History
History of Tennessee Lodge 204
The history of Tennessee Lodge 204 is wrapped around the expansion of British settlements in the 1700’s and the influx of Irish and Scottish settlers as they migrated westward from the coastal confines of the Carolina’s.
In 1790, former English soldiers and their families settled on the north bank of the Tennessee River near the present location of the Carmichael Inn. During the next five decades, the population grew steadily. Ferry service was established in 1835 so that goods and people could cross the river on a regular basis. In 1851, a tract of land along the south bank of the Tennessee River was surveyed for a new community. Originally, this new community was called Blairsville, however, the name was changed to Loudon in 1852. This new community was named after the military post, located in present day Monroe County, and established by the British during the French and Indian Wars..
In August 1850, Quincy Adams Tipton, Sr. applied for a dispensation to organize a Masonic Lodge in Morganton, Blount County, Tennessee. Before the dispensation was granted, Brother Tipton received employment in Loudon (then located in Roane County) with the newly created East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad. Brother Tipton then petitioned the Grand Lodge of Tennessee for a change of location from Morganton to Loudon. That petition was granted and a charter for Tennessee Lodge 204 was issued effective 7 October 1851.
Quincy Adams Tipton,Sr. was a direct descendent of President John Quincy Adams and was the first Worshipful Master of the new lodge, serving five years from 1850 through 1854.A .J. McGhee ( of the famous Blount/Monroe County Family) was Senior Warden and J. J.Hoover of Coyatee was Junior Warden. Tradition has it that the new officers loaded the Masonic paraphernalia and furniture into wagons and walked from Morganton to Loudon. However, this point is disputable as Loudon was then a thriving river port city with regular steam and flat boat availability. Unfortunately, lodge records for that time are non-existent and newspaper records are our only reference.
Where the lodge met during the formative years from 1851-61 is not known. On 27 May 1861, the lodge obtained a Title Bond for the south half of a building on Lot#16, located on the waterfront in Loudon. A newspaper article written by Dr. Francis C. Yearwood for the Centennial Edition of the Lenoir City News Banner, dated 13-20 June,1970, states that the lodge was able to use its’ building on the waterfront only three years before it burned. Dr. Yearwoods article may be taken as authentic since he was not only Worshipful Master(1935), but also was Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in 1965. Dr. Yearwood was both a lawyer and pharmacist and had access to early lodge records which have subsequently been lost. In 1866, a new charter was issued by the Grand Lodge.
After the disastrous fire, the lodge purchased Lot#106 from the Loudon Methodist Church. The church had originally purchased the lot in 1852. Exactly when the church built this building is unknown.. The deed was not registered until 19 October 1854. It appears that the Methodist Church had financial problems and the deed reveals that they sold the basement story (ground level) and one half interest in Lot#106 to Tennessee Lodge 204. That deed has been lost and never registered.
Another possibility exists that the Methodist Church never did build until the lodge had lost their building in the 1863 fire. It’s possible that that the lodge did build the building on Lot#106 but that the deed may not have been properly drawn or registered. At any rate, there was an amount of $2000.00 owed on the lot by the Methodist Church. It seems likely that a building was there with that evaluation. A lot in Loudon at that time period would have sold for $150-200. To settle matters, the Methodist Church surrendered title on 3 December 1877 and on the same day, the lodge sold the property to the three man Board of Commissioners of Education for Loudon County, District 1. This building became the first free public school in Loudon. Then, in 1879, the Loudon County Board of Education sold the property back to the lodge for $200.00.
Tennessee Lodge 204 remained in possession and use of this two story brick building until it was sold on 14 August 1981 to Robert E. and Nancy H. Richesin, who currently occupy it as a residence. Prior to that sale, it housed not only a public and private school, but also a dancing school. It also served as a meeting house for the Cumberland Presbyterian and Baptist Church until each had built their own building. In later years it housed the local newspaper.
Today, the lodge occupies a one story building located at 601 Maremont Boulevard, to include the lodge room, separate kitchen and dining hall and a secretary’s office. In addition to regularly scheduled lodge meetings held on the first Thursday of every month, Loudon Chapter 138, Royal Arch Masons and Loudon Chapter 497 OES also utilize the lodge facilities.
From 1850, when Quincy Adams Tipton,Sr applied for a dispensation to organize a Masonic Lodge, the granting of its charter in 1851,and until this present year of 2011, there have been 123 Worshipful Masters. Available records also reveal that there were three Worshipful Masters who served multiple terms. Most notable among these were Quincy Adams Tipton, Sr., five terms, Joisiah J. Harrison, twenty terms, and John G. Greer, six terms, all of this occurring during the first fifty years of the lodge’s existence. During the Civil War years 1863-64, there are no records of the lodge’s activity. Since the lodge building was destroyed by fire in 1863, allegedly by Union soldiers, one can only assume that the lodge was dark and did not resume activities until the close of the war in 1865.
The one hundred and sixty year history of Tennessee Lodge 204 is a testimony to the dedication and devotion of members who have labored before us. To have continued to conduct fraternal business through wars, economic depressions, natural disasters and significant moral and social change is a phenomenal accomplishment indeed. To have made significant contributions to the community and to have grown during these many years is inspiring. We are confident that the future for our lodge is secured and that the heritage established by those who came before us will be continued for the benefit of both the lodge and the community it serves.
