Pentucket Lodge Lowell, MA Est.03/09/1807
• Originally from Chelmsford due to the fact that Lowell did not exist at the time it was chartered.
• Chartered by Timothy Bigelow of St. Paul Lodge in Groton, MA.
• Originally named Pawtucket Lodge. Until Grand lodge made a mistake on the official charter and spelled it Pentucket.
• Original 15 charter members were from Dracut, Chelmsford, and Tewksbury. (Lowell d d not yet exist)
• Bro. Isaac Colburn of Dracut was appointed Master Pro Tem until the lodge could be duly consecrated and officer properly installed.
• The lodge operated under this dispensation until October of 1809; 2 years and 8 months.
• From March till December 1807, the lodge met informally at a variety of members’ homes.
• The first full meeting was recorded on December 10, 1807, in Whiting’s Hall. Now known as the Franco-American School
• In May of 1809 the lodge moved across the street to Fletcher’s Hall, which became Spaulding House.
• December 10, 1809, Grand Lodge met at Whiting’s Hall. Timothy Whiting was appointed by then Most Worshipful Grand Master Isaiah Thomas to be Acting Grand Master for the day. Pentucket Lodge was consecrated, and officers were duly installed.
• Isaac Colburn remained master for five years.
• In 1816 the lodge moved to the Simeon Spaulding House in Chelmsford Center now known as the Fiske House.
Revolutionary War
• 4 of the 15 charter members of Pentucket Lodge fought on Breed’s Hill and at least 5 more had relatives that were there.
Some recorded minutes from Pentucket’s early days
• January 1825. The members voted to buy a “Records Book” for the recording of Secretary’s meeting minutes. Prior to this, we have no written meeting minutes that have survived, just member’s records. All the following items come from these minutes of convened meetings, in a leather-bound book kept by the Secretary.
• August 1825. Voted to secure the hall of Balch & Colburn for the meeting place.
• September 1825. Attended the cornerstone ceremonies for First Congregational Church in Dunstable (Nashua, NH) at the request of Rising Sun Lodge.
• October 1825. At the Annual Meeting, Bro. Samuel Colburn was elected Junior Warden, and Bro Daniel Balch elected as Senior Deacon.
• November 1825. Granted release of jurisdiction to St Matthew's Lodge of Andover for the change in location from North Parish Andover to the South Parish.
• February 1826. Granted similar release of jurisdiction to Clinton Lodge of Billerica for the formation of a new lodge.
• April 1826. Voted to allow Mt Horeb Royal Arch Chapter use of the Lodge furniture and one night monthly shared use of the hall at no cost.
The Pentucket meeting schedule was based on the lunar cycle. As a “Moon Lodge”, we met on the “Thursday preceding the full moon” of each month, which meant a different date each month. That was for the official, as special communications were held whenever there was work to do. In many months, that meant every Thursday evening. It was very common for multiple degrees to be given at a single meeting, sometimes on the same candidates. Most often, an application was read, voted upon the subsequent month, and the candidate initiated and passed on the same evening, but not raised until several months following. A third-degree Mason still needed to be voted upon and accepted as a Member at a subsequent meeting, which wasn’t automatic. The costs of membership were not cheap, by 1820 income standards of about $10 per month. The fee for candidates was $29, payable in four increments; $15 at initiation, $5 at second degree, $5 at third degree, and $4 at acceptance for membership. Annual dues were $1.50, payable as “Quarterages” of 37.5 cents quarterly. Visitors were charged 25 cents per visit to defray the costs of refreshments. Meetings were held in taverns, so refreshments were plentiful. All payments were collected and recorded in open meeting with names being open Lodge record. A member was automatically suspended upon failure to meet the fourth Quarterage payment when due. Could you imagine only having to pay this today?
Could this be an end of an Era?
December 1826. Masonry across the nation, and especially in New England and New York was about to enter hard times. Anti-Masonic sentiment was growing, sometimes even leading to violence for members. Pentucket was not exempt from the turbulence. Grand Lodge required all members to take an oath of allegiance, and Pentucket administered this oath for the first time in December 1826, led by Jesse Phelps and Jefferson Bancroft. In the next several months, nearly 100 members would “take upon themselves the required test at the altar in due form as prescribed by Grand Lodge.” Although little is written about exactly what this entailed, it was most definitely a requirement for membership, taken very seriously at the time.
