University of Virginia Library

Masonic History.

THE first Masonic Lodge ever
organized in Charlottesville
was Door to Virtue Lodge,
No. 44. The first meeting
was on April 24th, 1791, and the lodge
was in active operation until June 2,
1801. I have given the entire membership,
so that our citizens may see
some of the people who lived in
Charlottesville one hundred and eleven
years ago. They are as follows: David
Anderson, Samuel Burch, Thomas
Buster, Richard Burch, Richard Buster,
John Burke, Joel Bennett, Tandy
Bowcock, Garland Carr, Samuel Carr,
William Clarkson, Julius Clarkson,
George Catlett, Marble Camden, Jesse
Davenport, Thomas Divers, Archilles
Douglas, Thomas Fletcher, John
Gamble, Francis Gray, John M. Gilston,
Alexander Garrett, Daniel Hodges,
Matthew Henderson, David Isaacs,
Lewis Johnson, C. Jouett, John R.
Kerr, Peter Lott, Robert Lewis,
Meriwether Lewis, Peter Marks, Isaac
Miller, James McClanahan, Richard
Price, E. A. Craven, Peyton, F. C.,
Richard Powell, Norman Powers, John
Richardson, David Sutton, Robert
Nelson, E. A., John Swope, E. A.,
Robert Wingfield, Tucker Woodson,
Austin Wingfield, and Joseph Wingfield.
Charlottesville Lodge No. 90
was in active operation from April
18th, 1812, to March 31st, 1821. I also
give the entire membership of that
lodge. It is as follows: Joseph Anderson,
Archilles Broadhead, Charles
Brown, Francis Carr, Peter Carr,
Lawrence Catlett, Garland Carr, James
Carr, Washington Chiles, Ira Garrett,
W. W. Henning, William Huntington,
John R. Jones, Williamson
Kelley, David I. Lewis, Dabney Morris,
Wilson Maduras, Thomas W.
Maury, Samuel McAffee, Bernard
Peyton, J. M. Perry, Riland Rodes,
Ralph Sandridge, Garrett E. Stack,
John C. Wells, and William Watson.
Widow's Son Lodge, No. 60 was organized
in the village of Milton, at the
foot of the eastern slope of Monticello
mountain, on the southern bank of
the Rivanna. The first meeting ever
held was on Oct. 26, Anno Lucis
5799. Those present were: Worshipful
Master Edward Moore; David
Burton, Senior Warden; William
Clarkson, Junior Warden; Julian
Clarkson, secretary, P. T.; David
Burton, Senior Deacon, P. T.; John
Henderson, Junior; Deacon, P. T.;
Mat Henderson, John Burks, Craven
Peyton, Richard Gamble, Bennett
Henderson, and Geo. W. Catlett. It
was ordered that the uniform of the
lodge should be deep green. The
lodge while in Milton met in the
tavern kept by Brother Wm. D. Fitch.
This old building was taken down
only a few years ago. Brother Fitch
came to Charlottesville to live a short
time before the lodge moved from
Milton, and the lodge met in the house
of Brother John Watson, who probably
kept the tavern after Fitch left
it. The last meeting ever held in
Milton was on the 13th of April, 1816.
Those present were Wm. D. Gamble,
A. W. Whitehurst, John H. Craven,
John Fagg, Martin Dawson, John
Burks, Christian Wertenbaker and
John S. Amiss. The next meeting
was held in Charlottesville, in the
house of Branham and Jones. (The
wooden house just north of and adjoining
the old McKee house, on the
Square.) The lodge met in this house
twice only. The charter of Widow's
Son Lodge No. 60 is dated Dec. 10,
Anno Lucis 5799 (A. D. 1799) and was
granted by the Most Worshipful Grand
Lodge of Virginia, and signed by

Benjamin Day, Most Worshipful
Grand Master; Wilburn Austin and
W. H. Fitzwhylson. A meeting of
No. 60 was held in the house of
Thomas Wells, on the 8th day of June,
1816. Another meeting was held on
the 10th of August, 1816, in the house
of William G. Garner. On 12th day
of October, 1816, they met at the home
of Brother Geo. W. Kinsolving,
where they continued to meet until
March 20th, 1820. On the 8th of
April, 1820, it met in the Central
Hotel, and continued to meet there
until the 20th of March, 1821. The
next place of meeting was at the house
of David Fowler, the grandfather of
our "Whack." The house stood
where our City Hall now stands. The
next meeting was in Masons Hall, but
I do not know where that was as the
secretary does not state in what house
it was. I have always understood
that the Lodge met in David Fowler's
house for several years. I have also
heard that they met for a while in the
house at the northwest corner of
Market and Third street, east. Next
they met in the third story room in
the "Saunders House," immediately
in front of the Court House gate, then
in the upper story of the Levy Opera
House, and for a few meetings over
Johnson and Price's Drug Store, while
the present temple was undergoing
reconstruction. The Temple is again
being enlarged and improved, and is a
fitting home for this notable old
lodge.