Hiram Masonic Lodge No 7 to Receive Historic Landmark Plaque

The Historic Franklin Masonic Hall will witness the Hiram Masonic Lodge No. 7 be presented with its National Historic Landmark plaque by the National Park Service on May 22, 2015, at 11am. A joint resolution from Tennessee State Senate and State House of Representatives is scheduled to be announced, signifying the historical importance of the Hall’s history. Representative Jeremy Durham and Senator Jack Johnson will present the resolution, officially recognizing the urgent need to restore and preserve one of Tennessee’s most vital historic resources.

The Hiram Masonic Lodge No. 7 cordially invites the public to attend the plaque dedication ceremony. Along with Representative Durham and Senator Johnson, guest speakers will include Tennessee Historic Commission Executive Director Patrick McIntyre, Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County Executive Director Mary Pearce, Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area Historian Rachael Finch, Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson, National Park Service Superintendent Gayle Hazelwood, Native History Association President Patrick Cummins and other key political dignitaries.

Following the ceremony, light refreshments will be served, as well as viewing of key artifacts and tours of the lodge.  Bicentennial of Freemasonry in Franklin, Tennessee, written by Lodge historian, John Sylva, will be available for purchase. Private donations will also be accepted. All proceeds will go directly to fund the preservation efforts of the Historic Franklin Masonic Hall.

About The Historic Franklin Masonic Hall

The Historic Franklin Masonic Hall remains one of the last surviving examples of early Gothic Revival architecture in Middle Tennessee.  At the time of construction, c. 1823 to 1826, its three stories made it the tallest building in Franklin.  The Hall served a dual purpose; the first floor became Franklin’s first public meeting space, while the second and third floors were reserved for the Masons. First established in 1809, Hiram Masonic Lodge No. 7 has occupied the Hall since 1826, and is one of the oldest Lodges to reside continuously at the same location in the United States.

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson traveled to the Hall and met with the Chickasaw Nation delegation with intent to establish a peace treaty that, unfortunately, would never be ratified by Congress, leading to the Trail of Tears. In May of 1861 at the onset of the Civil War, many prominent, local Confederate men became Master Masons before heading off to battle. Several, including Confederate Captain Tod Carter, would die on the battlefield and never return to the Hall. Systematic Union occupation, along with transformation into a field hospital during the Battle of Franklin, left the building in exceedingly poor condition. It was not until 1913, when the Masons finally received war reparations from the Federal government that the Hall would resemble its pre-war appearance. In 1867, the Hall intimately observed the Franklin race riots and the development of one of the first African-American neighborhoods in Franklin just a block away. During World War I, the National Guard commandeered the first floor into an armory. By 1972, the Hall received a listing on the National Register for Historic Places and became a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

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