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225 Years of Freemasonry
in Winchester, Virginia

by Jeffery G. Burcham, MM

Final Installment from February 1994 Issue

II. The Civil War and
Afterwards

On the morningof October 16th, 1895,
twenty one fanatical abolitionists let by
John Brown seized the Federal Armory
at Harper's Ferry (now West Virginia),
taking a number of hostages and killing
six people. News of this incident arrived
at Winchester some thirty miles away,
and caused great consternation among
the townsfolk, many of whom doubtless
recalled the Nat Turner uprising some
years previously. Within forty-eight
hours,however, John Brown was cap-
tured, seventeen of the raiders killed,
and the insurrection crushed by a de-
tachment of United States Marines com-
manded by Robert E. Lee. Following a
trial at Charles Town, Brown was hanged
on December 2, 1859. Interestingly, the
jurist who presided during the trial of
Tohn Brown was none other than Judge
Richard Parker, a member of Winches-
ter Hiram Lodge No. 2 1, who served as
Grand Master of Masons in Virginia in
1876-1877. Brother Parker was re-
nowned for his fairness and impartiality,
and his conduct during the trial merited
even the approbation of the condemned
man.

The secession of Virginia from the
Union, and the outbreak of hostilities
between the Union and the Confederacy
in April of 1861, had no immediate im-
pact on the activities of Winchester
Hiram Lodge. Indeed, the minutes con-
tain no mention of the War. One week
following the attack on Fort Sumter, how-
ever, the minutes report that a district
convention scheduled to be held later
that year had been postponed indefi-
nitely, probably as a consequence of the
general call to arms.

Relative quiet pervaded the Shenan-
doah Valley for the months immediately
following the incident at Fort Sumter,
and lodge minutes contain few refer-
ences to the War. On July 17, 1861,
however, a Special Communication of
the lodge was called for the purpose of
attending the funeral of Lieutenant Wil-
liam Patten of Lexington. Brother Patten
was a member of Lodge No. 67 and an
officer in the Rockbridge Grays. The
minutes further reflect that twelve visi-
tors were in attendance, including three
from Brother Patten's Lodge; and al-
though no cause of death is noted, the
absence of military activity in the neigh-
borhood suggests that Brother Patten
probably died while encamped in or near
the town.

In October 186.1, General ThomasJ.
"Stonewall" Jackson was placed in com-
mand of the Department of the Shenan-
doah, and was able to secure the lower
Shenandoah Valley from immediate in-
vasion, thereby sparing Winchester, at
least initially, from the ravages of the
War. During this month, Worshipful
John Bell Telden Reed, a Chaplain in the
Confederate Army and one of the most
venerated members of the Lodge, was
elected to serve as Master. Not surpris-
ingly, Brother ~Re'ed, who was first
elected Master in 1833, was also one of
the oldest members of the Lodge, since
most of the younger brethren were either
under arms or planning to join the fray.

By December 1861, GeneralJackson
had moved his troop in and around Win-
chester, thereby prompting the brethren
to pass the following: "Resolved, That
the Lodge hold its meetings weekly dur-
ing the sojourn of the Army in our midst;
and that at each of these meetings, the
Worshipful Master and other qualified
Brothers be selected to exemplify and
lecture in the several degrees of Ma-
sonry. " Subsequent minutes reflect the
presence of many visitors, who doubtless
enjoyed the ritual exemplification and
the fellowship with their Brothers.

