Solomon's Lodge, Savannah

Solomon's Lodge, located in Savannah, Georgia, is a Masonic lodge was founded in 1734 by the founder of the colonial Province of Georgia, General James Oglethorpe,[1] and James Lacey and claims to be the oldest continually operating lodge in America, a title also claimed by St. John's Lodge, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which was founded in 1734 or 1736.[2] It is the mother lodge of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, and between 1734 and 1785 was the only lodge in Georgia.[3] It was not called Solomon's Lodge until 1776, previously being known as "The Lodge at Savannah."[4] It occupies the former Savannah Cotton Exchange building. The first person to be initiated into the lodge was the settler and plantation founder Noble Jones.[4]

Solomon's Lodge
FormationFebruary 21, 1734 (1734-02-21)
TypeMasonic Lodge
Location
Coordinates32.0811610°N 81.089883°W / 32.0811610; -81.089883
AffiliationsGrand Lodge of Georgia, F.& A.M.
Websitesolomonslodge1.com

It has often been confused with Solomon's Lodge in Charleston, South Carolina, also a founding lodge for that state that was founded in the same year.[5]

Prominent members

Many members of Solomon's Lodge have held prestigious positions throughout history in the armed forces, government, and public service. Several prominent members of the Lodge are listed below.

Name Notability References
Archibald Bulloch 1st Governor of Georgia (1776–1777), delegate from Georgia to the Continental Congress (1775) [6][7]
William Bellinger Bulloch U.S. Senator from Georiga (1813–1813), 12th Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1809–1811, 1811–1812), president of the State Bank of Georgia (1816–1843) [7]
Samuel Elbert 18th Governor of Georgia (1785–1786), brigadier general in the Continental Army [6][7]
Thomas Gibbons 2nd Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1791–1792, 1794–1795, 1799–1801), plaintiff in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) [6]
James Gunn U.S. Senator from Georiga (1789–1801), brigadier general in the Georgia Militia [7]
James Habersham Acting governor of the Province of Georgia (1769–1772), credited with opening the first direct trade between Savannah, Georgia and London [6][7]
John Habersham Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation (1785) [6][7]
Joseph Habersham 3rd United States Postmaster General (1795–1801), 3rd Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1792–1793) [6]
Lyman Hall 17th Governor of Georgia (1783–1784), delegate from Georgia to the Continental Congress (1775–1777) [7]
George Handley 21st Governor of Georgia (1788–1789) [6][7]
John Houstoun 10th Governor of Georgia (1778–1779, 1784–1785), 1st Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1790–1791), delegate for Georgia in the Second Continental Congress (1775) [6][7]
William Houstoun Delegate representing Georgia at the Constitutional Convention (1787) [6][7]
James Jackson 23rd Governor of Georgia (1798–1801), U.S. Senator from Georiga (1793–1795, 1801–1806), member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1789–1791) [7]
George Jones U.S. Senator from Georiga (1807–1807), 14th Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1812–1814) [7]
Noble Jones One of the first settlers of the Province of Georgia [6]
Noble Wimberly Jones Delegate to the Continental Congress in 1781 and 1782 [6][7]
John Martin 16th Governor of Georgia (1782–1783) [6][7]
Matthew McAllister 1st U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia (1789–1797), 7th Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1798–1799) [6]
Henry Osborne Georgia Chief Justice (1787–1789), member of the Georgia General Assembly (1786–1788) [6]
Nathaniel Pendleton U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Georgia (1789–1796), Attorney General of Georgia (1785–1786) [6][7]
William Pierce Delegate representing Georgia at the Constitutional Convention (1787) [6][7]
William Stephens U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Georgia (1801–1818), 4th Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (1793–1794, 1795–1796) [6]
Samuel Stirk Attorney General of Georgia (1782) [6]
Josiah Tattnall 25th Governor of Georgia (1801–1802), U.S. Senator from Georiga (1796–1799), member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1795–1796) [6][7]
John A. Treutlen 9th Governor of Georgia (1777–1778) [6]
George Walton U.S. Senator from Georiga (1795–1796), Acting Governor of Georgia (1789–1790), delegate representing Georgia at the Constitutional Convention (1787) [6][7]
Archibald Bulloch is depicted in a painting
Archibald Bulloch
James Habersham is depicted in a painting
James Habersham
Joseph Habersham is depicted in a black-and-white engraving
Joseph Habersham
William Houstoun is depicted in a painting
William Houstoun
Noble Wimberly Jones is depicted in a painting
Noble Wimberly Jones
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References
  1. Hirschfeld, Fritz (2005). George Washington and The Jews. University of Delaware Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-87413-927-9.
  2. "St. John's Lodge No. 1 F.&A.M. Historic Information". St. John's Lodge #1. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  3. "Our History". Grand Lodge of Georgia. Archived from the original on 2008-09-15.
  4. Tatsch, J. Hugo (1995). Solomon's Lodge and Freemasonry in Georgia, Freemasonry in the Thirteen Colonies. Kessinger Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 1-56459-595-1.
  5. MacKey, Albert G., ed. (2003). Mackey's National Freemason Vol. III (October 1873–September 1874). Kessinger Publishing. p. 568. ISBN 9780766157187.
  6. Berman, Richard. "The Early Years of Georgia Freemasonry". Academia.edu. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  7. Denslow, William R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons. Columbia, Missouri: Missouri Lodge of Research.(digital document by phoenixmasonry: vol. 1, 2, 3, 4)
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