WILLIAM R. SINGLETON-HOPE-LEBANON LODGE #7 F.A.A.M. OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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June History Fact of the Month

6/1/2022

 

​William Winston Seaton, Past Master, Congressional Reporter, Publisher, Mayor, but not a Dickens Character.

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Lebanon Lodge #7, Past Master William Winston Seaton served as Master of Lebanon Lodge #7 in 1818- 1821, and again in 1825-1827. He served as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge from 1822-1824.

He with his brother in law Joseph Gales were publishers of the National Intelligencer. The National Intelligencer was the only paper covering Congressional Debates from 1812 to 1820. Their archives serve as a basis for understanding the politics of the time. They also had keen insight from 1824-1837. Seaton was active in the York Rite, and an intimate of many important political people. He would eventually become Mayor of DC.

In 1842, when Charles Dickens visited America, MWB Seaton entertained the author and was said to have entertained him very well. The History of the Grand Lodge and of Freemasonry in the District of Columbia with Biographical Appendix by WB Kenton Harperon on page 338 says suggests that the Cherryble Brothers in Nicholas Nickleby “might seem to have been inspired by the subject of this sketch and his partner, so nearly akin in every gentle characteristic.” ​

​The only problem with this is that Nicholas Nickleby was published in a serial format from 1838 to 1839. Yet, if our brothers in writing the history of the Grand Lodge could see our brother in these legendary characters that speaks well for our brother. Indeed, in the depictions of the brothers and MWB Seaton there is a bit of a semblance. It should be noted that Dickens visit to America was generally considered a bad experience with Dickens being fairly critical of American society and downright disdainful of DC itself. Of note, is that during this time the office of Master is titled Right Worshipful Master, and the Wardens are the Worshipful Senior Warden and the Worshipful Junior Warden.


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May History Fact of the Month

5/1/2022

 

MW Roger Chew Weightman: Lebanon's first petitioner, Major General, Printer, Past Grand Master

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The centennial history book of Lebanon Lodge #7 includes biographical sketches of Past Masters and in one case a Past Senior Warden, Roger Chew Weightman. 

Br. Weightman was a printer by profession and was the first to petition Lebanon Lodge after its founding. He was initiated on December 6 of 1811, passed two weeks later, and raised 8 days later. He went on to serve as Senior Deacon and Senior Warden of the lodge. He was also very active in the DC Militia. When the war of 1812 began he was called away and never progressed to the oriental chair.

He was active in the Battle of Blandensburg and was captured by the British Troops marching to burn the White House. The White House reported that the British Admiral teased him by telling him to take a memento, and when he choose something of value the admiral said he had to choose something worthless.  (See https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-burning-of-washington).

After the war, our brother settled into a number of public offices for Washington, including Alderman in 1821-1823, He served as the 8th Mayor of DC from 1824-1827, when he resigned to become the cashier of the Bank of Washington. In an interesting note, in1822 he ran against Mayor Carbery and fought the matter in court during Carbery’s entire term.  We also know that there were handbills printed promising voters for him would be rewarded and insulting Carbery, if he did not print himself, he was certainly involved in this.


He would plan the inauguration of John Quincy Adams, work to build the Washington Monument, involved in The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences. In 1833, the Grand Lodge elected him as Grand Master, though he never served as Master of a lodge.

He and his family would throw tremendous balls for the elite 400 of Washington which became a social scene of the year until his wife’s passing in 1839.

His interests in military history never ceased. During the civil war, he helped organize and defend Washington, which would put him at odds with his oldest son. Richard Hanson Weightman who fought under Gen Sterling Price and killed in 1861 in Springfield Missouri

The Grand Lodge Historian, Br. K. N. Harper said “He had an unsullied reputation and possessed many ennobling traits of character and was a successful business man and a dignified courtly gentleman.”

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40067121?seq=30

March History Fact of the Month

3/1/2022

 

Wm. R. Singleton Lodge #30

The History of the Every Day: Singleton Lodge in 1922

WB Zevitas asked that I write this month’s history moment. I dug into the archives to see what our lodge was doing at the first meeting in March of 1922. How cool would that be? The 472nd stated communication of Singleton Lodge #30. I couldn’t wait to see what I discovered! Maybe it was a Degree, maybe it was an interesting speaker, a special guest of honor. 

It was like National Lampoon’s Vacation with the Wally World Moose out front: “The Stated Communication Scheduled for Thursday, March 2nd, 1922, was called off due to repairs being made in the lodge room.” 

Sometimes in history, mundanity rules the day.  

Piecing together from other minutes there were concerns about the benches on the north side of the room and some other routine maintenance. It goes to show you the Temple Association is a thankless task. 