• September 1831. Virtually all candidates dried up, Special Communications were no longer held, only monthly, and sometimes even that was cancelled. The Lodge was closed for 3 months.” The Lodge was held open primarily through the dedication of Phelps, Bancroft, Blood and Balch.
• March 20, 1834. The lack of interest finally was want seemed to be the end for Pentucket Lodge… with this final entry in the official loges “Lodge opened … Lodge Closed.” This was in the term of Jesse Phelps as Master. Thus began 11 years of Masonic darkness in Lowell, as the charter of Pentucket Lodge was surrendered to Grand Lodge five days later.
A new Light!
• On July 14, 1845, a group of 43 Masons met at the Merrimack Manufacturing House of Jesse Phelps (at the corner of Merrimack and Worthen) to discuss the retrieval of the original Pentucket Charter from Grand Lodge. Fifteen of the brethren present were past members of Pentucket Lodge, the others were men who had moved to the Lowell area during the intervening 11 years seeking their fortunes in the mills or other commerce in the City. Bro. Daniel Balch was voted Chairman as the first order of business, with Bro. Colburn Blood Jr selected as Secretary. The next item was to appoint a committee of five, led by Jesse Phelps and Jefferson Bancroft, to call on Grand Lodge to determine what needed to be done. The meeting adjourned to the following week.
• On the 22nd, they again met at the Merrimack Manufacturing House to select an individual spokesperson to travel to Boston and deal directly with the Grand Secretary to resolve procedural questions. They first selected Daniel Balch, who declined. They then chose William North, who also declined. Finally, Colburn Blood accepted the charge and the group decided it was better to deal on a Secretary to Secretary level to start administrative proceedings in motion. The meeting of the Secretaries took place in Boston.
• On the 29th the answer was returned. Grand Lodge would require that seven prior members of Pentucket formally petition Grand Lodge for the restoration of their Charter. If restored, the charter would belong to those seven only, who together would constitute the entire membership of Pentucket Lodge and be granted all rights and privileges of the former Lodge to constitute, organize and conduct business. The group agreed and nominated seven Pentucket members to be signatories on the restored charter: Jesse Phelps, Daniel Balch, Joshua Swan, Colburn Blood, Jr., Ransome Reed, Jefferson Bancroft, and Joel Adams.
• The group again met at the Merrimack House and appointed a committee of six to examine all proposed brethren beyond the initial seven for membership in the Lodge, if and when the Charter were to be restored. They chose Daniel Balch, Jefferson Bancroft, William North, Colburn Blood, A. W. Fisher, and Prentice Cushing. Their task was to examine each man claiming to be a Mason for possible membership in the Lodge. The next several meetings were dedicated exclusively to this requirement for examination and vouchering of every applicant.
• At the quarterly meeting of Grand Lodge on September 10th , 1845, it was voted to grant the request of the seven Pentucket Brethren and restore the original charter to them immediately, along with the records and archives which had been held for safekeeping in Boston.
• The group of seven met again on September 16th to formally receive the charter and adopt the original set of Pentucket by-laws for their government.
• They met again on the 22nd to formally elect the seven as officers of Pentucket Lodge. Jesse Phelps was elected Master, since he had been the last presiding Master at the time of the charter surrender. Daniel Balch was elected Senior Warden, and Joel Adams Junior Warden. Worshipful Master Phelps exemplified part of the First Degree lecture, after which they all adjourned downstairs to Wor. Phelps' parlor for a celebration in honor of the restoration. Rev. Bro. Theodore Edson gave the dedication oratory. Pentucket Lodge was duly organized.
• The primary order of business for the next several meetings was the rebuilding of the membership. By September 28th, thirty-one additional men had been examined and voted by the initial seven to membership. By October 16th there were over 100 members ready to elect a more permanent slate of officers. Daniel Balch was elected Worshipful Master, thereby allowing Jesse Phelps to finally lay down the Master’s gavel for the last time and enjoy the Past Master status he had justly earned. The Lodge had also outgrown the capacity of Phelps’ home as a meeting place, and selected Wentworth’s Hall at the corner of Merrimack and Shattuck Streets (still standing), entering into a pact with Mt Horeb R. A. Chapter to share expenses.
From our founding in 1807 through the charter restoration in 1847, Pentucket had been the only Masonic Lodge in Lowell. By 1852, that was about to change. In a very real sense, Pentucket may be called the “Mother Lodge“ of each of the other four lodges in Lowell, since it is from Pentucket that a large portion of founding members for the others may be found.
