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

5/1/2020

 

Wm. R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon Lodge No. 7

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Brother Hilmer H. Krebs, Singleton Lodge's oldest Mason, passed to the celestial lodge on April 5, 2020 at the age of 105. He was raised on September 3, 1946 and was a Mason for 73 years. The above picture is the presentation of his 70th anniversary certificate from the Grand Lodge of DC. He was also an Honorary Member of Patuxent Lodge No. 218 of Maryland. Brother Krebs worked for the FBI for 27 years, and was honored on his 100th birthday by the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. Below is an excerpt from his obituary: "Hilmer was born on November 20, 1914 and raised on a farm in Wilson County, Texas, the son of Walter Adolph and Emma Helene Krebs. Hilmer graduated from the Texas College of Arts & Industries in Kingsville Texas in July 1940 and immediately set off for Washington, DC where he met and married Alice May Robinson. Three sons, Richard Dietrich, Raymond Mitchell, and Lawrence Walter honored life for Alice and Hilmer. Hilmer supported his country and community during his lifetime, serving as a Metropolitan Police Officer, a White House Police Officer, a US Coast Guardsman, and a Special Agent of the FBI. He was active in the Presbyterian Church and the Masonic Order in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia."

​Sources: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/springfield-va/hilmer-krebs-9112150

April History Fact of the Month

4/1/2020

 

Lebanon Lodge No. 7

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​Bro. Schuyler Colfax was the 17th Vice President of the United States (1869-1873). Bro. Colfax was born March 23, 1823 in NYC and moved with his family to Indiana in 1836. He was the owner and editor of St. Joseph Valley Register of South Bend, IN; a member of Congress from 1855-1869 and Speaker of the House from 1863-1869. Bro. Colfax’s Masonic career began, while serving in Congress, in Lebanon Lodge No. 7 on August 15, 1856. He was initiated in Lebanon Lodge, and passed and raised in St. Joseph Lodge No. 45 of South Bend, IN on September 5, 1856. He became President Grant’s first Vice President in 1869, serving until 1873. In 1873 he was implicated in the Credit Mobilier scandal, and although the charges were unproven, it ruined his political career. He makes a memorable appearance in Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln as Speaker of the House, portrayed by actor Bill Raymond, during the vote for the passage of the 13th Amendment. Colfax was the presiding officer for the vote, and, unusually for a presiding officer, asked that his name be read in the roll call, and proceeded to vote for the passage of the 13th Amendment. The 14th Amendment was also passed during his Speakership.

​Sources: 10,000 Famous Freemasons A Century of Lebanon Lodge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_%28film%29

March History Fact of the Month

3/1/2020

 

Lebanon Lodge No. 7

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​In 1870 Lebanon Lodge gave Naval Lodge a white marble altar, still in use today. The altar was crafted by WB Alexander Rutherford (PM1858,1859) and 10 other Brethren from scraps of high quality marble from the building of the House and Senate wings of the US Capitol. Lebanon Lodge was composed for many years almost entirely of operative masons, and WB Rutherford was a master stone cutter and inspector of marble for the Capitol project. The altar was used for years by all Lodges at the Masonic Temple at 9th and D Street. When Lebanon Lodge moved to a new building in 1870, it was given to Naval Lodge with the inscription: "NAVAL No. 4 from LEBANON No. 7 A.L. 5870". This altar is used for the raising of new Brethren and the installation of new officers in Naval Lodge, and is a reminder of the fraternal link between our Lodges.

​Source: The White Marble Altar Description (with thanks to Peter Brusoe)

February History Fact of the Month

2/1/2020

 

Lebanon Lodge No. 7

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​In February 1954, Renah Camalier, PGM visited and spoke to Lebanon Lodge No. 7 on the merits of the York and Scottish Rites to Blue Lodge Masons. MWB Camalier had a distinguished Masonic and legal career. He was raised in Benjamin B. French Lodge in 1922, served as its Master in 1932, and Grand Master of the District of Columbia in 1952. He was 2nd Assistant Secretary of the Navy, examiner of the FTC, assistant US Attorney, a fuel coordinator for OPA in WWII, and appointed a Commissioner of Washington, DC. He was also a York Rite Mason, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, a Past Potentate of Almas Shrine, an Honorary Member of several Lodges, including Hope Lodge No. 20, and a member of numerous other Masonic organizations. During the remodeling of the White House in the Truman Administration, President Harry S. Truman, PGM of Missouri, asked MWB Camalier to distribute stones with Masonic markings recovered from the White House to each of the US Grand Lodges. MWB Camalier presented the Grand Lodge of Missouri’s stone to MWB Truman and the Grand Lodge of Missouri in September 1953. (The photo was taken in the Oval Office, with Brother Camalier standing next to Brother Truman. Almas Shrine was presenting a bid to President Truman to open the first performance of the 8th Annual Shrine Circus)

January Historic Fact of the Month

1/1/2020

 