Yet, 1922 was an interesting year for Singleton Lodge #30. The minutes of December 15, 1921 stated that the Worshipful Master Richard G. Fletcher had a “virile and truly Masonic platform” laid out for the year. It was an interesting year and I wanted to share some highlights of it: 

  • Sprucing up the Hall: Members of Friendship Chapter #17, Order of the Eastern Star wanted help to redecorate the lodge. The Lodge Created a fundraising committee to get a minimum commitment for each brother to donate at least $5 ($83.66 in today’s money) towards improvements to the hall. Chief among them was the purchase of a new piano so the lodge piano could be moved downstairs to the banquet hall. In the fall, the lesser lights of the lodge had to be fixed.
  • 21st Anniversary of the Lodge: On May 4, 1922 the lodge held its 21st-anniversary party. There was a special address by MW Ginn about the history of the Masonic & Eastern Star Home. In his remarks, Ginn made a reference to how nice the lodge looked. There were special flowers given to the members and each charter member present was called upon to “tell of the by-gone days when William R. Singleton Lodge” was in its infancy.  Afterward, the brothers had a giant birthday cake made for them by the ladies of the Eastern Star.
  • The Worshipful Master was indicted in connection with the 1922 Knickerbocker Theater disaster (pictured above). Located over in Adams Morgan at the site of the current Sun Trust the Knickerbocker Theater collapsed on January 28, 1922. A 28-hour storm had left a lot of snow on the roof. It collapsed and killed. Ninety-eight people had died and 133 were injured. The Coroner’s Jury filed indictments against nine people involved in the building, including the sitting Master Richard G. Fletcher who served as the Cement Foreman for the project. At a meeting of the lodge WB Fletcher turned the gavel over to WB J Giles, PM to speak to the indictment.  After the address, the lodge gave a vote of sympathy, a vote of confidence and an expression of hope “that he not be called upon to defend himself on the charge for which he had been indicted.” The Knickerbocker theater disaster, to the best of our knowledge, never resulted in a conviction of anyone as they could never figure out who was responsible. 
  • A Past Masters’ Association: March 16, 1922 saw Past Masters’ Association formed with James L. Giles serving as the first president, and George A. Smith as the first secretary.
  • United Masonic Temple Fund: June 1922 saw WB Snavely of the United Masonic Temple fund come to the lodge to discuss the purchase of land for a new Masonic Temple. There were future conversations and at the October Grand Visit, 15 members of the lodge had subscribed $1,625($27,194.38 in today’s money) to support it. 
  • American University Hosts the Grand Visitation: Due to the size of the lodge and the size of the Grand Lodge the October 19, 1922 Grand Visitation was hosted in the “Hall of History” (Hurst Hall) at American University. It was quite the party! The Almas Shrine Glee Club came and sang. EC Snyder, US Marshal for the District of Columbia gave a special address, Br. Ralon played his violin while Br. Jackson sang. The lodge was addressed by Bishop Hamilton, a Past Grand Chaplain of The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and an honorary member of William R. Singleton Lodge #30 and Chancellor (President) of American University. Bishop Hamilton was establishing a lecture series at American on Masonry.  Notes in the minutes report that there were American flags and bunting. After closing the lodge, they processed and sang “Onward Christian Soldiers” and in the lower hall the brothers feasted on pyramids of fruit and the Grand Lodge were given fruit baskets as parting gifts. The money spent on fruit was $144.20 or $2,413.19 in today’s money.
  • Charlie Moy, a merchant whose Hong High Store was in China Town and George Y. Wen, Manager of the Eagle Restaurant in Penn Quarter both Applied on February 16, 1922. On April 20, 1922 they were both rejected after unanimously favorable reports.  They reapplied in the fall and in December both were elected to membership in our lodge. This is interesting as most of us have a vision of Singleton Lodge #30 being a neighborhood lodge in Tenleytown. I don’t think any of us thought of it as having a Chinatown connection. 
  • The Gang Trial: In 1921 the Masters’ Association of the Grand Lodge (today’s Masters and Wardens Association) hosted a baseball game. Brother William H. Gang of Singleton Lodge #30 was in charge and there was a dispute over $220 ($3,681.70 in Today’s money). Charges were filed. The trial committee under the leadership of Junior Steward (and future Grand Master) Dean H. Stanley worked on this for several months. Br. Gang made restitution but was convicted by the lodge on a vote of 32-1. The lodge considered various forms of punishment and settled on a suspension until the following year. After the end of the trial the Master, the Chaplain and a brother named Hecker stressed that it was important that they communicate to Gang that they were there to help him. 
  • The Application of William E. Gore: Older members of the lodge will recognize the last name of Gore. I am unclear if this is our Worshipful Brother Fred’s uncle or father. But it would not be a year at Singleton Lodge without a reference to a Brother Gore. 
In 100 years, may some future member of our Lodge look back on our records and think about how we acted and behaved as Masons. 
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October History Fact of the Month

