A HISTORY

 of  

Greene and Vicinity  

1845 - 1929

By

SQUIRE G. WOOD  

PRIVATELY PRINTED

PROVIDENCE , RHODE ISLAND

1936

FREEMASONRY IN GREENE AND VICINITY

The order of Freemasons came into life in the west end of the town of Coventry through the issuing of a dispensation by the Grand Master of the State of Rhode Island to a number of applicants in or near Rice City early in the last century, on May 27, 1816, to Thomas O. H. Carpenter as master, Stephen M. Pearce as senior warden, Archibald Colgrove as junior warden, Jeremiah McGregor as treasurer, Cyril C. Lyon as secretary; Isaac Gallup, senior deacon; Obed Perkins, junior deacon; Nathaniel Wilbour, tyler and sentinel. These, with others, were duly given a charter, to be known as Hamilton Lodge No. 15. On October 19, 1817 they were duly installed in office at a special communication held probably in the first church building at Rice City . Grand Master John Carlisle was present and presided over the body, and the lodge was duly instituted on that day. Rev. Barnabas Bates gave the address on this great day for the new lodge of Freemasons in the west end of the state.

The regular meetings, or communications, as they are called in this order, were held in a hall built over the residence of J. S. McGregor located a half mile west of Rice City on what is now Plainfield Pike. This hall, then the property of J. S. McGregor, son of the former owner, burned down, with all its contents, in 189°.  Meetings were held in this hall from 1847 until a few years later,  when becoming dissatisfied with the lodge rooms and other matters, the lodge moved to Foster Centre and finally to Clayville where it has since been located. So this first attempt to locate a lodge of Masons in the west end of Coventry was ended, and it was many years later before another lodge was formed, this time to stay until the present. The history of this later lodge follows.

IONIC LODGE No. 28 OF F. A. & M.

Many years rolled around after the institution of Hamilton Lodge in the west part of Coventry in 1817, and during these years the order of Freemasons, together with other secret orders, had met with great opposition, and the laws in some states had been invoked against them, making it a statutory offence to belong to orders whose secret work was not known to the public. As a consequence many lodges were forced to disband and lose their charters, and others, while keeping their charters, held very few meetings. In many states the order was looked upon as a menace to society because of the fact that their work was done in secret, and with doors closed to all but those initiated into the rites and ceremonies of this very ancient order. But as years passed this feeling of opposition became less and the order took on new life and energy and is today without doubt the largest and most flourishing order in the world.

Some of the residents of Greene and the surrounding territory had placed their applications with Manchester Lodge No. 12, located at Anthony some twelve miles east of Greene, and had been accepted and initiated into that lodge some time previous to the starting of what was to be known as Ionic Lodge No. 28, located in the village of Greene. There were several reasons for their action in starting a new lodge in the west end of the town.  The first was the distance from their lodge, for we must remember that means of travel around 1870 were not like those of 1929. It took from two to three hours for members to reach Anthony, some fourteen miles byway of Bowen's Hill. There were no train’s evenings, and the members spent four or five hours in travel on the highway in order to attend the meetings. The second reason was that Greene was at that time a flourishing village and the new lodge would have a large territory from which to draw membership.  So for these and other reasons, Whipple V. Phillips, at that time a very prominent man in the village, and some fifteen others, made an application to the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island for a dispensation to start a new lodge of Freemasons in Greene to be known as Ionic Lodge No. 28, and this dispensation was granted January 15, 1870 by Grand Master Thomas A. Doyle. On March IS, 1870 the first regular communication was held, with Whipple V. Phillips as master, Warren M. Tillinghast as senior warden, William R. Carter as junior warden, and the other appointive officers. It is not certain where this meeting was held, but probably in the small hall which afterward became their home, for many years known as the Small Hall, later, and now, owned by Sanford T. Briggs.

On January 7th, 1871, the lodge was duly constituted in due and ancient form, the services again being held in the Christian Church at Rice City , this time in the present church building.  Grand Master Thomas A. Doyle was present and performed the work of constituting the new lodge. The then Grand Chaplain was also present, and delivered the oration upon this great event, which he was fully able to successfully perform. Dwight R. Adams of Manchester Lodge was also present and made an address. He was all his life much loved by all who knew him as teacher, superintendent of schools, and other officers of the town and community. 

The first meeting place was over what was then A. P.  Taber's store, but in 1886 the present very comfortable lodge rooms were leased and fitted for the permanent use of the lodge. These rooms were publicly dedicated by Grand Master Rev. Wil1iam C. Ackley.  He was assisted by Past Grand Master Lyman Klapp, who delivered the oration on Freemasonry. Past Master Dwight R. Adams was again present and installed the officers elected for that year in a very impressive charge to the officers elect and to the members and their friends who were present. So this hall became

the permanent home of Ionic Lodge No. 28, and all of its work since that time has been performed in this hall, which is now used jointly by this lodge and its sister lodge of Eastern Star, Ionia Lodge No. 17, which was instituted some ears ago and which has had a very creditable record.

