| By petitioning for membership in a Lodge of Free and Accepted masons
at this time, you will be associating with a Wisconsin fraternal order
that was organized in 1843 and in operation several years before our
State was admitted to the Union. Freemasonry, however, dates its formal
beginnings to the 17th century. Thus you will become, upon acceptance, a
member of not only the oldest fraternity in Wisconsin, but in the world.
The history of Masonry in Wisconsin begins with Menomanie Lodge in
Green Bay area, which at the time was the territory of Michigan.
Although this lodge never became part of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin,
it is part of the Masonic history of our State. Seven members of the
military and three civilians, all Master Masons, met on September 2,
1824, the first regular meeting was opened at Fort Howard. A charter was
granted dated December 3, 1824, as menomonie Lodge No. 374 on the rolls
of the Grand Lodge of New York. Records of the Lodge were kept until
1827, and some time during 1830 their lodge ceased to exist.
According to Lodge reports, a dispensation was granted, dated October
27, 1838, from the Grand Lodge of Missouri to a group of Masons to form
a lodge in the Mineral Point area. A charter was granted on October 31,
1841, but the lodge was not fully organized until February 15, 1843,
when it was consecrated as Mineral Point Lodge No. 49.
Melody Lodge of Platteville received its dispensation from the Grand
Lodge of Missouri on January 10, 1843. The charter, dated October 31,
1843, was granted to Melody Lodge No. 65. In the coming months 35 masons
signed the by-laws.
On June 12, 1843, a petition was sent to Illinois to form a lodge in
Milwaukee. On July 5, 1843, the lodge held its first meeting and was
constituted under dispensation. A Charter was granted dated October 3,
1843, with the designation as Milwaukee Lodge No. 22 (now Kilbourn
Lodge). The lodge records show there were 23 charter members.
At a meeting of Milwaukee Lodge No. 22, as a result of a
communication received from melody Lodge at Platteville concerning
establishing a Grand Lodge in the territory of Wisconsin, a committee
was appointed to correspond with melody and Mineral Point Lodges. A
Masonic Convention with seven members representing the three lodges was
held on December 18, 1843, in Madison. During the course of the meetings
a constitution was drafted and adopted and the Grand Lodge of the
Territory of Wisconsin came into being on Monday, December 18, 1843.
M.W. Benjamin T. Kavanaugh was elected the first Grand Master.
The First called Communication of the Grand Lodge was held in the
city of Madison on January 17, 1844, for the purpose of granting
charters to the subordinate lodges within the Territory. The three
present lodges were now numbered according to the date of their
dispensation or charter. Thus Mineral Point No. 49 was numbered No.1,
Melody Lodge No. 45 of Plateville became Melody Lodge No. 2, and
Milwaukee Lodge 22 became No. 3. During the first year of the Grand
Lodge, three new lodges were organized under dispensation: Warren Lodge
No. 4, Potosi; Madison Lodge No. 5 and Olive Branch No. 6, New Diggings.
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