Early American Lodges.

EARLY AMERICAN LODGES .

BY ROBERT FREKE GOULD . BRO . J . H . ESTILL , Master of " Solomon ' s Lodge , " No . 1 , Savannah , and Junior Grand Warden of Georgia , claims for the ancient body over which he presides , the distinction of being " the oldest Lodge in America ,

now in existence . This contention is very nearly sustainable , but not quite . The three oldest Lodges in the United States are : —

No . Lodge Location Charter 1 . St . John ' s - Boston , Mass . - - 1733 1 . Solomon ' s - Savannah , Georgia - 1735 1 . Solomon ' s Charleston , S . Carolina - 1735

" St . John ' s , Boston , was constituted m 1733 , and first appeared in the Engraved list of the Grand Lodge of England , in 1734 . At the present moment it is one of the most prosperous of American Lodges , and possesses no less than 360 members . *

" Solomon ' s Lodge , " Savannah , Georgia , seems to have been constituted by the Grand Lodge of England in 1735 , and duly appeared in the Engraved List of the following year .

" Solomon ' s Lodge , " Charleston , South Carolina , was constituted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in 1735 , and first appeared on the roll of the Grand Lodge of England * in 1761 as No . 251 . *

The subjoined table is made up as follows , viz .: —Nos . 65 , 74 and 75 , are taken from the Engraved List for 1756 , and No . 251 from the Engraved List for 1761 . All four of these numbers occur in the numeration of 1756-69 . No . Lodge Location Constituted

65 . Royal Exchange Boston , New England 1733 74 . Fountain - - Eigh-st . Bristol Nov . 12 1735 75 . Savannah - In the Province of Georgia - - 1735 251 . Solomon ' s Lodge Charles Town , S . Carolina - - 1735

No . 74 , which we have seen had been assigned to a Bristol Lodge in 1756 , was vacant durin g 1757-61 . In 1762 , it was again filled by the promotion of No . 251 , " Solomon ' s Lodge , " Charles Town , South Carolina ; thus from 1762 onwards , preceding with its local charter of 1735 ,

the other and presumably older Solomon ' s Lodge of Savannah , Georgia , with a Grand Lodge warrant of the same year . This fact , however , is unimportant . A vacant niche was available at No . 74 for a Lodge of 1735 , and " Solomon ' s Lodge , " South Carolina , was accordingly shifted there from

its lower position . The supercession of the old No . 75 , by the new No . 74 , has no bearing on the question of the com - parative seniority of constitution of the two Lodges . The practice was very common , of allotting a vacant Number to a foreign Lodge which had been late in coming on the

roll ; and , no doubt , the usage was productive of less confusion than would have resulted from a partial closing-up of numbers . " St . John ' s " Lodge , Boston , is unquestionably the oldest Masonic body on the North American Continent . " Solomon ' s " Lodge , No . 1 Georgia ,

has clearly the second place on the roll of precedence , and the other " Solomon ' s" Lodge of South Carolina , makes a good third . It is , of course , open to discussion , whether No . 1 Georgia , or No . 1 South Carolina was first established . But as the former appeared in the English official list of

Lodges , for an entire quarter of a century , before its supremacy as an Anglo-American Lodge of 1735 was challenged , I think that the local Lodge claiming as of the same year , must be content to rank ivitli , but after , the original " Solomon ' s " Lodge of Savannah , Georgia .

Banquet To The District Grand Master (E.C).

BANQUET TO THE DISTRICT GRAND MASTER ( E . C ) .

THE brethren of the District Grand Lodge of Auckland E . C , gave a banquet , on 22 nd January , to Bro . W . S . Graham , on the occasion of his return from a tour in England .

The Devon Masonic Educational Fund.

THE DEVON MASONIC EDUCATIONAL FUND .