The last public record of Ionic Lodge was published by Past State Master H. W. Rugg, and at that time the lodge had a membership of about forty. The list of officers for that year, 1891, was as follows:

Worthy Master                         SAMUEL H. BOWEN

Senior Warden                         HENRY D. DIXON

Junior Warden                         GEORGE B. PARKER

Treasurer                             E. L. Boss

Secretary                             A. P. TABER

Chaplain                              REV. G. W. KENNEDY

Senior Deacon                         E. E. SALISBURY

Junior Deacon                         CHARLES CAPWELL

Senior Steward                        J. D. HILLARY

Junior Steward                        A. A. KENNEDY

Marshal                               GARDINER WILCOX

Sentinel                              W. N. DEMING

Music Director                        GORDON B. PARKER

Tyler                                                                                   JOSEPH T. HOPKINS

Since that time this lodge, like all orders, has had its ups and downs, but there have always been a few who have held on and by their work and attendance have kept the lodge alive. There has been a long line of past masters, from all walks of life and from all kinds of business.

In the course of the fifty-nine years in which this lodge has been in existence several hundred must have entered its portals and been initiated into its mysteries. Many of these who became faithful members and officers have left this lodge for the Great Lodge beyond, where all may enter who have the correct password, never to go out.

During the World War and soon after, a revival of interest came to Ionic Lodge, and through this revived interest many of the younger members of the community applied for membership, and were accepted and duly initiated into the three degrees of the Blue Lodge. Many of these new members have been appointed and elected to the several offices and have finally reached the Master's chair. With a few exceptions the worthy masters have been young men, and this seems likely to be the case for some years to come. The lodge is now in the best financial and numerical condition of its long life, owning its own hall and having made many improvements. Its home is equal to many in more thickly settled communities, and the lodge bids fair to prosper for many years to come.

The lodge has had a long and worthy line of past masters from 1870 to the present time, some of them serving more than one term, and in a few cases being re-elected several times, showing that their work was well done,-but in late years one term of office has been the rule. Joseph T. Hopkins had the high honor of being elected at three different times and held the mastership for eight years, an honor seldom gained in any order. Joseph D. Hillary, of Foster, was also re-elected after an interval.

Following is the list of thirty-nine members who have held the high office of master in this lodge:

WHIPPLE V. PHILLIPS          1870 and 1871           Dead

WARNER H. TILLINGHAST        1872 and 1873           Dead

GEORGE K. TYLER of Foster    1874                    Dead

GARDINER R. WILCOX           1875 and 1876           Dead

WILLIAM H. JORDAN            1877                    Dead

JOSEPH T. HOPKINS            1878 and 1879           Dead

EDWARD E. ARNOLD             1880 and 1881           Dead

GEORGE T. DORRANCE           1882 and 1883           Dead

JOSEPH T. HOPKINS            1884 to 1886            Dead

ALVEN A. KENNEDY             1887

J. D. HILLARY                1888                    Dead

AMASA P. TABER               1889

SAMUEL H. BOWEN              1890                    Dead

GEORGE B. PARKER             1891

JOSEPH D. HILLARY            1892                    Dead

JOSEPH T. HOPKINS            1893 to 1895            Dead

JOB S. CARPENTER             1896 to 1898            Dead

BENJAMIN F. HALL             1899 to 1901

ELMER A. SALISBURY           1902

ELMER J. RATHBUN             1903

EZRA K. PARKER               1904 and 1905           Dead

ALBERT A. WHALEY             1906 and 1907

BYRON H. NIXON               1908 and 1909

HERBERT A. HOPKINS           1910

DANIEL R. BILLINGTON         1911 and 1912           Dead

CHARLES T. HALL              1913

DANIEL H. ROSE               1914

GEORGE R. FISKE              1915                    Dead

JOHN M.COLE                  1917

WILLIAM E. TEFFT             1918

HORACE A. CARPENTER          1919

WILLIAM R. POTTER            1920

JESSE FINLEY                 1921

FRED A. BROWN                1922

ALEXANDER P. BATES           1923

ERNEST S. BRIGGS             1924

ELMER A. HAVENS              1925

FRANK T. GORSLINE, JR        1926

CHARLES H. ARNOLD            1927

EVERETT M. BLANCHARD         1928

FRED J. KENNEDY              1929

Of these past masters of Ionic Lodge No. 28 some fourteen have passed on to meet the Great Master of all the earth. Most if not all of the funerals have been by the brethren whom they loved so well while here, with the very impressive burial ritual used by this order.

Besides those who have received the highest honors this lodge can give, there have been many others through the years who have been faithful members of the lodge, and to them is due the good work done by the lodge in the community. Among those of the older members was Alexander Peck, who for many years never missed a meeting of his lodge, content to see others hold the high positions while he performed the smaller tasks. At his death, according to his wish, the services were held in the Masonic Hall, and he was laid away by his brethren whom he loved so much.

Rev. George W. Kennedy was another of the older brothers who seldom missed a communication and never aspired to any of the high offices, but he also was content to work where he could do the most good.

Caleb Ray Nicholas was another of the early workers who was faithful to the obligations he had taken until he left here for the Higher and Better Lodge.

These are only a few of many who have borne the heat of the day, and through whose work Ionic Lodge is what it is today.  Ionic Lodge, as well as all other lodges, has had its dark days as well as its bright days, but in this year of 1929 the outlook is bright for a prosperous future. With several young men to guide it in the high chair in the east and with a full corps of officers to help in the work of the lodge it should be able to keep to the front for many years to come. If all work together for this end success is sure for Ionic Lodge for many years to come. So be it.

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