The relative peace and tranquility en-
joyed by the citizens of Winchester was
finally and irrevocably shattered on
March 12, 1862, when Union force
under the command of General N.P.
Banks occupied the city. The townsfolk
were overtaken by general panic, and it
was widely rumored that Federal soldiers
would put Winchester to the torch. For-
tunately, however, these fears were not
realized; and despite the natural tension
which existed between the occupation
forces and the locals, Union troops exer-
cised much tolerance. One "atrocity"
which deserves mention, however, in-
volved the burning of the Winchester
Medical College, allegedly ordered by
General Banks in retaliation for certain
indignities occasioned to the body of one
of John Brown's sons, namely, Oliver
Brown, who was killed during the raid on
Harper's Ferry. According to local histo-
rians, Oliver Brown's body was found
lying near the railroad tracks at Harper' s
Ferry, and had been returned to Win-
chester by students of the Medical Col-
lege for use in the classroom. The skele-
ton of the body was preserved, and later
spirited away by a local physician previ-
ous to the destruction of the building.
Unfortunately, the eventual disposition
of the remains has never been deter-
mined, and the subject continues to be
shrouded in mystery.

The occupation of Winchester by-~;~d-
eral Troops, together with widespread
military activity in and around the town
forced the brethren to suspend their la-
bors for more than a year. The minutes
state that the communication scheduled
for February 5, 1862, was not held for
want of a quorum. Thereafter, no meet-
ings were held until April 20, 1863 when
quite suddenly the Lodge resumed labor.
Ten brethren attended this meeting, in-
cluding one from Philadelphia and one
from Sharpsburg, Maryland (the site of
the bloodiest battle of the Civil War).
Although not specifically mentioned in
the minutes, there can be little doubt that
the brethren had secured permission
from General R.H. Milroy, command-
ing officer of the Union forces then in
possession of the city.

The brethren commenced meeting
somewhere on Loudoun Street, since its
room in the Market House had been
appropriated for use by the occupation
forces. The new facilities were not en-
tirely satisfactory, as the minutes re-
ferred to the appointment of a committee
to arrange for better lighting in the new
rooms. Neverthe less, the brethren must
have been happy to resume work, and
the following resolution, passed unani-
mously at the first meeting, evidences
the eagerness with which they embarked
on this period of renewed activity: "Re-
solved, that we hail all Ancient, Free and
Accepted Masons in regular standing as
Brothers and that the members be au-
thorized to invite any such to visit any
future meetings of the Lodge. . . "

Thirty meetings were held by the Ma-
sons of Winchester Hiram Lodge be-
tween April 20, 1 863 and June 1 2, 1 863 .
During this time, the brethren conferred
twenty-three Entered Apprentice De-
grees, twenty-three Fellowcraft Degrees,
and twenty-five Master Mason Degrees,
mostly upon Union soldiers stationed lo-
cally, and collected fees totaling $445.00.
Unfortunately, however, the brethren
were again forced to suspend their labors
in consequence of military activity in the
neighborhood, and were unable to meet
again until the winter of the following
year.

In October 1864, Federal forces com-
manded by General Philip H. Sheridan
repulsed a Confederate assault lead by
General Jubal A. Early at the Battle of
Cedar Creek, and secured the lower
Shenandoah Valley from the terrible
conflict which continued to rage between
the North and South. Thereafter, the
brethren of Winchester Hiram Lodge
sought permission to resume labor. The
leader of this movement was Brother
Edwin W. Brent.

Brother Brent, a bookkeeper for the
local Bank of the valley of Virginia, had
escaped to Baltimore in 1862, taking
with him the bank's cash and records to
avoid their destruction at the hands of
invading Union forces. During his so-
journ in Baltimore, he made the ac-
quaintance of Montgomery Blair, Presi-
dent Lincoln' s Postmaster General . This
acquaintance eventually proved to be of
incalculable value to the Lodge.

Upon his return to Winchester, Brother
Brent sought to reopen the Lodge. This
proved to be a difficult task, however, as
it required the permission of General
Sheridan, a most temperamental man
whose iron-fisted rule had earned him
the enmity of the townsfolk. Sheridan
was particularly suspicious of organiza-
tions which met behind closed doors, and
Brent later stated that the General was
especially hostile toward Masons, whom
he regarded with great disdain "on ac-
count of his political affiliation and his
membership in the Catholic Church."
Initial attempts to see Sheridan were un-
successful, as the General remained in
virtual seclusion at his headquarters on
South Braddock, seeing only those visi-
tors possessing letters of introduction.
Brother Brent was persistent, however,
and secured a letter of introduction from
his acquaintance, Montgomery Blair.
Thereafter, he and Lodge Secretary
George Legg requested and were
granted an audience with the General.