10/1/2021

 

Barristers' Lodge #48

In October 1929 Bro. Lieutenant Walter Hinton addressed Barristers’ Lodge on his experiences as an early naval aviator. Our minutes read, “Bro. Hinton was the pilot of the NC 4 on the first Trans-Atlantic air flight and the first aviator to use the plane in exploration work, having been connected with the Hamilton Rice Expedition to the Amazon Valley”. Bro. Hinton was born on November 10, 1888, in Van Wert, Ohio, about 100 miles from Dayton, Ohio, home of the Wright Brothers. He grew up hearing of the Wright Brothers’ success, and, inspired, decided to enlist in the Navy. He became a pilot, flew in the first aerial crossing of the Atlantic, taught his lifelong friend, and fellow famed aviator, Bro. Richard E. Byrd how to fly, and was part of the first aerial mapping of the Amazon. For more information about Bro. Hinton’s life see the book, The Flying Firsts of Walter Hinton.
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September History Fact of the Month

9/1/2021

 

Lebanon Lodge #7

The Singleton Lodge Annual Crab Feast is not a creation of recent history. Our Lodge and its predecessors have been hosting crab feasts and picnics at least as early as 1954 (according to our minutes) and perhaps earlier than 1922 (according to the Washington Herald newspaper). On June 26, 1954, Lebanon Lodge's Fellow Craft Club held a crab feast at the Kenneth Nash Post Hall at a price of $1.75 per adult and .75 per child. In 1987, the year before the merger, our beloved W.B. Fred Gore and Gary Doyles held picnics a Fred's cottage at Piney Point and Gary's home, respectively. The following year, the first WM. R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon Lodge #7 crab feast and picnic occurred on August 20, 1988 at W.B. Doyle's residence. Ever since then, our annual tradition continued year after year hosted at member's houses within the DMV and eventually at the Franconia Moose Lodge in the mid 2000s. ​
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May History Fact of the Month

5/1/2021

 

Hope Lodge # 20

For decades, MESH Charities of DC has provided and continues to provide invaluable welfare and care of needy Sisters and Brothers, as well as their spouses and dependent children.  The Masonic community is forever indebted to MESH for its work. Nearly, 50 years ago, however, MESH was in turmoil and Hope Lodge No. 20 sought to help.

In February of 1972, the employees at the MESH Home went on strike.  The situation had become so problematic that police were called to remove an employee who was conducting a sit down strike at the MESH home.

In response, Hope Lodge's Worshipful Master, George Worth, called on the Brethren to provide "all kinds of help to care for the elderly guests at the home."  Eastern Star members had provided some help, but more was needed.  WM Worth also sought to help the home through the 1972 Association of Worshipful Masters by raising funding and fixing problems with the MESH home.  

Ultimately, the National Labor Relations Board found that the officers of MESH had violated the labor rights of the MESH employees and required that MESH offer the employees full reinstatement. 
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April History Fact of the Month

4/1/2021

 

Wm. R. Singleton # 30

A Brewmaster, A Proposal, and a Singleton Lodge?

So how does the story of Singleton Lodge cross paths with Christian Heurich, the owner of the largest brewery in DC? It's just another typical DC-esque story that involves power, politics, and land. 

Mr. Heurich, in his prime, was the largest landowner in Washington, DC, with the exception of the Federal Government. In 1901, the newly chartered William R. Singleton Lodge #30 was looking to build its own masonic temple in the Tenleytown neighborhood of DC and appointed a committee to find a site. In April 1901, the committee reached out to Mr. Heurich, who owned much of Tenleytown, requesting that he donate a plot on Wisconsin Avenue for the temple. He gladly agreed to do so and drafted up a deed. However, the deed proposed by Mr. Heurich included the following provision:

"And the trustees and their successors will at all times hereafter, whenever required by the said Christian Heurich, his heirs or assigns, sign all applications for license to conduct or carry on the liquor business upon such property, adjacent, adjoining, abutting, contiguous, opposite, or in the neighborhood of such conveyed real estate as may be owned or controlled by the said Christian Heurich, his heirs or assigns, and will not object to or oppose the granting or issuance of said license; and that the said William R. Singleton Lodge, if the law in force shall require its consent to the granting of such license or licenses, will by its proper officer or officers signify such consent in such manner and such form as may be required by law."

The DC Grand Lodge prohibited its member lodges from involving themselves with the business of alcohol. Singleton Lodge countered and proposed a provision whereby the Lodge would not oppose his liquor licenses but that wasn't sufficient for Mr. Heurich and he refused to sign that deed. As a result, Singleton Lodge respectfully backed out of its dealings with Mr. Heurich. A couple of years later a different location was purchased by the Lodge from brother Eli Riley.

Just goes to show you that no good story about DC is without drama, politics, and well...alcohol.  A Brewmaster, A Proposal, and a Singleton Lodge?

