|
WHENCE CAME YE
This is the history of the first hundred years of Diamond
Lodge, No. 555, F. & A. M., located in Dobbs Ferry, N. Y.
The name of the village was derived from the fact that
Jeremiah Dobbs, a Swede, once operated a ferry for passengers across the Hudson River here. Dobbs
Ferry was once the site of a large Indian village; papers were signed here by
which the American army was disbanded and in which the British gave up all claim
upon the allegiance and control of the country. It was here in this section of
the county, richly abounding in Revolutionary lore and landmarks that seven
members of the Masonic fraternity, all residents of Dobbs Ferry and all members
of Solomon’s Lodge, No.196, F. & A. M., and all of whom had taken their three
degrees in that Lodge, presented a petition to the Grand Lodge of Free and
Accepted Masons of the State of New York praying for a dispensation to form a
new Lodge to be located in Dobbs Ferry. Accompanying the petition was a copy of
a resolution passed by Solomon’s Lodge at a communication held June 2, 1864,
avouching the petitioners to be Master Masons in good standing and recommending
that the petition be granted. This resolution was signed by the following
officers of Solomon’s Lodge: —
Amos Briggs, Master; William I. Wood, Senior Warden; J.
H. Reed, Junior Warden; Samuel E. Fisher, Secretary.
A dispensation was granted under date of July 5, 1864, by M.’. W.’.
Clinton F. Paige, Grand Master, and attested by R.’. W.’. James M. Austen, Grand
Secretary.
It is interesting to note that at the annual Grand Lodge
communication held in June, 1865, Grand Master Paige, addressing the Lodge
stated that twenty-nine new Lodges were chartered at the Annual Communication of
Grand Lodge in June of that year. These Lodges were numbered from 550 to 578.
All are still in existence.
The official reason given in the petition to form a new
Lodge in Dobbs Ferry was, “For the convenience of their respective dwellings and
for other good reasons.” Legend has it that among the “other good reasons” was
an ultimatum from the wives of the Dobbs Ferry Masons. Solomon’s Lodge met in
Tarrytown, about five
miles to the north of Dobbs Ferry, on Thursday evenings. In those days trains
did not run as frequently as they now do and as often, after missing the last
train home, the men from Dobbs Ferry had to walk home (not a great feat in those
days); however, because of frequent intermissions from labor to refreshment and
other reasons, some of the Dobbs Ferry contingent did not arrive home until late
on Friday and, in some instances even later. A very vigorous female movement
erupted and it is not improbable that this had some bearing on the creation of
Diamond Lodge.
Diamond Lodge has good cause to be thankful to Solomon’s
Lodge, not only for safely launching its petition, but for the very friendly and
helpful relations which have existed ever since.
The names of
the petitioners for the new Lodge in Dobbs Ferry were: —
George B. Taylor
William Pateman John H. Peterman A. 0. Wilsea
James
Patterson Charles Gisner Charles G. Storms
Abram 0. Wilsea was nominated to be Worshipful Master,
Charles Gisner to be Senior Warden and Charles C. Storms, Junior Warden. The
name of the Lodge to be “Diamond”; annual dues were set at five dollars, payable
quarterly; the initiation fee to be twenty dollars, eleven dollars to be paid on
presenting the petition and nine dollars prior to receiving the first degree.
It is interesting to note how the name “Diamond” was
selected for the new Lodge. The villagers of Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Hastings
and Ardsley when not engaged in ministering to the needs of the owners of the
palatial estates thereabout, produced farm produce, most of which was shipped to
New York City in market sloops down the Hudson River. On the return trips they
would bring back staples and other supplies. One of these market sloops was
named “Diamond” and belonged to Brother William Pateman; the suggestion was
made, accepted and adopted that the name of the new Lodge be named after Captain
Pateman’s sloop the “Diamond.”
OUR FIRST HOME
First Meeting Place (inset
W.’. Abram O. Wilsea, First Master)
The Lodge obtained rooms on the second floor of a brick
building on the north-west corner of Main and Chestnut streets, Dobbs Ferry, being otherwise
occupied by Hay and Feed store. Brother Charles G. Storms was the owner and a
nominal rent of $125.00 yearly was agreed upon; the paying of the rent appears
to have been an annual problem and yet seems to have been solved most amicably;
if business was good and the Lodge prosperous the full amount was forth coming;
if funds were low and the Lodge in distress, the amount of the rent was tempered
by the landlord to fit the funds available. These quarters, undoubtedly by
reason of a generous landlord, became the home of the Lodge for a period of
thirty-one years, until the year 1895, when the building was demolished and a
new brick building, still standing, was erected. During their tenancy the Lodge
provided its own heat and light, undoubtedly wood or coal burning stoves and
coal oil lamps. One amusing incident appears in the minutes of December 18, 1879;
the tiler was instructed not to purchase any more ink as the Landlord, Brother
Charles C. Storms, promised to provide ink for one year to date. To obtain the
furniture and the necessary Lodge paraphernalia the seven charter members
subscribed the sum of five hundred dollars; the Lodge giving a bond for that
amount, which was subsequently repaid.
The first meeting of the Lodge (under dispensation) was
held July 29, 1864.
The minutes state that all officers were present. A proposition for membership
was received; Brother Gisner proposed his step-son, Bishop R. Lawrence. Other
propositions came in at almost every meeting and a report given on January 27,
1865, stated that 23 petitions had been received; 19 were elected to become
members, four of which were by affiliation, three were rejected and one remained
to be acted upon. The meeting of August 5, 1864, determined that the regular meetings of the Lodge
should be held on every Friday evening; since that time the frequency of the
meetings has fluctuated considerably from weekly meetings to twice a month
meetings as is now the custom. The changes are enumerated herewith: —
1864 Met every Friday in the month.
1872 Beginning with the first Friday in April, met the
first and third Friday in each month.
1876 May 5th, By-laws amended, to meet every Friday.
1881 March 25th, reverted back to the first and third
Fridays in the month.
1883 March 2nd, meeting nights changed to every
Friday.
1904 January, to meet on the first and third Fridays in the
month.
At the August 19, 1864 meeting, the
annual dues of the members were fixed at five dollars annually, payable
quarterly; excuses for absences from meetings were demanded and, in some cases,
fines were levied.
On October 28, 1864, Diamond
Lodge adopted the by-laws of Solomon’s Lodge, No. as its own. The following are
some interesting excerpts from the printed by-laws of Diamond Lodge dated 1865:
Section 16 RELIEF
The committee shall consist of the W.M., S.W., and J.W., S,
T, and S.D. and J.D., who shall daily, in turn, visit all brethren or their
families reported to them or to the Lodge as requiring assistance, and to report
to the Lodge at the next communication. If occasion should require a brother to
be attended during the night, the committee shall notify two members in
rotation, as they stand on the roll of the Lodge to attend such brother, except
in the case of infectious or contagious disease, in which case the said
committee shall endeavor to procure suitable aid.
Section 35 PENALTIES
Any member who shall refuse or neglect to attend a sick
brother, when duly notified by the Relief Committee, shall be fined one dollar
for each neglect, provided always the sickness be not contagious or infectious.
It is to be noted that a
perusal of the minutes discloses but two instances where this duty was neglected
and the offenders reprimanded by Lodge action.
|