ANCIENT YORK. In June of 1852, a group of Masons from Pentucket petitioned Grand Lodge for a charter. Dispensation was granted, and a Charter was issued on June 9th, 1853. The lodge was called Ancient York in recognition of the old English traditions of Masonry. Of the twenty-one charter members, twenty were from Pentucket. The two lodges shared warm fraternal relations, used the same furniture and meeting hall, enjoyed joint social gatherings, and even shared information regarding candidate investigation results. Secretary’s meeting minutes disclose a common practice of conducting business of Pentucket Lodge in the presence of visitors from Ancient York, contrary to the established tradition of a “Members Only” policy for business transactions. This was a display of the trust between the two sister lodges. Official functions were always attended by both bodies, regardless of which had been the initiator. Masonry in Lowell had entered a period of expansion and growth unlike anything seen previously, or since that time.
LOWELL MASONIC ASSOCIATION. Since first meeting in the hall on Pawtucket Street owned by Daniel Balch in 1825, Pentucket and Mt Horeb R. A. Chapter had shared in the expenses of maintaining meeting space. By 1853, with the addition of Ancient York Lodge, it was decided to formalize the arrangement. The three groups adopted a compact that agreed to share equally in all decisions, expenses, and ownership of all furnishings related to the meeting hall for their shared use. Each group elected three Trustees to represent them at Association meetings and formalize any business dealings necessary for the support of the Lodges. As may be expected, the original leadership of the Association was comprised of Jesse Phelps, William North, and William Sewall Gardner. Although some of the specifics have evolved, the compact of the Lowell Masonic Association remains essentially unchanged today, with the addition of new bodies, as Masonry grew in the city.
KILWINNING LODGE. By 1866 the need for another lodge had become apparent. A dispensation was granted in April of 1866, and a Charter granted in March of 1867 to the petitioners authorizing them to form a new lodge under the name of Kilwinnning, in recognition of the ancient Scottish traditions of Masonry. Twelve of the thirty one charter members were Pentucket brethren, with five others from Ancient York having been originally raised in Pentucket. The first Master was William Sewell Gardner (Ancient York Master 1855-56) with the next three being from Pentucket. The Rev. Bro. Theodore Edson also was a charter member and served as Chaplain. Another charter member from Ancient York was Bro. Thomas Talbot, who would later be elected Governor of Massachusetts, and the become the namesake of the Lodge in Billerica.
WILLIAM NORTH LODGE. Just two weeks after the granting of the Ancient York charter, yet another petition was received on March 26, 1867 for a new lodge in Lowell. On March 11, 1868 a charter was granted to thirty eight petitioners, twenty eight from Pentucket, to form a new lodge called William North, in honor of the esteemed Past Master from Pentucket who had presided for seven of its most prosperous years. It should be noted that his son Frederick North was presiding Master of Pentucket from 1865-67. The first Master was Hiram N. Hall (Pentucket Master 1860-62) , who had been on General Butler’s personal staff throughout the Civil War. Four out of the first five Masters of William North Lodge had been raised in Pentucket.
WILLIAM SEWALL GARDNER LODGE. The four lodges in Lowell continued to grow and prosper for the next sixty years, but by 1928 the combined membership had grown to almost 2800 Masons, and it was time for yet another lodge to be formed. The man most influential in the creation of the new lodge was Bro. Lucius Derby, a longtime member and Secretary of Pentucket. Bro. Derby called a meeting of 52 men whom he knew to be interested in being charter members, and submitted a petition to Grand Lodge, which granted a charter in February 1928. Wor. Garfield Davis (Pentucket Master 1920-22) was the first Master of William Sewall Gardner Lodge, followed by Bro. Derby as the second Worshipful Master. The Lodge prospered for nearly 80 years until April of 2007. On April 13th 2007, William Sewall Gardner and Kilwinning Lodges merged to form a new lodge, bearing the combined name, and continuing the lineage of both lodges.
The high point of Masonry in Lowell had been reached by approximately 1930. The combined membership of the Blue Lodges was close to 3000. The new Masonic apartments on Dutton Street housed three York Rite bodies, three Scottish Rite bodies, five Blue Lodges, an Eastern Star Chapter, a Rainbow Chapter, and a DeMolay Chapter.
