Arlington
Lodge # 58
120 Years of FAITH, HOPE & CHARITY
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Throughout our 116-year history, and in spite of many
detours along the way, the
members of Arlington Lodge #58 have persevered, never
losing site of the vision our
forefathers left for us.
It is because of the realization of this shared vision, and the
dedication and commitment of our Masonic brothers,
both past and present, that has
allowed us to continue this long.
Arlington Lodge #58 has had a long and rich history, with
many of our Masonic
brethren making outstanding contributions that have
had a far-reaching impact, not only
in Masonry, but in the community at large and society
in general. Since it would be
impossible to do justice to this 114-year history in a
few short paragraphs, we shall
briefly refer to "From whence we came, masonicly, and
the historical formation of
Arlington Lodge #58."
In 1845, 17 years before the Emancipation Proclamation,
Universal Lodge #1 in
Alexandria became the first lodge to be organized by
black men in the state of Virginia.
(Lodges are given their numbers, or designations, in
the order in which they are granted
charters.) Thus
Arlington Lodge was granted a charter in October 1888, and was given
the number
"58." The first officers were:
Henry L. Holmes
Worshipful Master
Edmund C. Fleet, Sr.
Secretary
Tibbett Allen
Senior Warden
Robert E. Smith
Sr. Deacon
S. H. Thompson
Junior Warden
Abraham Pinn Jr.
Deacon
James Tunston
Treasurer
Henry Thomas
Chaplain
John Alexander Tiler
Henry L. Holmes, first Worshipful Master, also served as
Commissioner of Revenue
for Arlington County from July 1, 1876 to December 31,
1903 (27 1/2 years without
interruption).
In addition to holding this official post, he was a member of the Grand
United Order of Odd Fellows, Stevens Lodge 1435 for 32
years. He was also a member
of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and, later, became of one
of the founders of St. John Baptist
Church.
Together with W. H. Butler, he developed the Butler-Holmes subdivision
in the
area now known as Central Arlington.
He died on April 13, 1905 at the age of 55.
In
recognition of Bro. Holmes' outstanding work and
tradition of community service, a
building that was originally located at 2100 N. 14th
Street was named in his honor.
For a number of years after the death of Brother Holmes,
Arlington Lodge #58
continued to meet at Stevens Lodge Odd Fellows
Building (located on the site where the
Sheraton Hotel stands today).
In 1963, fire destroyed the building and much of the
written history, including many books and
irreplaceable records.
Fortunately, several
ledgers were saved from the fire and are now
permanently housed in the Virginia Room
of the Arlington County Central Library, as part of
the Edmund C. Fleet, Jr. collection.
Brother
Edmund C. Fleet, Sr., donated the original Tiler's sword to Arlington
Lodge
in 1888. This
sword too, would have been lost in the 1963 fire, had it not been for
the
quick thinking of Brother Edmund C. Fleet Jr.
You need only to look at the handle of the
sword to see the great risk that Brother Fleet took in
order to save this Masonic symbol
for future generations.
Bro Fleet's widow, Mrs. Alice Fleet returned this sword to
Arlington Lodge #58 at its building dedication service
in 1994. We were very grateful to
her for the care and safekeeping that she provided
during the time that she cared for one
of Masonry's most symbolic possessions -- the Tiler's
Sword.
Arlington Lodge #58 has functioned masonicly for more
than 116 years, except for the
period during World War II.
At the end of the war, in 1945, the lodge was reorganized
with the help of Lincoln Lodge #11 of Alexandria.
On July 19 of that year, a
dispensation was granted to elect officers; Brother
John Galloway was elected Master.
On September 7, 1945, Arlington Lodge #58 adopted as
its appendant body, Arlington
Chapter #173, Order of the Eastern Star.
This newly formed organization consisted of
the wives, mothers, widows, sisters, and daughters of
Freemasons. Sister Gladys Scott
Payne was the first Worthy Matron, and Bro. George Gee
was the first Worthy Patron.
Each year, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of
Virginia host the "Jewel
Contest", and subordinate lodges from throughout
Virginia compete to see which lodge is
the most proficient on floor and ritualistic work.
In 1981, Arlington Lodge #58 won this
most coveted award.
On September 18, 1986, Past Master William F. Milton was
elected Right Worshipful
Junior Grand Deacon for the Most Worshipful Prince
Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia, in
effect, becoming Arlington Lodge's first member ever
in the Grand Line. In 1996, Bro.
Milton became Most Worshipful Grand Master of Prince
Hall Masons for the jurisdiction
of Virginia.
W.E.B. Dubois is quoted as saying, "Throughout history,
the powers of single black
men flash hare and there like falling stars, and
sometimes die before the world has richly
gauged their brightness."
Fortunately, the seeds of "brightness" planted in 1775 by
Prince Hall, our first Masonic Grand Master and his
original 14 brothers, continue to
illuminate and guide the more than one-half million
Masons from around the globe. We,
the members of Arlington Lodge #58, being historically
linked to Prince hall, feel both a
sense of pride and humility, as we commemorate another
milestone in the history of our
lodge. We
attest by our continued presence and participation, that from the labors
of our
first Master, Henry L. Holmes, and his 12 craftsmen,
to the labors of our present Master,
Eugene M. Nunnally and his 94 craftsmen (including 23
active Past Masters and three life
members) that this work has not been in vain.
Many of our worthy brethren who laid the
visionary foundation for the building are no longer
among us; however, they can rest in
peace knowing that "the attentive ear is still
receiving the sound from the instructive
tongue, " and that Arlington Lodge #58, 117 years
after its inception, is still seeking to
promote the highest type of manhood based on the
practice of brotherly love, community
service and the Golden Rule.
Past Master Carlton Newton |
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