General Sheridan received Brothers
Brent and Legg in the northeast room of
his headquarters, surrounded by aides
and orderlies. Not surprisingly, Sheri-
dan refused to grant the request of the
Winchester Masons to resume labor. As
luck would have it, however, Dr. C.H.
Allen, a surgeon on General Sheridan's
staff and a Past Master of Aurora Lodge
of Vermont was present during the meet-
ing and interceded on behalf of the
brethren. Worshipful Brother Allen pas-
sionately espoused the cause of Masonry,
noting that fraternal bonds between
members of the Craft likely would alle-
viate tensions existing between the
townsfolk and the occupying army. Per-
mitting the Lodge to meet, argued Dr.
Allen, would afford the Masons on both
sides an opportunity to fraternize in a
peaceful and harmonious setting. Fur-
thermore, to allay concerns of potential
seditious activity, Allen volunteered to
attend every meeting. Persuaded by the
strength and sincerity of Brother Allen's
argument, General Sheridan relented
his original position and agreed to permit
Winchester Hiram Lodge to reopen. For
his part, Worshipful Brother Allen faith-
fully attended the communications of the
Lodge, and was never given occasion to
question the trust reposed in his Win-
chester Brethren.

After nearly one and one-half years of
darkness, Winchester Hiram Lodge No.
21 resumed its work with great vigor.
Because the Masonic Hall in the Market
had been commandeered for use by the
Union forces, the brethren secured tem-
porary quarters at 172 North Loudoun
Street. The first meeting of the Lodge
was held on November 28, 1864; and by
June 1865, the brethren had raised not
fewer than 231 Master Masons, 207 of
whom were Federal soldiers stationed in
the area. Among those raised was a
young Captain from Poland, Ohio
named William McKinley.

Captain McKinley had come to the
Winchesterarea in September 1864, and
distinguished hir~tself during the Third
Battle of Winchester, for which he was
breveted to the rank of Major. According
to historians, Captain McKinley, then
25 years old, was visiting a field hospital
one day when he noticed a Union sur-
geon engaged in particularly friendly
conversation with some wounded Con-
federates. When he inquired the reason
for this display of amiable Intercourse
he was informed that all the gentlemen
concerned were Masons. McKinley, it is
said, was so favorably impressed by this
display of brotherly love and affection
that he hastened to join the ranks of such
an organization whose bonds tran-
scended even the enmity of War. The
future 25th President of the United
States was initiated passed and raised on
May 1, 2 and 3, 1865 after which he
requested and was granted a demit. In-
terestingly, Brother McKinley was
raised by Worshipful Brother J . B. T.
Reed who, as noted previously, had
served as a chaplain in the Confederate
Army.

Brother McKinley subsequently affili-
ated with Canton (Ohio) Lodge No. 60
in 1867, and in 1869 became a charter
member of Eagle (now William Mcl~in-
ley) Lodge No. 431 in Canton. In 1883
he was exalted to the Most Sublime De-
gree of Royal Arch Mason and in 1884,
was created a Knight Templar. During
this same time, Brother McKinley ac-
tively involved himself with politics in his
home state and rose by regular grada-
tions to the highest office in the land in
1896.

