J. L. BELL is a Massachusetts writer who specializes in (among other things) the start of the American Revolution in and around Boston. He is particularly interested in the experiences of children in 1765-75. He has published scholarly papers and popular articles for both children and adults. He was consultant for an episode of History Detectives, and contributed to a display at Minute Man National Historic Park.

Subscribe thru Follow.it





•••••••••••••••••



Thursday, May 06, 2010

Freemasons Stepping in at Fort at No. 4

Earlier in the year I mentioned how the rebuilt Fort at No. 4 in Charlestown, New Hampshire, has been closed because of economic problems. This week I received a press release saying that the Olive Branch Lodge #64 of Freemasons, located in Chester, Vermont, is stepping in to help. The lodge’s efforts will include “Fund raising, marketing and volunteers.”

There was already apparently some overlap between the museum board and this Masonic lodge. One board member, Thomas Johnston, IV, is also Masonic Grand Master for Vermont. He noted, furthermore, that “the first Masonic Lodge for Vermont was chartered in Charlestown during 1781.” Olive Branch Lodge #64 is inviting other Masonic groups to join the effort, starting with Faithful Masonic Lodge #12 in Charlestown.

The press release says, “The Board intends to host events at the Fort this summer while preparing for a full reopening of the Fort at No. 4 in the spring of 2011.”

(Photo of the Fort at No. 4 grounds by Slabcity Gang, via Flickr under a Creative Commons license.)

1 comment:

pilgrimchick said...

THANK YOU for posting this. Up here in NH, there has been a lot of talk about Fort No. 4. Up until now, its fate has been very uncertain, but the loss of such a valuable resource has certainly been felt. I'll be paying closer attention now to the new possibilities.