Helion Lodge 1

Helion Lodge Building (2006)

Helion Lodge #1 is a Masonic lodge in Huntsville, Alabama. It is the oldest operating lodge of Freemasons in the state. According to Grand Historian Joseph Abram Jackson's Masonry in Alabama, it is "the birthplace of Freemasonry in Alabama." Helion Lodge is also the common name for the building (actually named Eunomia Hall for Eunomia Chapter #5 Royal Arch Masons who financed its construction), built in 1911, where the lodge meets.

History

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In 1805, a Revolutionary War veteran named John Hunt built a log cabin at the Big Spring and began what would grow to become the modern city of Huntsville, Alabama. Just six years later, on August 21, 1811, Madison Lodge #21 received its dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. In 1812, it received its official charter from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. John Hunt was among the first members, as was LeRoy Pope, who had given the city its original name of Twickenham. On April 6, 1818, a second Lodge was formed in the county, Bethesda Lodge #2. In 1824 the two Lodges combined as Helion Lodge #1 under the Grand Lodge of Alabama.

Helion Lodge survived the dark years of the American Civil War, when Huntsville was often occupied by the invading Union Army. The quiet little town grew rapidly after World War II, when the area became host to both Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Spaceflight Center. Notable members involved in the growth of Huntsville's defense and space industry are Senator John Sparkman and Mayor Joe W. Davis. Helion Lodge soon came to have the largest membership in the state. As a result, in 1962 a new Lodge was formed in Huntsville, Solar Lodge #914. Most of the members came from Helion Lodge. Five years later, in 1967, a third Huntsville Lodge was formed, Apollo #921. Both younger Lodges consider Helion as their mother Lodge and dual membership is common.

On Wednesday night, August 30, 1922, Helion was the location of the formation of Twickenham Chapter of The Order of DeMolay; the first chapter of The Order of DeMolay in the state of Alabama.

Past Masters 1811 to present

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[1]

Number No. (Years) Past Master Ref.
1811 Marmaduke Williams Madison Lodge 21, Grand Lodge of Kentucky Dispensation
1 1812 Louis Winston Madison Lodge 21, Grand Lodge of Kentucky Charter
1813-1817 David R. Moore Madison Lodge 21
1-2 1818-1820 William Atwood Alabama Lodge 21, Grand Lodge of Tennessee Charter
1821 Alexander Erskin Grand Lodge of Alabama Formed
1822 W. Thomas Wooldridge Madison Lodge 1
1823 W. J. Grimes Madison Lodge 1
1822-1823 W. A. Hutchinson Bethesda Lodge 2
1824 W. J. Grimes Madison Lodge 1
1824 Issac Williams Bethesda Lodge 2
1 1824 Issac Williams Consolidation of Madison Lodge #1 and Bethesda Lodge #2
2-3 1825-1826 William Feeny
4-5 1827-1828 John J. Fackler
6 1829 William Feeny
7 1830 John Acklen
8-13 1831-1836 W. A. Hutchinson
14-19 1837-1842 James Penn
20 1843 Ellison Smith
21-22 1844-1845 James Penn ,MWGM
23-24 1846-1847 J. M. Davidson
25 1848 Arch E. Mills
26 1849 J. M. Davidson
27 1850 Fred Gate
28-29 1851-1852 J. J. Sample
30 1853 J. F. Steele
31-39 1854-1862 William Gormley
40-41 1863-1864 J. E. Young
42 1865 E. B. Clapp
43-46 1866-1869 J. J. Dement
47-48 1870-1871 S. J. Mayhew
49 1872 M. C. Baldridge
50 1873 W. S. Reddick
51-52 1874-1875 Bernard F. Ludwig
53-54 1876-1877 M. C. Baldridge
55-57 1878-1880 John L. Rison
58-64 1881-1887 M. C. Baldridge
65 1888 W. C. Weaver
66-68 1889-1891 M. C. Baldridge
69-70 1892-1893 Amos B. Jones
71 1894 Thomas Taylor
72 1895 Joseph Skinner
73 1896 Alred Moore
74-76 1897-1899 W. C. Wheeler
77 1900 L. R. Wellman
78 1901 W. C. Wheeler
79-80 1902-1903 H. C. Pollard
81 1904 Augustus F. Evans
82 1905 Frank Ford
83 1906 F. P. Culver
84-85 1907-1908 Leroy Suggs
86 1909 Robert Coman Brickell
87-88 1910-1911 James Hamilton Ballentine
89 1912 H. C. Pollard
90 1913 J. W. Battle
91-93 1914-1916 J. L. Kendall
94 1917 A. F. Kendall
95 1918 G. H. Heymann
96-97 1919-1920 Alex M. Dunn
98 1921 J. B. McCord
99 1922 W. R. Laxson
100-101 1923-1924 Samuel C. Alexander
102-103 1925-1926 Sam S. Rice
104 1927 Charles. O. Rolfe
105 1928 Robert Collyer Chase Jr.
106 1929 F. J. Shick
107 1930 James D. Rice, Jr.
108-109 1931-1932 John S. McLure
110-111 1933-1934 William B. Allen
112 1935 P. S. McCormick
113 1936 Joe B. Hill
114 1937 Cowan Y. Wilson
115 1938 T. Pickens Gates
116 1939 F. Floyd Broyles
117 1940 John S. McLure
118-119 1941-1942 Henry R. Martin
120-121 1943-1944 Clyde Martz
122 1945 Abe Pizitz
123 1946 Clyde Martz
124 1947 Jasan A. Williams
125 1948 John W. Walker
126 1949 William B. Allen
127 1950 John H. McGaha
128 1951 Louie L. Baucom
129 1952 William B. Jones
130 1953 E. H. Hall
131 1954 William H. Ealy
132 1955 D. Shelby Vaughn
133 1956 Doyle W. Ealy
134 1957 William Andrew Cobb Sr.
135 1958 Dan L. Warden
136 1959 J. D. Harris
137 1960 W. L. Guthrie
138 1961 John Clark Beeler
139 1962 Wendell McKinney
140 1963 Carl Pickens
141 1964 Randolph Rush
142 1965 Robert F. Jean
143 1966 James Walter Bass
144 1967 James G. Williams
145 1968 William W. Byrd
146 1969 Charles D. Rozell
147 1970 Charles Keathley
148 1971 Emory J. Ferguson
149 1972 Marlin Hinkle
150 1973 Hubert Lemaster
151 1974 Hollis L. Sharp
152 1975 R. M. Slaughter
153 1976 Robert J. Cannon
154 1977 Fred Allen Beddingfield
155 1978 Clarence W. Landrum
156 1979 Robert Kachelhofer
157 1980 Ronald W. Thomas
158 1981 B. J. Nelson
159 1982 Alvie Lee Berry
160 1983 David Allen
161 1984 Lee D. Parker
162 1985 Johnie Wilbanks
163 1986 James Garry Smith
164 1987 James Wesley Reach
165 1988 Wayne Dee Jordan
166 1989 Clarence Morrison Albright
167 1990 Donald Douglas Beal
168 1991 David K. Hall
169 1992 Charles R. Kirch
170 1993 James Shelby Aston
171 1994 John W. Herron
172 1995 Danny B. Lamont
173 1996 E. J. Wadsworth
174 1997 Theo Starkey
175 1998 Raymond Charles Dunn
176 1999 James S. Blanteno
177 2000 George Hall
178 2001 John Pavlick
179 2002 David Milam
180 2003 Raymond Tanner
181 2004 James Henley
182 2005 Dennis Peterson
183 2006 Larry Gilliss
184 2007 Andy Thomas
185 2008 Steve McGlocklin
186 2009 Michael Feld
187 2010 Jerry Burpee
188 2011 Ed Kachelhofer
189 2012 Ken Carpenter
190 2013 David Miller
191 2014 Jared Cassidy
192 2015 George Lewis
193 2016 Dean Lilja
194 2017 John Hood
195 2018 Mike Morgan
196 2019 Doug Collinsworth
197 2020 John D. Pennington
198 2021 Thomas Jeffrey Beasley
199 2022 Benjamin James Ledford
200 2023 John Leslie Clay
201 2024 Charles Phillip Cozelos