Wm. R. Singleton Lodge No. 30

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​Bro. Col. Victor C. Swearingen passed to the Celestial Lodge on January 15, 1968. Bro. Swearingen was initiated, passed, and raised in Mt. Gilead Lodge #255 in Science Hill, Kentucky and affiliated with William R. Singleton Lodge #30 on May 5, 1960. MWB President Harry S. Truman appointed Bro. Swearingen, who previously served as Special Assistant to the Attorney General, as alternative judge to the Military Tribunal. In this capacity, Bro. Swearingen served on the bench during The Doctor’s Trial, where 23 defendants were accused of participating in Nazi human experimentation. 7 defendants were acquitted, 7 were sentenced to death, and the remainder received 10 years to life imprisonment. Singleton Lodge stood for a moment of silent prayer in honor of Bro. Swearingen.

December History Fact of the Month

12/5/2019

 

Wm. R. Singleton Lodge No. 30

​General John Pershing was born in 1860 in Missouri. He graduated from West Point in 1886 and went on to serve in the Indian Wars, the Spanish American War, the Philippines, and in pursuit of Pancho Villa into Mexico. He led US military forces in WWI, and was chief of staff of the Army from 1921-24. He is one of less than 20 officers in US history to attain a 5-star rank, which he did in 1919 after his service in WWI. Brother Pershing is accompanied in this honor with his Brethren: Gen. George Washington, Gen. George C. Marshall, Adm. Ernest King, Gen. Douglas McArthur, Gen. Hap Arnold, and Gen. Omar Bradley. Brother Pershing was raised on December 22, 1888 in Lincoln Lodge No. 19, Lincoln, Nebraska. He received his 50 year award in 1939; was a York Rite Mason, exalted in Lincoln Chapter and knighted in Mt. Moriah Commandery in 1894; a Scottish Rite Mason, coroneted with the 33rd degree in January 1930; and a Shriner. Brother Pershing was made an honorary member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, Stansbury Lodge of Washington, DC, and William R. Singleton Lodge of Washington, DC. A moment of silence was held for Brother Pershing at Singleton Lodge the day that he passed to the celestial lodge, July 15, 1948.
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November History Fact of the Month

11/1/2019

 

Lebanon Lodge No. 7

​Charles Sumner Heinline, PM, was born in Philadelphia on November 17, 1871. Brother Heinline moved to Washington, DC at 6, went to public school in the city, and graduated from Spencerian Business College. He worked first as a clerk, then trained as a printer with the Government Printing Office, eventually moving to its State Department branch. He was initiated, passed, and raised in Lebanon Lodge #7 on: February 18, 1898; April 15, 1898; and August 4, 1899, respectively. He was exalted in Eureka Chapter #4, a member of Martha Chapter #4, OES, and an active member of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. Illness caused him to move, around 1910, to Roseburg, Oregon. Our Brethren described him as an “earnest and conscientious Mason and was never as happy as when engaged in work for the lodge”.
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October History Fact of the Month

10/1/2019

 

Barristers Lodge No. 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

9/1/2019

 

​Barristers Lodge No. 48

​September 17, 1932, a special communication of Barristers’ Lodge was held for the purpose of participating in a reenactment ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of the US Capitol. The year 1932 marked the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s Birth, and a year-long celebration was held in his honor. Bro. Rep. Sol Bloom of Pacific Lodge No. 233 of New York, associate director of the Washington Bicentennial Commission, was the principal speaker at this event, and MWB Reuben A. Bogley, Grand Master of Masons of DC, presided over the ceremony. Among many other Brethren who participated, WM Aubrey Marrs, of Barristers’ Lodge No. 48, was part of the Grand Lodge Bicentennial Committee. Over 10,000 people participated in the ceremony, and our minutes say “It was undoubtedly the greatest showing ever made by the Blue Lodges of this jurisdiction”.
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May History Fact of the Month

5/1/2019

 

Barristers' Lodge No. 48

​Bro. Sec. Amb. Gen. Patrick J. Hurley was elected for dual membership in Barristers’ Lodge No. 48 in May 1945, while serving as US Ambassador to China. Bro. Hurley was born in 1883 in present day Oklahoma, where he began practicing law in 1908. He served as a colonel in WWI, and later became active in the Republican Party. President Hoover appointed him as Secretary of War, and he served Bro. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in various high level diplomatic posts during WWII, including Ambassador to China. As Ambassador, Bro. Hurley’s mission was to reconcile the Nationalists, under Chiang Kai-Shek, and Communists, under Mao Zedong. His mission was ultimately a failure, and he resigned his post in November 1945. Subsequently, he addressed Barristers’ Lodge as a guest speaker, and life member, in January 1946, May 1949, and February 1954. Bro. Hurley was also a member of Olive Branch Lodge #114 in Leesburg, Virginia. He passed away at the age of 80 in July 1963 in Santa Fe, NM.
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Making good men better for more than 200 years.

  • Home
  • What is Freemasonry?
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  • About Singleton Lodge
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