KENT, Conn.—For nearly 220 years—almost as long as this nation’s history—St. Luke’s Lodge No. 48 has stayed true to its mission to serve the Kent community.
The lodge’s original charter, handwritten on lambskin, is housed at Connecticut’s Grand Lodge in Hartford.
Chartered through the Grand Lodge of Connecticut on March 10, 1806, the Masons have quietly continued to focus on helping individuals and organizations that may need a financial boost.
“We have donated to local organizations, needy individuals and we may give to the fire department if they have an annual appeal,” said secretary Bill Case, who gave a talk about the lodge’s history this week at the Senior Center. He was assisted by fellow masons David Peet and Richard Vreeland.
Afterward the talk, a group of 25 attendees went upstairs for a rare glimpse of the lodge’s headquarters above the Templeton Farm assembly room. The layout of the lodge is copied after Solomon’s Temple, said Vreeland, who has been a Mason since 1979. Most of the construction of the Kent lodge was done by Case.
“Freemasonry is the world’s oldest fraternal organization, meaning it’s a group of men who share the common bonds of fellowship, moral development and charitable activities,” said Case, who became a Mason, or Freemason, in 1977.
The roots of freemasonry are often traced back to stonemasons who built the great cathedrals and other landmarks in medieval Europe. In America, George Washington was a Mason and Case said there is a picture of Washington acting the part of a stonemason when he laid a cornerstone of the White House.
The Kent lodge is one of only two “moon lodges” in Connecticut where monthly meetings are held either on or near the full moon, harking back to a time when masons depended on horses and moonlight to get to their destination over rural roads.
“Keeping with our traditions is so important,” Case said. “We’re a quiet fraternity that’s dedicated to giving back to the community.”
Lodges in Connecticut have fallen on hard times as fewer men join their ranks and many have closed, including those in Sharon and Cornwall Bridge. In the early 1900s the Kent lodge boasted almost 100 members. Today there are 28 dues-paying masons, half of whom do not live in Kent. Jeffrey Parker from Gaylordsville is the current lodge master. Vreeland, Case and Peet—a member since 1969—are all former lodge masters.
“We’ve tossed around the idea of advertising, but we also want to make sure we get dedicated members,” Case said. “People today just don’t have time for organizations like this anymore.”
State-wide, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut has 10,803 members in 90 active lodges.
Despite the low numbers, members of St. Luke’s Lodge No. 48 are still busy and each year raise money to award a scholarship to a college-bound student. Money is raised mostly from a food booth the Masons man at the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association fall festival in September.
“Over the years we’ve donated over $150,000 to the awards program,” Case said.
The Kent Masons are thankful for the space in the Templeton Farm barns, a space they’ve occupied since 1991 thanks to the foresight of former lodge member Amos Jennings.
Jennings also served on the Templeton Farm board and suggested with the idea for the lodge to move there. For a time, the Freemasons were without a home after the Bull family sold the building they occupied on Main Street in1990. The property is now home to House of Books.