So how does the story of Singleton Lodge cross paths with Christian Heurich, the owner of the largest brewery in DC? It's just another typical DC-esque story that involves power, politics, and land. 

Mr. Heurich, in his prime, was the largest landowner in Washington, DC, with the exception of the Federal Government. In 1901, the newly chartered William R. Singleton Lodge #30 was looking to build its own masonic temple in the Tenleytown neighborhood of DC and appointed a committee to find a site. In April 1901, the committee reached out to Mr. Heurich, who owned much of Tenleytown, requesting that he donate a plot on Wisconsin Avenue for the temple. He gladly agreed to do so and drafted up a deed. However, the deed proposed by Mr. Heurich included the following provision:

"And the trustees and their successors will at all times hereafter, whenever required by the said Christian Heurich, his heirs or assigns, sign all applications for license to conduct or carry on the liquor business upon such property, adjacent, adjoining, abutting, contiguous, opposite, or in the neighborhood of such conveyed real estate as may be owned or controlled by the said Christian Heurich, his heirs or assigns, and will not object to or oppose the granting or issuance of said license; and that the said William R. Singleton Lodge, if the law in force shall require its consent to the granting of such license or licenses, will by its proper officer or officers signify such consent in such manner and such form as may be required by law."

The DC Grand Lodge prohibited its member lodges from involving themselves with the business of alcohol. Singleton Lodge countered and proposed a provision whereby the Lodge would not oppose his liquor licenses but that wasn't sufficient for Mr. Heurich and he refused to sign that deed. As a result, Singleton Lodge respectfully backed out of its dealings with Mr. Heurich. A couple of years later a different location was purchased by the Lodge from brother Eli Riley.

Just goes to show you that no good story about DC is without drama, politics, and well...alcohol.  
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March History Fact of the Month

3/1/2021

 

Wm. R. Singleton # 30

Singleton Lodge 40 Years Ago

It is important to look into our history, not only to recognize great events, men, or accomplishments, but to examine how our Lodge used to operate, what traditions existed that were forgotten or remain today, and measure our growth over the years.  Looking back to Singleton Lodge 40 years ago, we are reminded of the constancy of Freemasonry in Singleton Lodge and realize that the strong and noble principles of Brotherly Love and Relief were as strong as they are today.  In that vein, the minutes of the March 1981 Stated Communication do not identify any remarkable events, but ground us in our history and traditions, as well as remind us of our Brethren.

On March 19, 1981, Wm. R. Singleton Lodge #30 held its 1604th Stated Communication. Worshipful Master Deitrick presided over the Communication.  As we do today, minutes were approved, Past Masters were recognized, communications were read, the finances were reported, and fraternal greetings were extended from lodges outside of the jurisdiction.  As it often happens today, the Communication was attended by a Past Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother William Rohrman, who was also an honorary member of Singleton Lodge.  Although invited to the East, "he retired to his favorite seat on the sidelines;" a familiar tradition today.

Most importantly, our Brethren were taking great care of each other.  WB Huson had been visiting with sick and shut-in Brethren, including Brethren that had moved to Florida.  And, Brethren were circulating get-well cards to send to Brethren in the hospital.
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February History Fact of the Month

2/1/2021

 

Barristers Lodge No. 48​

Looking Back 75 Years to Barristers Lodge No. 48
In the year that World War II ended, on December 5, 1945, Brother Kennedy C. Watkins ascended to the East to assume his place in the Oriental chair of Barristers Lodge No. 48 of the Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia for the 1946 Masonic year.  As explained in the minutes, "[t]he newly elected Worshipful Master and Senior Warden were impressively installed by the first Master of Barristers Lodge, Worshipful Brother Warren W. Grimes, our faithful installing officer."

Barristers Lodge had a busy Masonic year.  It held numerous Special Communications to confer degrees upon Brethren--ultimately raising five Master Masons. It also provided a number of programs for the Brethren, including an address by Admiral O.S. Coclough, Judge Advocate General of the Navy, on National Security and an address by General Paul R. Hawlye, Chief Medical Officer of the Veteran's Administration (VA), on medical activities of the VA.

After a successful year, the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the District of Columbia, William E. Schooley, "commented very favorably on the activities of the Lodge and on its status as of the end of the Masonic Year."
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January History Fact of the Month

1/1/2021

 

William R. Singleton # 30

​On January 7, 1919 at the height of the 1918 flu pandemic, Brother William B. Dobie of William R. Singleton #30 passed on to the celestial lodge above after suffering double pneumonia. Brother Dobie was the former manager of the Morrison Paper Company, which was located at 1009 D Street, Washington, DC. In the month of January alone, Singleton Lodge lost three brothers and several members were sick (including WM Ernest Wilkins) presumably due to the pandemic. 
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