a sacrifice and hazard of health which

prudence forbids . For some years the Lodge continued working , but declined to accept a charter from the Grand Lodge of Ohio , and was not again represented in that body until the session of Chillicothe in January 1816 . Bro . Moore

speaks of this abstention as arising " from some cause not clearly known , and nofc necessary now , after the lapse of more than half a century , to inquire into . " We recognise the wisdom of the latter portion of the remark . We fancy , however , we trace the reason to the claim advanced in the

letter to the Grand Lodge of New York , written on 5 th May 5791 , when the venerable Putnam was Junior Warden . We have pointedly alluded to this above , and will repeat a portion of the excerpt in which the claim is set forth . The Lodge therein

considered itself to be the Masonic Body " duly invested with every power necessary to constitute , rule , and govern the same . " In other words , American Union , No . 1 , claimed to be the future Grand Lodge of the Western Territory , and very probably resented the idea of being

reduced to a common level with the other Lodges subsequently established . This is merely a theory of ours , which must be taken for what it is worth , but we think our readers will admit that it has some basis of probability to rest upon . However , in January 1816 , the Lodge

accepted a new warrant from the Ohian Grand Lodge , and has gone on more or less prosperously ever since . In 1790 , it was the one and only Lodge of Freemasons existing in the vast territory of the West . Now it heads a roll of over five hundred Lodges , all acknowledging

obedience to the Grand Lodge of one of the proudest and richest states in that " American Union , " whose name it has borne so worthily for a little over a century . All honour to this fine old Lodge , whose warrant was granted some months before the declaration of American Independence , and on whose list of members occur such

names as Joel Clarke first W . M ., Parsons , Wyllys—