Helion Lodge #1 is a

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

. It is the oldest operating lodge of

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

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 Royal Arch Masonry (also known as "Capitular Masonry") is the first part of the York Rite system of the Masonic degrees. Royal Arch Masons meet as a ''Chapter'', and the Royal Arch Chapter confers four degrees: ''Mark Master Mason, Past Master, ...

who financed its construction), built in 1911, where the lodge meets.

History

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

. 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 LeRoy Pope (January 30, 1765 – June 17, 1844) was an American planter, lawyer, and early settler of Madison County, Alabama. He purchased much of the land on which downtown Huntsville, Alabama now stands, and for his role in the establishment ...

, 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 The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Alabama, commonly called the Grand Lodge of Alabama, is one of two Masonic grand lodges in the state of Alabama (the other being the predominantly African American ''Princ ...

. Helion Lodge survived the dark years of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, when Huntsville was often occupied by the invading

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. The quiet little town grew rapidly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when the area became host to both

Redstone Arsenal Redstone Arsenal (RSA) is a United States Army post and a census-designated place (CDP) adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The Arsenal is a garrison f ...

and the

Marshall Spaceflight Center The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville postal address), is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propuls ...

. Notable members involved in the growth of Huntsville's defense and space industry are Senator

John Sparkman John Jackson Sparkman (December 20, 1899 – November 16, 1985) was an American jurist and politician from the state of Alabama. A Southern Democrat, Sparkman served in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1946 and the United S ...

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 30th, 1922, Helion was the location of the formation of Twickenham Chapter of The

Order of DeMolay DeMolay International is an international fraternal organization for young men ages 12 to 21. It was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1919 and named for Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. DeMolay was incorporat ...

; the first chapter of The Order of DeMolay in the state of Alabama.

Past Masters 1811 to Present Day

Honorary Past Masters

Location

Helion Lodge stands on the original site of Madison Lodge #21 at 409 Lincoln Street in the

Twickenham Historic District Twickenham Historic District was the first historic district designated in Huntsville, Alabama, USA. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 1973, with a boundary increase on May 26, 2015. The name derives from an ...

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. The building was officially named

Eunomia In Greek mythology, Eunomia ( grc, Εὐνομία) was a minor goddess of law and legislation (her name can be translated as "good order", "governance according to good laws"), as well as the spring-time goddess of green pastures (''eû'' means ...

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 The York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named for, but not practiced in York, Yorkshire, England. A Rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by various Masonic ...

bodies, as well as to Twickenham-Milford Order of DeMolay and to White Light Assembly #66,

International Order of the Rainbow for Girls The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls (IORG) is a Masonic youth service organization that teaches leadership training through community service. Young women learn about the value of charity and service through their work and involveme ...

. It is the home of the oldest Lodge of Freemasons in the state of Alabama.

Awards

Helion Lodge received the

Masonic Service Association Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

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. Helion Lodge received the Twain Award again in 2012. Helion Lodge is the only four time recipient of the Twain Award for Masonic Awareness.

Notes

References

*Jackson, Joseph Abram. ''Masonry in Alabama : a sesquicentennial history, 1821-1971''. OCLC 3931387 *Helion Lodge #1 : Lodge Records, 1811-Current

External links

Helion Lodge WebpageGrand Lodge of Alabama - Helion #1Grand Lodge of Alabama - Renaissance #933
* elion Lodge #1 Records{{coord, 34.73029, -86.58127, display=title Masonic Lodges Buildings and structures in Huntsville, Alabama Masonic buildings in Alabama 1811 establishments in Mississippi Territory