St. John's Lodge No. 1 A.Y.M. in New York City, United States, is the oldest operating

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

under the jurisdiction of the

Grand Lodge of New York The Grand Lodge of New York, officially the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, is the largest and oldest of several organizations of Freemasons that are based in the U.S. state of New York. The offices of the Grand L ...

Free and Accepted Masons. The lodge was originally warranted as St. John's Lodge No. 2 on December 7, 1757 by George Harison, Esq. of the Provincial

under the

Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of Freemasonry, freemasons in England, Wales, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic Grand Lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goos ...

(Moderns).

History

The lodge originally met on Ann Street in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1770, a fire destroyed St. John's Lodge room, along with their lodge jewels and furniture. A new set of

by-laws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authority. The higher authority, generally a legislature or some other ...

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 The George Washington Inaugural Bible is the Bible that was sworn upon by George Washington when he took office as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789. The Bible has subsequently been the oath book in the inauguration cer ...

. At the start of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

in 1775, the members of St. John’s Lodge who supported the Colonies’ independence seized the lodge’s warrant, and fled

. These exiled members held gatherings at the Fishkill Supply Depot in

Fishkill, New York Fishkill is a village within the town of Fishkill in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The village is in the eastern part of the town of Fishkill on U.S. Route 9. It is north of Interstate 84. NY 52 is the main street. It is part of ...

, 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 Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In 1789, St. John’s was acknowledged as the oldest

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, 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.

Notable members

* Edward Antill – Lt. Colonel in the Revolutionary War *

Abraham Baldwin Abraham Baldwin (November 22, 1754March 4, 1807) was an American minister, patriot, politician, and Founding Father who signed the United States Constitution. Born and raised in Connecticut, he was a 1772 graduate of Yale College. After the ...

– American

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

and first president of the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

*Joshua Bloomer – First graduate of King's College (now

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

) *Ebenezer Foote – Major in the Revolutionary War * Jacob Morton – Marshal for the

First inauguration of George Washington The first inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the United States was held on Thursday, April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City. The inauguration was held nearly two months after the beginning of the ...

* John Ramage – Miniature artist and Second Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War *

José Miguel Carrera José Miguel Carrera Verdugo (; October 15, 1785 – September 4, 1821) was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most impor ...

– Chilean general and one of the founders of independent

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Notes

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External links

St. John's Lodge No. 1 A.Y.M. Website

The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New York
Masonic Lodges Freemasonry in the United States Masonic organizations