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Our HISTORY

 

ON December 30, 1887, a charter was granted to Tillman Lodge #19 under the hand and seal of the Most Worshipful Grand Master John D. Campbell.

William H. Tillman was the second founding Pastor of Wheat Street Baptist Church and was instrumental in having the church built on Wheat Street (now Auburn Ave). Because tradition would dictate that a Lodge cannot be named after a living person, two years after Tillman Lodge #19 was chartered; a petition was made for a new charter with a new name to the Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons for the State of Georgia (held in the Masonic Hall, N. Broad St, Atlanta, Ga. July 1st thru July 4th 1889).

On July 13, 1889, a dispensation was granted and the name of the lodge was officially changed to Gate City Lodge #42 since the City of Atlanta was known as the “Gate City”. Atlanta was called “the Gateway city to the South” since 1857 because of the railroad connection from Memphis to Charleston.

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Gate City Lodge #42 continued to meet and operate under the original charter issued to Tillman Lodge #19 until Past Master Lawrence Johnson in June of 1989 petitioned the Grand Lodge to receive the new Charter with the name of Gate City on it that was never received back in 1889. The request was made at the Grand Lodge communication in the city of Augusta.

 

Gate City Lodge #42 was the 3rd Masonic Lodge chartered in Atlanta for men of African-American descent and has taken its’ rightful place among the five original Atlanta lodges and today is one of the best in the South.

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PAST LeaDERSHIP

1887               - W.H. Tilman

N/A                - T.C. Strickland    Unknown
N/A  
              - W.T. Smith    Unknown
N/A  
              - Henry Lidell    Unknown
N/A  
              - Roger Henderson
N/A  
              - Senford Mitchell
N/A  
              - Lee Minter
N/A  
              - John T. Hill
N/A                - T.G Hopkins
N/A                - Samuel Rice
N/A                - Frank Brown
N/A                - Bert Hering

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1919 thru 1921 - W.A. Bonds  
1922 thru 1924
 - D.B. Washington
1925 thru 1927 - G.W. Woolfolk
1928 thru 1931 - Clifford R. Johnson
1932    
             - P.L. Johnson 
1933 thru 1937 - John H. Golden
1938               - S.T. Beard    
1946 thru 1948
 - H.E. Eichelberger
1949 thru 1952 - Emmett Allen
1953 thru 1954 - Raymond H. Woods
1955
                 - Fletcher McGovern

1956 thru 1958 - Walter N. Berry
1959
                 - James Greason, Jr.
1960 thru 1962 - Joe B. Clayton
1963 thru 1964
 - Fletcher Baldwin
1965 thru 1966
 - Julius Minnifield
1967 thru 1968
 - James E. Fuller
1971       
         - Rufus Stevenson
1972 thru 1974
 - Henry L. Neely
1975 thru 1976
 - Calvin C. Johnson
1977 thru 1979
 - Ralph Kemp
1980       
         - Raymond Solomon
1981
                 - Charlie Humphries
1982
                 - Willie Holman
1983
                 - Charlie Humphries
1984 thru 1985
 - Karl Wheeler

1986                 - Willie J. Green

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1987 thru 1988 - Joseph Reese

1989                 - Lawrence Johnson

1990                 - Henry Scretchen

1991                 - James Johnson, Jr.

1992 thru 1993 - Henry Scretchen

1994                 - John A. Matthews

1995 thru 1996 - Alphonso Wright

Demitted         - Steve McClintock
1997    
             - James Traver
1998
                 - Archie Horton
1999
                 - Byron King
2000                 - Ronald Patterson
2001
                 - Nathan Lucas
2002
                 - Ronnie Triplett, II
2003 
               - Marcus McCombs
2004
                 - Thomas Walker
2005 thru 2006
 - Philip Rucker
2007              
 - Kelvin Britt
2008 thru 2009
 - Darryl Dees
2010 thru 2011 - Victor S. Wills
Demitted         - Bernard Kemp
2012           
    - Nathan Lucas

2013 thru 2014 - Keith F. Mosley Jr.
2015 thru 2016
 - Sherman Lofton, Jr.
2017 thru 2018
 - Tori Richardson
Demitted         - Steven Downey, II

2019 to Current   - Robert K. Smith  

March 6, 1775

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On March 6, 1775, Prince Hall, a Bridgetown Barbados native, and 14 men of color were made Masons in Lodge #441 of the Irish Registry attached to the 38th British Foot Infantry at Castle William Island in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. It marked the first time that Black men were made Masons in America.

 

As an African American, Prince Hall was noted as an abolitionist for his leadership in the free black community in Boston and as the founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry. He lobbied for education rights for black children and was active in the back-to-Africa movement.

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For more information on Princ Hall, click here.

Prince Hall HISTORY

 

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No one knows with certainty how or when the Masonic Fraternity was formed. A widely accepted theory among Masonic scholars is that it arose from the stonemasons' guilds during the Middle Ages. The language and symbols used in the fraternity's rituals come from this era. The oldest document that makes reference to Masons is the Regius Poem, printed about 1390, which was a copy of earlier work.

 

In 1717, four lodges in London formed the first Grand Lodge of England and records from that point on are more complete. Within thirty years, the fraternity had spread throughout Europe and the American Colonies. Freemasonry became very popular in colonial America. George Washington was a Mason, Benjamin Franklin served as the head of the fraternity in Pennsylvania, as did Paul Revere and Joseph Warren in Massachusetts. Other well-known Masons involved with the founding of America included John Hancock, John Sullivan, Lafayette, Baron Fredrick von Stuben, Nathanael Greene, and John Paul Jones. Another Mason, Chief Justice John Marshall, shaped the Supreme Court into its present form.

 

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Freemasonry HISTORY

 

Over the centuries, Freemasonry has developed into a worldwide fraternity emphasizing personal study, self-improvement, and social betterment via individual involvement and philanthropy. During the late 1700s, it was one of the organizations most responsible for spreading the ideals of the Enlightenment: the dignity of man and the liberty of the individual, the right of all persons to worship as they choose, the formation of democratic governments, and the importance of public education. Masons supported the first public schools in both Europe and America.

 

 

During the 1800s and early 1900s, Freemasonry grew dramatically. At that time, the government had provided no social "safety net". The Masonic tradition of founding orphanages, homes for widows, and homes for the aged provided the only security many people knew.

 

Today in North America, the Masonic Fraternity continues this tradition by giving almost $1.5 million each day to causes that range from operating children's hospitals, providing treatment for childhood language disorders, treating eye diseases, funding medical research, contributing to local community service, and providing care to Masons and their families at Masonic Homes.

 

The four million Masons worldwide continue to help men and women face the problems of the 21st century by building bridges of brotherhood and instilling in the hearts of men ideals for a better tomorrow.

info@gatecitylodge42.org

Webmaster - Bro. Victor Jenkins

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