Honorary Past Masters

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[2]

Number Year Honorary Past Master Ref.
Richard Carter Storey
Herschel Leonard Ouzts
2024 Stephen C. Chapman

Location

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Helion Lodge stands on the original site of Madison Lodge #21 at 409 Lincoln Street in the Twickenham Historic District of Huntsville. The present building is over 100 years old and was designed by a noted architect and Lodge member named Edgar Love. The cornerstone was laid in 1911.[3]

The building was officially named Eunomia Masonic Hall after the Royal Arch Chapter, but is now simply called Helion Lodge. It is home to both Helion Lodge and the Huntsville York Rite bodies, as well as to Twickenham-Milford Order of DeMolay and to White Light Assembly #66, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. It is the home of the oldest Lodge of Freemasons in the state of Alabama.[4]

Awards

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Helion Lodge received the Masonic Service Association of North America's Mark Twain Award for Masonic Awareness in the lodge and in the community consecutively for the years 2008, 2009, and 2010.[5][6][7] Helion Lodge received the Twain Award again in 2012.[8] Helion Lodge is the only four time recipient of the Twain Award for Masonic Awareness.

Notes

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  1. ^ Helion Lodge #1: Lodge Records, 1811-Current
  2. ^ Helion Lodge #1: Lodge Records, 1811-Current
  3. ^ "Timeline".
  4. ^ "Helion Lodge website". Helion Lodge.
  5. ^ "Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award - 2008 Winners". Masonic Information Center. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  6. ^ "Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award - 2009 Winners". Masonic Information Center. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  7. ^ "Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award - 2010 Winners". Masonic Information Center. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  8. ^ "Mark Twain Masonic Awareness Award - 2012 Winners". Masonic Information Center. Retrieved May 8, 2013.

References

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  • Jackson, Joseph Abram. Masonry in Alabama: a sesquicentennial history, 1821–1971. OCLC 3931387
  • Helion Lodge #1: Lodge Records, 1811-Current
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34°43′49″N 86°34′53″W / 34.73029°N 86.58127°W / 34.73029; -86.58127