Provincetown Toggle Iron
Manufactured and sold by Lodge member George Doyle in 1860
The
History of King Hiram's Lodge
Provincetown Toggle Iron
Manufactured and sold by Lodge member George Doyle in 1860
On December 12, 1795, a dispensation was granted to form an organization known
as King Hiram's Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, with a charter signed
by Paul Revere, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts.
The Lodge began with 22 members with
John Young as their first Master. In 1792, Young obtained a charter to
form Old Colony Lodge in Hanover, Mass and was elected it's first Master.
Following his wife's death in 1793, he moved to Truro and opened a business on
his family's land. His acquaintance with shipowners Solomon Cook and
Jonathan Cook resulted in the formation of King Hiram's Lodge, with the first
meetings held at the home of Jonathan Cook at 292 Commercial Street.
King Hiram's Lodge has a very rich
and interesting history. Fortunately, all of the handwritten minutes of
every meeting have been carefully preserved, with resolutions which were written
on the occasion of member's deaths. These important documents, along with
a large collection of other artifacts, have helped to fill in many gaps in the
history of Provincetown, and to establish Provincetown's place in history as a
major whaling port.
The Lodge history is so extensive,
that it would take volumes to include it all. Following are overviews from
different stages in history. If you would like a more extensive
accounting, our Lodge history book Every First Monday by Lodge
historian James Theriault is available upon request.