Freemasonry is the oldest fraternity in North America. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, located in Boston, was chartered in 1733, making the Grand Master the 3rd ranking Freemason in the world. The Grand Lodge of England was chartered first, in 1717, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland was chartered second, in 1725. During its 289 years of existence, several prominent individuals have served as the Grand Master. Dr. Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War general who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Paul Revere, famous for “the midnight ride,” just to name a few.
When Paul Revere was Grand Master, he chartered 23 lodges. I am proud to say that I am a Freemason and a member of Jerusalem Lodge, which was chartered on July 13th, 1797, by none other than Most Worshipful Paul Revere! This year, we are celebrating our 225th year as a chartered lodge. On Oct. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., we will be having our Open House. We are also having the installation of lodge officers at 1 p.m., which we are making public for the Open House. We will be there to answer any questions that you might have and if you join us for our installation of officers, you can help us congratulate the new incoming master of the lodge and thank the outgoing master upon his leaving. Other officers will be installed as well.
This would also be a great time to consider joining Freemasonry. We need men with good character. Men who hold ethics and morals high on their list of priorities. Men who want to become more involved in their community and belong in a brotherhood alongside names such as Charles Forbes, lawyer, judge and founder of Forbes Library in Northampton, John A. Sullivan, who in 1875 inaugurated the J. A. Sullivan grain and hardware business at 1 Main St, in Northampton, known as “Sullivan’s Block,” and, David Remington, Sergeant at Arms of the General Court in Massachusetts. We are located at 9 Church Ave. in West Hatfield.
Barry Labbé
Hatfield