On May 20, 1899, President McKinley
traveled to Winchester and while there,
paid a visit to his "Mother" Lodge. Al-
though the Lodge was not opened for the
purpose of officially receiving its most
distinguished Brother, it was reported
that he climbed the steps to the Lodge
Room and stood near the Treasurer's
desk, greeting all who came to pay their
respects. Before his departure, President
McKinley promised to return to the
Lodge for future visits. Tragically, he was
unable to full fill his promise for on Sep-
tember 6, 1901, while attending the Pan
American Exposition at Buffalo, New
York, he was mortally wounded by an
avowed anarchist named Leon
Czolgosz. McKinley languished for
eight days before succumbing to his
wounds, thus becoming the third Amer-
ican President to die at the hands of an
assassin. As a footnote, the Grand Mas-
ters of Virginia and Ohio met at Win-
chester on May 1, 1965 to commemorate
the initiation of William McKinley, and
to unveil a plaque marking the location
of the building in which it occurred. The
tablet is attached to the south wall of the
Dominion Bank building, and is but a
short walk from the Temple.

The Civil War Wrought terrible havoc
upon Winchester. Six battles had been
fought within a five mile radius of the
town. Winchester had been occupied
and evacuated 72 times during the War,
and had changed flags on 34 occasions,
including four transfers in a single day.
More than 200 houses and other build-
ings had been completely destroyed, and
many others had been damaged, either
as the direct result of combat or from use
as hospitals, slaughter houses, stables
and the like. Winchester's inhabitants
lost more than eighty percent of their
personal property and, according to a
British visitor to the Valley in October
1865, Winchester and the surrounding
neighborhood resembled one vast moor,
devoid of homes, barns, and fences, and
was utterly cleared of forest and foliage.

Freemasonry in Winchester, however,
survived the conflict; and byJune 1865,
the Lodge was returning to a normal
state of affairs. Moreover, the coffers of
the Lodge were overflowing as the result
of the aforementioned degree work. Ac-
cording to the minutes of the communi-
cation held June 26, 1865, the treasury
contained $4,044.0;) in U.S. funds,
$40 .00 in Virginia banknotes and S60 . 00
in Confederate currency. With these
funds, and monies raised by subscrip-
tions from the brethren, the Lodge began
searching for a new meeting place.
Throughout 1866, several proposals
were entertained, including the recom-
mendation that the city be requested to
erect a new Lodge room on the 2nd floor
of the Temple. These suggestions were
rejected, however, and a committee was
formed for the purpose of exploring the
possibility of purchasing a lot and erect-
ing a building to house the Lodge. On
March 4, 1867, it was reported that the
Lodge had bought the Miller lot on
Loudoun Street for a total cost of
$3,520.00, and on May 29, 1867, the
cornerstone of the present Masonic Tem-
ple was laid. More than twenty Lodges
from six states attended the ceremonies,
which were preceded by a large proces-
sion through the streets of Winchester.
News of the erection of a Masonic Tem-
ple generated great excitement among
the citizenry, many of whom sought to
join the craft. Between February 1866
andJune 1867, Lodge membership in-
creased by 55!

Meanwhile, the brethren began to ad-
dress the question of how the lodge was
to be decorated. Unfortunately, the min-
utes of the Lodge are largely silent in this
regard; however, the members appar-
ently decided to have the room decorated
with frescoes depicting scenes pertinent
to the ritual. Contact was made with a
Professor Knapp of the Peabody Insti-
tute at Baltimore, and on or about New
Year's Day, 1868, a Mr. Ango arrived for
the purpose of effecting the decorations.
It is not known how long the brethren
expected the work would take; however,
in February the Lodge was forced to re-
quest Professor Knapp to extend Mr.
Ango's leave of absence. Some of the
members commenced an investigation of
the matter and discovered the source of
the problem. William Moseley Brown,
the author of Freemasonry in Winchester, Vir-
ginia, wrote the following account:

"He (Mr. Ango) was either so careless
in the amount of time spent on the work
or was so addicted to the use of intoxi-
c~nts that the project required much
longer time than was originally esti-
mated. Finally, various members of the
Lodge made it their business to escort the
artist from his room each morning, see
that he had his breakfast; and then re-
ported to the lodge room and locked him
in the room, carried his noon meals to him
there, and escorted him to supper and
then to bed at night. It was only in this way
that the work was finally completed. . . It
is stated that the artist in question was
allowed a certain amount of liquid refresh-
ment while he was actually at work, this
being apparently necessary to furnish him
with the requisite inspiration to enable
him to carry on his labors. "