Past Masters
• Isaac Colburn, 1807-1812
• Artemus Holden, 1813, 1815, 1816
• Jonathan Fletcher, 1814
• Charles Blood, 1817, 1818
• Israel Hildreth, 1819-1823
• Zacheus Fletcher, 1824
• John Fletcher, 1825, 1826
• Jesse Phelps, 1827, 1828, 1832-1834, 1846;
• Jefferson Bancroft, 1829, 1830
• Richmond Jones, 1831
• DARK 1835-1846
• Daniel Balch, 1845
• Prentice Cushing, 1847, 1848
• Isaac Cooper, 1856, 1857
• James B. Trueworthy, 1858, 1859
• Hiram N. Hall, 1860-1862
• Thomas G. Gerrish, 1863, 1864
• Fred T. North, 1865, 1866
• Ruel J. Walker, 1867, 1868
• Samuel S. Fuller, 1869
• Albert B. Hall, 1870, 1871
• Oliver Ober, 1872, 1873
• Frederick Frye, 1874, 1875
• Charles H. Richardson, DDGM, 1876, 1877;
• Wesley R. Batcheler, 1878
• Benjamin C. Dean, 1879, 1880
• George F. Morgan, 1881
• William D. Brown, 1882, 1883
• Henry Caril, 1884, 1885
• Adelbert N. Huntoon, 1886, 1887
• Herbert A. Wright, 1888, 1889
• Charles A. Cross, 1890, 1891
• Frank W. Emerson, 1892, 1893
• Avery B. Clark, 1894, 1895
• Charles S. Proctor, 1896, 1897;
• George H. Smith, 1898, 1899
• Winslow S. Clark, 1900, 1901
• Horace C. Page, 1902, 1903
• Benjamin W. Clements, 1904, 1905
• Frank W. Hall, 1906, 1907
• George P. Howes, 1908, 1909
• Martin L. Kirkeby, 1910, 1911
• Frank D. Proctor, 1912, 1913
• William R. Foster, 1914, 1915
• Edson K. Humphrey, 1916, 1917
• Robert A. Kennedy, 1918, 1919
• Garfield A. Davis, 1920, 1921
• A. Gordon Foster, 1922, 1923
• Percy J. Wilson, 1924, 1925
• Willard A. Parker, 1926, 1927
• Roscoe C. Turner, 1928, 1929
• Harry Priestly, 1930, 1931
• Alexander Semple, Jr., 1932, 1933
• Everett T. Reed, 1934, 1935
• Ralph A. Johnson, 1936, 1937
• Walter W. Colby, 1938, 1939
• Raymond W. Sherburn, 1940, 1941
• Elton L. F. Silk, 1942, 1943
• Wilbur H. Roberts, 1944, 1945;
• Edmond H. Gunther, 1946, 1947
• Herbert G. Pascall, 1948, 1949
• Ray Pike, Jr., 1950, 1951
• Francis A. Mathews, 1952, 1953
• John P. Wood, 1954
• Raymond V. Ullom, Jr., 1955, 1956; PDDGM
• Millis C. Pelton, 1957, 1958
• Roland E. Mosley, 1959, 1960; PDDGM, PSGW
• Willis A. Clark, Jr., 1961, 1962
• Richard C. Gillis, 1963, 1964
• Donald A. Pelton, 1965, 1966
• Walter F. Bujnowski, 1967, 1968
• Robert S. Gibson, 1969
• Bradley H. Tuttle, 1970, 1971
• Ainsworth C. Pedersen, 1972, 1973
• Charles Boyajian, 1974, 1975
• Philip G. Tays, 1976, 1977
• Robert A. Silk, 1978, 1979
• William B. Roberts, 1980, 1981
• H. Mark Leonard, Jr., 1982, 1983 PDDGM
• David B. Ullom, 1984, 1985
• John E. Ullom, 1986, 1987
• Douglas A. Hanks, 1988, 1989
• Joseph L. Husson, 1990, 1991
• David B. Hanks, 1992, 1993
• Robert G. Wallace, 1994, 1995
• Linscott Fadden, 1996, 1997
• Raymond R. A. Bul, 1998, 1999
• Jeffrey A. Northrup, 2000, 2001
• Robert J. Walsh, 2002, 2003
• George N. Tournas, 2004, 2005
• Wayne L. Standley, Sr., 2006, 2007
• Wayne L. Standley, Jr., 2008, 2009
• Jason A. Standley, Sr., 2010-2012
• Edward D. MacNess, 2012-2014
• Shawn B. Smith, 2014-2016
• A. Rick Frederick, 2016-2019
• Terrence P. Fetters, 2019-2020
• Paul K. Ciampa, 2020-2022
• Kevin P. Ciampa, 2022-2024
• Timothy R. McLaughlin, 2024-