Ohio Freemasons Celebrate 200 Years

In January, the 114,000 Ohio Freemasons will begin to celebrate the Bicentennial of their statewide organization, the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio. The Grand Lodge was formed on January 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th, 1808 in the Chillicothe Statehouse by delegates from the six Masonic Lodge then meeting in Ohio.

The kickoff for the yearlong celebration will be special Founders Dinners, to be held in 25 locations across the state in the month of January. The Grand Master of Masons in Ohio, Ronald L. Winnett, will make a personal appearance at several of these dinners, which promise to be memorable evenings for all involved. “I’m looking forward to celebrating our rich heritage in ’08 as we work towards an even brighter future,” said Winnett.

Several other events have been planned for the Bicentennial celebration, including a parade and reenactment of the Cornerstone Laying Ceremony at the Statehouse in Columbus on Saturday, June 21st.

A special memorial ceremony will take place July 4th at the grave of Rufus Putnam, Surveyor General for the Northwest Territory and first Grand Master of Ohio, at Mound Cemetery, Marietta.

A first-ever exhibition of historic Masonic artifacts will be presented to the public as part of the October state convention in Columbus. The exhibit will include several artifacts from around Ohio as well as several relating to founding father and Freemason, George Washington. The St. John’s Lodge Bible, upon which Washington took his presidential oath of office, will be a very special part of the exhibit.

The six original Ohio Lodges were spread across the state and met in Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Marietta, Warren, Worthington, and Zanesville. They reflected the diversity of the early Ohio settlers and operated under the authority of charters issued by East Coast Grand Lodges, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The oldest Lodge was American Union, chartered in 1776, and the youngest was Scioto Lodge, chartered in 1806.

Today, there are over 530 Masonic Lodges in Ohio with a combined membership of 114,000. As in their pioneer past, membership reflects the community in which the Lodges meet, uniting good men from a variety of social, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. More information about Ohio Freemasonry and their Bicentennial celebration can be found at www.freemason.com.