mums012 Bethel Lodge, F. & A.M., Records, 1858-1938 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Kenneth Fones-Wolf and Linda Seidman. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA

2003

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Eric Cartier. 2003-04-22 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mu22 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Bethel Lodge, F. & A.M., Records, 1858-1938 Finding Aid Manuscript Number 12 Compiled by Kenneth Fones-Wolf and Linda Seidman February and September 1985 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Freemasons. Bethel Lodge (Enfield, Mass) Bethel Lodge, F. & A.M., Records 1858-1938 MS 12 1 box (0.5 linear ft.) Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Organization of masons in Enfield, Massachusetts. Contains material from after their charter was reinstated in 1858, including a membership list, financial records, by-laws, burial service manual, directories, insurance policies, meeting cards, and a one-hundreth anniversary booklet. English. Historical Note

The Bethel Lodge of Masons, organized in 1825, is the oldest recorded social or fraternal group in Enfield, Massachusetts. Although it was a flourishing organization, the Lodge suspended and surrendered its charter in late 1829 in response to anti-Masonic pressures of the period. The charter was restored in 1858 to petitioners Aaron Woods, Henry Fobes, Nathan Weeks, J.B. Woods, John Crosby, Ichabod Pope, and Daniel Ford.

The Masonic Building, erected in 1926, was located in the central business district of Enfield. When the town was flooded for the Quabbin Reservoir, the Bethel Lodge folded, in 1939; most of its former members merged with Eden Lodge of Ware.

Enfield was among the Western Massachusetts towns abolished in 1938 to allow the Swift River Valley to be flooded, thereby creating the Quabbin Reservoir to provide Boston with water.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection consists of material only from the period following the reinstatement of the charter. Records include a membership list (1861), financial records (1858-1898), by-laws (1882, 1937), burial service manual (1909), directories (1898, 1929-1938), insurance policies (1873-1898), meeting cards (1880-1926), and a one-hundredth anniversary booklet (1925).

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Bethel Lodge, F. and A.M., Records (MS 12). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Acquired from Donald Howe, 1960

Processed by Ken Fones-Wolf and Linda Seidman, February and September 1985.

Search Terms Freemasons. Bethel Lodge (Enfield, Mass.)--Archives. Freemasons--Massachusetts--Enfield--Archives. Freemasonry--Massachusetts--Enfield--History--Sources. Men--Massachusetts--Enfield--Societies and clubs--Archives. Enfield (Mass.)--History--Sources. Enfield (Mass.)--Social life and customs. Quabbin Reservoir Region (Mass.)--History. Insurance policies. 1 Annual Return of Membership 1861 2-6 Bills and Accounts 1858-1898 7 Burial Service manual 1909 8 By-Laws 1882, 1937 9 Directories 1898, 1929-1938 10 Insurance Policies 1873-1898 11 Meeting Cards 1880-1926 12 One-Hundredth Anniversary booklet 1925