It is not known whether Mr. Ango was
a Mason, nor has the model for his work
been positively identified. Some specu-
late that he copied the pictures from a
printed monitor. Whatever the source of
his inspiration, "liquid" or otherwise,
the magnificence of Mr. Ango's labors
cannot be denied, and the frescoes he
created are the pride for every member
of the Lodge. Significantly, the frescoes
have never been retouched, and because

no natural light ever enters the room, the
work has retained much of the original
color and perspective. Moreover, the
frescoes not only serve as a beautiful
decoration to the Lodge room, but also
are utilized in each of the lectures.

The Masonic Temple was formally ded-
icated on July 22, 1868, and has re-
mained in continuous use since that date.
By 1874, however, the lodge was in seri-
ous financial difficulty; and some of the
brethren even discussed the possibility of
selling most of the building, retaining
only the lodge room. Fortunately, these
efforts were vigorously opposed and
eventually abandoned. It was not until
the last decade of the nineteenth century
that the building indebtedness was paid.

These financial troubles, however, did
not dampen the spirits of the members of
Winchester Hiram Lodge No. 21. The
brethren resumed the practice of laying
cornerstones for local buildings and par-
ticipating in elaborate celebrations of
SaintJohn the Baptist's Day. Regarding
the latter, it is interesting to note that no
processions were held after the War;
however, sermons, banquets and enter-
tainment remained integral parts of the
festivities. The popularity of these cele-
brations cannot be denied. For instance,
more than one hundred brethren and
their ladies attended the celebration held
onJune 23, 1895, which included music
provided by a "Masonic choir."

Despite outward appearances, how-
ever, there were tensions growing among
some ofthe brethren. Evidently, a serious
disagreement arose in regard to the ad-
mission of candidates for degrees. The
situation festered for a period until 1 909,
when a group of brethren split from Win-
chester Hiram Lodge No. 21 and formed
Love Lodge No. 3 1 1, named in honor of
one of Winchester's more venerated
Brethren, Dr. William S. Love. By 1913,
Love Lodge totaled 43 members, a fact
which attests to the serious nature of the
situation which resulted in its formation.
Fortunately, however, the matter re-
solved itself, and by 1914, Love Lodge
voted to surrender its charter. Thus con-
cluded the short life of Love Lodge, and
it can be said without hesitation that no
serious disruption in the "peace and
harmony" of Winchester Masonry has
occurred since that date.

The austerity measures adopted by the
Brethren gradually reduced the Lodge
indebtedness; and by 1895, a surplus of
funds led to the appointment of a "com-
mittee on water closet and elevator. " Al-
though the minutes do not contain refer-
ence to the action, if any, to install an
elevator in the buildin~, the committee
reported in 1898 that it had procured the
installment of a "water closet" in the
form of a "walled pit. " The next year, it
was recommended to the brethren that
the "safe and proper thing to do is to
remodel and rebuild the whole front in a
way that will give us a safe and ornamen-
tal building." After several months of
discussions, the Lodge approved the pro-
posed remodeling, which was completed
in early 1901 at a cost of nearly
$8,000.00. The results ofthe remodeling
were splendid, and the entrance to the
Masonic Temple remains one of the most
distinctive to be found. During this same
period, the Lodge was converted from
gas to electric lighting.

In 1930, Dr. Frank T. McFaden was
elected Grand Master of Masons in Vir-
ginia, thereby becoming Winchester's
third Grand Master. Most Worshipful
Brother McFaden was born at Salisbury,
Maryland, on February 5, 1864 and was
raised in Marion Lodge No. 3i onJuly
20, 1891. McFaden later affiliated with
Winchester Hiram Lodge No. 21 in
1923, while serving as the pastor of the
Loudoun Street Presbyterian Church.
Interestingly, Most Worshipful Brother
McFaden served as Grand Commander
of the Grand Commandery of Knights
Templar of Virginia in 1907 - 1908, and
held the office of Grand Chaplain of the
Grand Cfiapter of Royal Arch Masons in
Virginia nearly 25 years previous to his
death at Marion, Virginia on August 5,
1933.

