The History of Orange County New York

by Unknown

This necessitated the election of a complete new set of officers, which was immediately done.

The lodges throughout the State, which had received charters from the "Modern" provincial grand lodge, in the interim between the dissolution of that body and the organization of the "Ancient" Provincial grand lodge had pursued an independent existence and naturally under their existing conditions, were loath to surrender their warrants to the new body; therefore, it was a number of years before all the lodges were brought under the control of the new grand lodge.

This provincial grand lodge, so far as existing records show, made no returns to the parent grand body, and in all matters acted as an independent grand lodge.

This state of affairs caused some of the lodges to question the legality of its proceedings, and the propriety of paying grand lodge dues.

This question was settled for all time on the sixth of June, 1787, by the grand lodge adopting the report of a committee which reported: "Your committee appointed at the last quarterly communication, in consequence of certain resolutions of St. John's lodge, respecting the warrant under which the grand lodge is established, report their opinion as follows, viz.: That the grand lodge of this State is established, according to ancient and universal usages of masonry, upon a constitution formed by the representatives of the regular lodges, convened under a legal warrant from the grand lodge of England, dated the fifth day of September, in the year of masonry five thousand seven hundred and eighty-one, the most noble Prince John the Third, Duke of Atholl, being the then grand master, and your committee further beg leave to report that, in their opinion, nothing is necessary or essential in the future proceedings of the grand lodge upon the subject matter referred to them, but that a committee be appointed to prepare a draft of the style of warrant to be hereafter granted by the grand lodge, conformable to the said constitution. All of which is, nevertheless, most respectfully submitted to the wisdom of the most worshipful grand lodge." In this manner the grand lodge declared itself an independent grand body, supreme within its own jurisdiction. The date of transition of the grand lodge from a provincial to an independent State masonic organization might be a subject of difference of opinion, but the grand lodge, however, numbers its annual communications from the earlier date, viz., 1781, under the charter issued by the "Ancients."

The grand lodge of the State of New York, under this charter, guarantees certain rights and privileges to 775 masonic lodges having a membership (December 31, 1906), of 146,026 master masons.

At different times the grand lodge has been disrupted by internal strife and schisms which continued several years, but since June, 1858, peace and harmony have prevailed among the fraternity.

The severest trial that freemasonry has had to endure was the anti-masonic crusade that began in 1826, which assailed the fraternity throughout the land and resulted in many of the lodges having their charters forfeited.

A political party was founded at the time on prejudice and hatred. Politicians mounted the whirlwind, and rode into power on the storm. Fanatics in the forum, at the bar and in the pulpit inflamed the passions of men and aroused the bitterest enmity against freemasonry. Men of the highest social and masonic standing were threatened with political ostracism; to be a mason was to be an object of suspicion and often of persecution; the lodge rooms were deserted, charters were surrendered, and the craft became disheartened at the situation. Some members of the fraternity openly declared their withdrawal and were known as "seceding masons" in the community. After ten years of bitter feeling and hatred against the society of Free and Accepted Masons, the storm of persecution began to subside; the calmer and better judgment of men prevailed; the craft took courage and masonic lodges again opened their doors and resumed labor. In 1840 there was not a masonic lodge in Orange County.

It would appear from the meager information given in the proceedings of grand lodge or in the minutes of subordinate lodges in the early days that the brethren were imbued with the idea that the very existence of the fraternity depended upon shrouding with great secrecy their every act and surroundings, consequently very few details can be gathered concerning matters that would make history.