Early History of the Winyah Lodge U.D. of Pelham, New York

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The online auction service, eBay, remains a wonderful place to search for items related to the history of Pelham (was well as other communities)! Not long ago I purchased from an eBay seller a copy of "BY-LAWS Winyah Lodge No. 866 F. A. M. PELHAM, N. Y." published before March 8, 1921. The tiny little 17-page booklet includes not only a photograph of Seth T. Lyman who, during the 1890s, built the little drugstore that still stands at One Fifth Avenue, but also a brief history of the lodge. Today's Blog posting will quote that brief history. The "Temple" of the Lodge was opened in 1909. A photograph showing the club house acquired by the Lodge in 1909 appears immediately below.

Post Card View of the Village Club Building in North Pelham

Acquired by the Winyah Lodge and Opened as its Temple in 1909.

"On November 1, 1908, a group of Masons headed by Seth T. Lyman, met in Hiawatha Lodge room in Mount Vernon, New York, to organize a new masonic lodge to be known as Winyah Lodge. The first regular meeting of this group as a masonic lodge under dispensation was also held in the meeting room of Hiawatha Lodge No. 434, F. A. M. on November 17th, 1908. The dispensation granted by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the State of New York, of which Most Worshipful S. Nelson Sawyer was Grand Master, was read and presented by Right Worshipful Frank V. Millard, District Deputy Grand Master of the 12th Masonic District, which has since been divided to form the first and second Westchester-Putnam Districts.

The officers of Winyah Lodge U. D. who received and worked under this dispensation were:

Seth T. Lyman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Master
H. Elliot Coe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. Warden
Louis C. Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. Warden
Isaac C. Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treasurer
H.A. Anderson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Secretary
W .'. John T. Logan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. Deacon
Charles E. Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. Deacon
George C. Ruppert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. M. of C.
Emil Erickson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. M. of C.R.'. W.'. Frank V. Millard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chaplain
John H. Young. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. Steward
A. W. Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. Steward
William J. Collins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tiler

At the second and third communications routine business was attended and petitions for initiation were accepted.

On January 19, 1909 Winyah Lodge U. D. conferred its first Third Degree on Brothers in waiting. They were assisted in the second section by the Degree Team of Hiawatha Lodge No. 434, F. & A. M.

The 11th Stated Communication was held in the meeting room of Huguenot Lodge No. 34 F. & A. M. Winyah Lodge officers conferred the first and second sections of the Third Degree.

Between the 11th and 12th communications, the women folk and friends of Winyah Lodge U. D. held a Military Whist to raise funds for the lodge.

The First Stated Communication of Winyah Lodge No. 866, F. & A. M. was held on June 1, 1909 for the purpose of receiving the charter. The lodge was opened on the Third Degree by Grand Lodge Officers. The Officers of Winyah Lodge No. 866, F. & A. M. who were then installed were:

Seth T. Lyman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Master
H. Elliot Coe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. Warden
Louis C. Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. Warden
Isaac C. Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treasurer
Joseph W. Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryAlbert Logan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. Deacon
Edward C. Logan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. Deacon
Julius Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. M. of C.
John Rohrs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. M. of C.
Samuel J. Adler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr. Steward
Horace Burnett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr. Steward
Rev. Herbert Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chaplain
Carl Bergwald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Organist
Fred Case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tiler
Walter Harris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marshal

The first act of the new lodge was to dispatch a telegram to the Grand Master to express the thanks of the brethren, to offer a pledge of loyalty and to request that he dedicate the Pelham Masonic Temple on Labor Day, September 6, 1909.

This Temple, formerly a club house, was purchased by Winyah Lodge No. 866, F. & A. M. from the Hutchinson Realty Company. It was dedicated as Pelham Masonic Temple on September 6, 1909. Among those participating in the dedicatory services were, Bethlehem Commandery No. 53 Knights Templar of Mount Vernon, N. Y. The Port Chester Band supplied music. A letter from Most Worshipful S. Nelson Sawyer, Grand Master expressed his regret, that he could not be present and wished Winyah well in their new Temple.

Seth T. Lyman and Mrs. Lyman financed Winyah Lodge U. D. at its inception. This loan was repaid at the Third Communication of Winyah Lodge No. 866, F. & A. M. The Lodge is ever grateful to R.'. W.'. Seth T. Lyman for his continued support and participation throughout the years.

Many friends and members of Winyah made gifts of paraphernalia and equipment to the lodge back in 1909 which is still in use to-day. Look for the inscription on the brass plate on many of them."

Source: BY-LAWS Winyah Lodge No. 866 F. & A. M. PELHAM, N. Y., pp. 2-4 (Pelham, NY: Privately Printed; undated, but with inscription suggesting it predates March 8, 1921).

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