Saco Lodge History
Saco Lodge No. 9, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, is located on Main Street, Saco, Maine, in the Masonic Block. Only the second building we have occupied in our long history, the Masonic Block also houses the offices of Saco Biddeford Savings Bank.
Our founding can be traced to St. Andrew's Lodge in Boston, where many of our country’s Founding Fathers were members. Among them were Paul Revere, Dr. Joseph Warren, and John Hancock. Located directly above the Green Dragon Tavern, home to the Sons of Liberty, the men of St. Andrew's Lodge intertwined Masonic values and patriotism, and played a pivotal role in fomenting the dissent that was to become the basis of the new American republic. Saco Lodge's first Worshipful Master, Jeremiah Hill, was a member of St. Andrew's Lodge, as were several others from the future State of Maine.
On June 14, 1802, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts granted a charter for us to form Saco Lodge #9. Jeremiah Hill, our first Master, was a captain in the Revolutionary War, and a hero of the battle of Saratoga. In addition to being a member of St. Andrew's Lodge in Boston, he was the Town Clerk of Biddeford, and a Representative in the Massachusetts legislature. Joseph Leland, who fought at Bunker Hill, and Ephraim Ridlon, who was an aide to General Knox, were also charter members of Saco Lodge and took part in the Revolution.
FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF MASSACHUSETTS JUNE 13 - 16, 1802
“At a Quarterly Communication of The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts at Concert Hall, on the evening of the 14th of June, A.L. 5802 (1802) a petition, from a number of Brethren in the town of Pepperellboro (now Saco), for charter to hold a lodge in that place, by the name of Saco Lodge, was granted this evening.”
“Present at this meeting was one W. Paul Revere Jun., son of one Paul Revere.”
Agreeable to the Charter the first meeting of Saco Lodge was held on July 20, 1802 at the house of John Cleaves  Saco Lodge's Charter |
, (this may have been at the Tavern or at his home on Front Street Hill as old maps show a John Cleaves owning both), and “effected an organization”. Attending this meeting were nine of the original petitioners and three others. The nine were Jeremiah Hill, Joseph Leland, Thomas Cutts Jr., William Fairfield, Asa Stevens, Samuel Collyer, Nathaniel Scamman Jr., Samuel Nutting Jr., John Allen and . The four other attendees were Benjamin Patterson, Thomas Buckminster ,Samuel Pingree, and Ephraim Ridlon. The first order of business was to elect or chose officers.
Highlights of Saco Lodge History
~ Charter Granted June 14, 1802
~ Received Charter June 16, 1802
~ July 20, 1802 First Meeting
~ June 6, 1811 Charter resigned due to economy leading up to War of 1812
~ May 27, 1816 Charter Restored
~ June 1, 1820 Grand Lodge of Maine organized
~ June 13, 1820 Jeremiah Hill first master of lodge dies
~ In 1827 Saco Lodge acceptance of Grand Lodge of Maine By-laws
~ 1832 – 1846 2nd period of lodge closing due to anti-Masonic feelings of the time
~ In 1852 contributed to George Washington Masonic Memorial in Virginia
~ September 2, 1854 Lodge fire destroys all except written records. November 29, 1854 moved to hall above York Counting Room
~ In 1855, Cornerstone laid for Saco City Hall.
~ 1864 Moved to Calif Hall on Factory Island.
~ Celebrated Centennial in 1902
~ Moved to present location above Saco Biddeford Savings on September 24, 1907
~ Red Cross used dining room for meetings and wrapping bandages during both World Wars
~ Salvation Army used kitchen during the great fires of 1947 to feed forest fire fighters
~ Since 1950 Annual Blood drives resulting in over 2000 pints of blood donated to the Red Cross
~ In 1988, John Anagnostis Saco Lodge member and Past Master becomes Grand Master for the State of Maine, after which he become Grand Lodge Secretary for nine years
~ In 1995, Jim Curtis, Saco Lodge Member and Past Master becomes Potentate of Kora Temple Shrine in Lewiston
~ June 1997, Cornerstone for the Saco Police Station was laid. The stone was designed by Past Grand Master John Anagnostis
~ November 1999 donated $1,000 to Saco Fire Department for Thermal Imaging Camera