St. John's Lodge (New York)

The lodge originally met on Ann Street in New York City. In 1770, a fire destroyed St. John's Lodge room, along with their lodge jewels and furniture. A new set of by-laws was adopted in 1773 and was signed by 70 members of the lodge. The lodge purchased a new altar bible in November 1770 which was used in the first Presidential Inauguration and is now known as the George Washington Inaugural Bible.[3][4][5][6]

At the start of the American Revolutionary War in 1775, the members of St. John’s Lodge who supported the Colonies’ independence seized the lodge’s warrant, and fled New York City. These exiled members held gatherings at the Fishkill Supply Depot in Fishkill, NY until the end of the war in 1783, when they returned to New York City with the warrant, while many Masons who supported the British fled to Canada.[7]

In 1789, St. John’s was acknowledged as the oldest Masonic lodge in New York State, and was designated as Number 1. A new charter was then conveyed to St. John’s Lodge, under which charter the lodge is still working.[8]

• Edward Antill – Lt. Colonel in the Revolutionary War
• Abraham Baldwin – First president of the University of Georgia
• Joshua Bloomer – First graduate of King's College (now known as Columbia University)
• Ebenezer Foote – Major in the Revolutionary War
• Jacob Morton – Marshal for the First inauguration of George Washington
• John Ramage – Miniature artist and Second Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War

• St. John's Lodge No. 1 A.Y.M. Website
• The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New York