In 1937, the Brethren doubled the size
of the Temple by purchasing an adjacent
structure known as the " Keller
Building" at a cost of $21,000.00, and
converting the second and tlurd floors of
the new addition into a reception area
and a banquet room, respectively. Dur-
ing this same year, Winchester's most
prominent Mason was elected Grand
Master, thus becoming the fourth, and
last, member of Winchester Hiram
Lodge to serve in that capacity. Most
Worshipful Brother C. Vernon Eddy was
born at Winchester on September 13

1877, and was educated in the Winches-
ter public school system. A librarian by
vocation, Eddy was extremely active in
civic affairs and philanthropic endeav-
ors, and devoted much of his spare time
to the benefit of the craft. In addition to
serving as Grand Master, Most Worship-
ful Brother Eddy was Grand Com-
mander of the Grand Commandery of
Knights Templar of Virginia in 1925.
Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter
of Royal Arch Masons in Virginia in
1941. Sovereign Grand Master of the
Grand Council, Allied Masonic De-
grees, US.A., Grand Master General,
Knights of the York C ross of Honor, Pre-
fect of the Great Priory of America
C.B.C.S., and many other organizations
too numerous to name. In 1959, the
continued on page 51
225 Years of Freemasonry...
continued from page 42

lodge undertook to sponsor a DeMolay
Chapter, which was named "C. Vernon
Eddy Chapter" in honor of that "amia-
ble, distinguished and exemplary
Mason. " Most Worshipful Brother
Eddy passed to his eternal reward in
1963, after more than 60 years of service
to God and mankind.

On May 99, 1970, Winchester Hiram
Lodge No. 21 was the site of a very rare
occurrence, when Most Worshipful
Brother William T. Watkins, then serv-
ing as Grand Master of Masons in Vir-
ginia, exercised one of the prerogatives
of his office by making United States
Senator Harry Flood Byrd, Jr. a " Mason
at Sight." The entire Grand Line was
present, together with five Past Grand
Masters of Masons in Virginia and the
Grand Masters of Maryland, West Vir-
ginia, and the District of Columbia, and
after a banquet served by McKinley
Chapter No. 19, O.W.S. and Bethel No.
47, I.O.J.D., the brethren of Winchester
Hiram Lodge raised Brother Bryd to the
Sublime Degree of Master Mason.
Brother Byrd subsequently petitioned
Winchester Lodge for membership,
which was approved by the brethren on
June 9, 1970.

By 1954, the brethren began to explore
the possibility of completely remodeling
The Philale~hes, April 1994!

the Masonic Temple. At the time,the cost
was determined to be prohibitive and the
project was postponed indefinitely. By
1974, however, the Lodge possessed suf-
ficient funds to commence extensive ren-
ovations. With respect to the banquet
room on the third floor, the kitchen was
enlarged, new equipment installed, the
ceiling lowered, new carpet laid, and
drapes hung. The second floor was gut-
ted, the exterior walls remortared and
leveled off, and a steel roof installed at
the rear of the building, over which was
poured a concrete slab to facilitate a fu-
ture construction. Additionally, vacant
offices fronting the building on the sec-
ond floor were completely remodeled,
and converted into a lounge for the
brethren and coaching rooms for candi-
date instruction.

On October 1 , 1993 , Winchester
Hiram Lodge No. 21 celebrated 225
years of Freemasonry in Winchester
Virginia. Possessed of facilities more
than suitable for the purpose, and with a
membership composed of quality Mas-
ter Masons, the future of Winchester
Hiram Lodge is promising.

For a more detailed account of the story
of this Lodge, please refer to Freemasonry
in Winches~er Virginia, by William Mose-
ley Brown.
