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St. John's
Lodge No. 1 Free and Accepted Masons Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S.A. Constituted June 24, 1736
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St. John's
Lodge No. 1 Free and Accepted Masons Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S.A. Constituted June 24, 1736
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About St. John's and Its History
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About St. John's Lodge No. 1
St. John's Lodge No. 1 is one of three Masonic Lodges meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The others are St. Andrew's Lodge No. 56 and Triple-Eight Travelers' Lodge No. 32. P.H.A.
St. John's Lodge proudly dates its history to the year 1736 and was one of the earliest Lodges to be formed in what is now the United States. According to written records, only the larger cities of Boston, Massachusetts (a Lodge chartered in 1733); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Lodge records from 1731); Charleston, South Carolina (a Lodge chartered in 1736); and Savannah, Georgia (a Lodge chartered in 1734) had Lodges before the small city of Portsmouth. St. John's is proud to be the oldest continuously meeting Lodge in the United States, and indeed the Americas, and we are fortunate that Portsmouth was spared the many calamities and wars that interrupted the meetings and destroyed the records of other Lodges.
St. John's Lodge was constituted by Henry Price, Provincial Grand Master in New England for the Premier Grand Lodge of England (later known as the "Moderns") on June 24, 1736. June 24 is the Feast of St. John the Baptist, one of the traditional Patron Saints of Masonry. In 1789, the Lodge was a founding Lodge of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, and today continues as a Constituent Lodge of that Grand Lodge.
Today, St. John's Lodge has approximately 260 members, and some 3400 Masons have been members of the Lodge since its founding. The Lodge welcomes Masons who visit or relocate to the Portsmouth area as well as inquiries from men interested in the teachings and fellowship of Masonry. The Lodge maintains a full program of business meetings, degree work and social functions, provides scholarships and helps support several charities and community service organizations in its community.
To read more about the history of St. John's Lodge, please visit:
A Synoptic History of St. John's Lodge
The Oldest Masonic Document from New Hampshire
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© 2005-2008 St. John's Lodge No. 1, F. & A.M.
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