WE are glad to note the successful progress of thia youthful Masonic Charity . The annual general meeting was held at the Hnyshc Masonic Temple , Plymouth , on Tuesday , 5 th instant , Bro . R . Lose P . M . P . P . G . P . occupied the chair , and among the numerous brethren present were Bros . Vincent Bird Hon .

Treasurer and J . B . Gover Hon . Secretary of the Fund , J . Treeby , Samuel Jew , J . B . Westlake , James Beard , Ac . After confirmation of the minutes of various meetings , Bro . S . Jew and Richard Cawsev were elected auditors . Bros . Bird and Gover were re-elected Hon . Treasurer and

Hon . Secretary respectively . Bros . Rich . Lose , G . R . Barrett and W . E . Warren were appointed the Finance Committee ; and Bros . W . Derry , J . E . Curteis , W . E .

Elphinstone Stone , J . Brewer , S . Jones , S . Jew , J . Tanner-Davy , J . Treeby , J . Russell Lord , J . Loram , Jas . Murray , D . Cross , S . Hyne , A . R . Lethbridge , R . L . Blight , G . Firks and J . Kinton Bond the Educational and General

Purposes Committee . The Treasurer ' s report , which was submitted and adopted , showed a balance in hand of slightly over £ 20 , while in that of the Secretary it was stated that all the children on the Fund were making satisfactory progress and bid fair to prove a

credit to the Charity . The Committee then proceeded to the election of candidates , having first of all , however , appointed Bros . S . Jew , J . Lynn , and 0 . Knowles Scrutineers . It was originally intended to elect two of the approved candidates , but a further vacancy having been

caused by the election of one of the children on the Fund to the London School , it was determined that three should be chosen . The result of the ballot was as follows : —Ethel Wharton 234 votes ; Rose Mary Northy 205 votes ; Isabella

Florence Rowe 204 votes ; Francis Walter Spry 127 votes ; and Utinia Annie Rawle 27 votes . Accordingly , the first three were declared elected , while the votes of the unsuccessful candidates will be carried forward to their credit at the

next election . Votes of thanks were unanimously passed to Bro . Lose for having presided so admirably , to Bros . V . Bird and J . B . Gover for their efficient services in the respective capacities of Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary , and to Bros . S . Jew , J . Lynn , and O . Knowles ,

for having so faithfully discharged their duties as Scrutineers . It will be seen from this account that , though the Devon Masonic Educational Fund is , as it were , but of yesterday ' s planting , it has acquired a strength and

substance beyond even what the most hopeful of our Devonian brethren could have anticipated . We trust its future career will fully realise the satisfactory promise of its earliest days .

We have received , and beg to acknowledge with thanks , several copies of the " Catalogue of the Masonic Publishing and Furnishing Company ' s Ninth Semi-Annual Sale " of " Standard and Rare Masonic Books , Pamphlets , Magazines , Addresses , & c . " The sale will take place on the

Company s premises , 43 Bleecker Street , New York , on Thursday , the 19 th May . Those who cannot attend in person may have their orders attended to by Messrs . J . G . Barker , 43 Bleecker Street ; John Hoole , 23 Christopher Street ; A . P . Moriarty , Room 51 , Astor House ; Daniel

Sickels or John V . Simons , Rooms 65 and 66 Astor House ; S . W . E . Beckner , 737 Broadway ; Rob . Macoy , 4 Barclay Street ; P . 0 . Anderson , 200 Schermerhorn Street , Brooklyn , N . Y . ; or S . Stacker Williams , Newark , Ohio . The

catalogue comprises 500 lots , embracing every description of Masonic literature , many of the works offered being of considerable value . We shall be happy to furnish a copy of this catalogue to any of our readers who may wish to have one .

Bro . Purkiss , P . M . Finsbury Park Lodge , will take possession of the Royal Music Hall ( late Weston ' s ) on Monday night . On that occasion Bros . Meekham , G . Fredericks , Spiller , and Crowder , will occupy the chair in turn , and numerous other friends have promised Bro-Purkiss their support . We wish him every success in his new undertaking .