Benjamin Franklin Lodge #83, Madison, WI

Freemasonry and the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, F. & A.M.

Excerpted from the book “Masonic Middleton: Freemasons and their lodges in Middleton, Wisconsin,” by Robert C. Blackburn, Middleton-Ionic Lodge No. 180, 2006, pp. 2-7.

Freemasonry’s origins are lost. While theories abound, no one knows exactly how or why the fraternity came to be. Nevertheless, a few things can be said about its early development and organization. “Modern” Freemasonry evolved in England, Ireland, and Scotland during the late 17th-century. At the time, Freemasonry represented little more than a loose network of clubs known as “lodges”. The first Masonic “grand lodge” – the Grand Lodge of England - was established at London’s “Goose and Gridiron Ale-house” on June 24, 1717. Freemasonry’s first constitution was published shortly thereafter in 1723. Often referred to as “Anderson’s Constitutions”, this document was prepared by the Rev. Dr. James Anderson, a Presbyterian minister, from a variety of historic and imaginative “sources.”

There have been many attempts to define “Freemasonry.” According to the United Grand Lodge of England: "Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest secular fraternal societies… a society of men concerned with spiritual values. Its members are taught its precepts by a series of ritual dramas, which follow ancient forms and use stonemasons’ customs and tools as allegorical guides." “Symbolic”, “Blue Lodge” or “Craft” Masonry, as Freemasonry is also known, consists of three “degrees.” These are the “Entered Apprentice”, “Fellowcraft”, and “Master Mason” degrees. With each conferral, the candidate receives further “knowledge” about the building of King Solomon’s Temple. The real purpose behind this “work”, however, is to instruct members about certain key virtues – the most important of which are brotherly love, relief, and truth – and the duties they owe, as Freemasons, to the fraternity, their country, and their fellow man. Moreover, Freemasonry’s degrees seek to promote an active faith in God, though how one worships, or what doctrines a person accepts, is a matter of personal conscience.

Freemasonry came to North America with the first British colonists. In the United States, there are fifty-one “regular” grand lodges (“Ancient Free & Accepted Masons” or simply “Free & Accepted Masons”) - one for each state and the District of Columbia. There are also additional “grand lodges” which, for various reasons, may or may not be “recognized” by regular Freemasons. The most important of these are associated with “Prince Hall” Freemasonry. This separate Masonic line was founded in Boston in 1775. Its members are predominantly African-American.

Many famous Americans have been Freemasons. Fourteen Presidents, from George Washington to Gerald Ford, have been members. Other notable Freemasons include Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Merriweather Lewis, William Clark, Davy Crockett, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), William Cody (“Buffalo Bill”), John Phillip Sousa, the Ringling Brothers, Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, Irving Berlin, Douglas MacArthur, Walt Disney, Glen Miller, Louis Armstrong, John Glenn, John Wayne and Alex Haley. Surprisingly, Freemasonry itself remains either unknown or misunderstood by many people today.

The first known Masonic meeting in Wisconsin was held on the “Feast of St. John the Evangelist”, December 27, 1823. Ten master masons gathered at the home of Br. George Johnston, a farmer living near Fort Howard, Michigan Territory. These men soon petitioned the Grand Lodge of New York for permission to form their own lodge. Menomonie No. 374 held its first regular meeting on September 2, 1824. Two years later, in June 1826, it was renamed “Menomanie” No. 4 when the first Grand Lodge of Michigan was established.

Both Menomanie No. 4 and the first Grand Lodge of Michigan dissolved sometime in 1830. Many early Michigan lodges were comprised of military men. Sudden transfers and discharges no doubt played a part in disrupting lodge activities. The real reason for these setbacks, however, seems to have been the period’s anti-Masonic climate.

The late 1820s to the early 1840s were a difficult time for America’s Freemasons. While criticism was not new, Freemasonry found itself the target of an organized political movement. Detractors falsely accused Freemasonry of being a malicious cabal. Many members were forced to resign, devastating the nation’s Masonic lodges. The growing hysteria eventually culminated into a national “Anti-Masonic Party.” Its presidential candidate, William Wirt, ran for office in 1832. His political opponents were both Freemasons and Past Grand Masters - Henry Clay of Kentucky and Andrew Jackson of Tennessee. With President Jackson’s election and vocal support, the fraternity ultimately recovered from these unfounded attacks.

Eleven years passed before a Masonic lodge reconvened in Wisconsin. The first to do so was Mineral Point No. 49. Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri, this lodge received its initial permission to form in May 1841. The Grand Lodge of Missouri went on to create a second lodge, Melody No. 65, in Platteville in January 1843. A third lodge, Milwaukee No. 22, was organized under the Grand Lodge of Illinois in June 1843.

On December 18, 1843, representatives from Mineral Point No. 49, Melody No. 65, and Milwaukee No. 22 gathered in Madison to establish their own “Grand Lodge.” Thus, the present Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, F. & A.M. was organized nearly five years before Wisconsin became a state. The lodges were renamed Mineral Point No. 1, Melody No. 2, and Milwaukee No. 3 according to their charter dates. All subsequent lodges created by the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, F. & A.M. follow this same numbering system.