Spicket Lodge # 85 brief history
Spicket Lodge No. 85
Salem, New Hampshire
Our History
In 1867, two formal petitions were submitted requesting the establishment of a Masonic Lodge in Salem, New Hampshire. The first, dated March 29, 1867, was signed by thirty-six men. A second petition followed on June 22, 1867, signed by twenty-six men and accompanied by a certificate of commitment from twenty prospective members.
On June 11, 1868, the Grand Master granted a dispensation to James Ayer and twenty-three others to form a Lodge in Salem under the name Spicket Lodge. After review by the Committee on Lodges, the petition was approved, and a charter was officially issued in June 1868.
Spicket Lodge No. 85 was formally constituted, consecrated, and its officers installed on September 3, 1868, under the authority of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of New Hampshire. The ceremony was conducted by Deputy Grand Master Stanley, with Most Worshipful Grand Master Alexander M. Winn in attendance.
Charter Members
The original petitioners for the charter were:
George K. Whitney, Matthew H. Taylor, James Ayer, George C. Gordon, John H. Lancaster, Joseph Webster, John R. Wheeler, Theodore L. Flood, Cyrus A. Bradley, George W. Lowell, Benjamin R. Wheeler, George N. Austin, John S. Whitaker, Thomas Dustin, John Halliwell, Lewis A. Hunt, Levi W. Taylor, Giles Bennett, George H. Taylor, George Lightfoot, Samuel T. Newell, Eleazer Smith, A. S. Hill, Charles C. Talbot, N. M. Bailey, James A. Troy, Rufus A. Tilton, John W. Wheeler, Richard Taylor, D. W. Russ, William H. Woodbury, Levi Cluff, John H. Haver, Ebenezer G. Dustin, and George W. Rogers.
Early Meetings & Traditions
The first known meeting of Spicket Lodge was held on January 8, 1868, at Salem Town Hall. Regular communications were originally held on the Thursday preceding the full moon and were later standardized to the second Thursday of each month.
The earliest Treasurer’s record dates to March 7, 1868, documenting the purchase of a Bible that would later be used in both the original Temple and the dedication of the current Temple.
Our Building
The Lodge building, located at 107 Main Street, Salem, New Hampshire, is owned by the Spicket Lodge Realty Association, which was established on May 1, 1914.
In 1957 and 1958, the Town of Salem Police Department leased the building from the Realty Association for $600 per year.
Freemasonry is founded on the immutable laws of Truth and Justice and its grand object is to promote the happiness of the human race.
George Washington
